National Furniture Bank Association Directs Donation of 3,200 Mattresses

Furniture World Magazine

IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) midscale extended-stay hotel brand, Candlewood Suites® diverted nearly 260 tons of material from landfills during bedding renovations at 55 hotels this summer. Candlewood Suites worked in partnership with the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA) to repurpose the box springs and linens to benefit approximately 4,300 families in need across the U.S. An additional benefit of the reuse program was a cumulative savings of over $100,000 in disposal fees. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, during the past 35 years the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day. Reuse is one way to stop waste at the source as it delays or avoids that item's entry in the waste collection and disposal system. “We were delighted that 55 local affiliates of the NFBA were able to donate more than 3,200 mattresses and box springs and 4,000 linen sets from our hotels to families in need,” said Gina LaBarre, vice president, Brand Management, Candlewood Suites. “Not only did the Candlewood Cares® program help local families, but also it diverted waste from landfills and saved our hotel owners thousands in disposal fees.” Candlewood Suites hotels located in remote areas from NFBA affiliates created their own reuse programs. The Candlewood Suites Tulsa donated 100 bedding sets and 120 new books to Tulsa’s Family & Children's Services during the hotel’s “It’s Not Time for Bed until after You’ve Read!” event. The Candlewood Suites West Knoxville donated 98 bedding sets to Mission of Hope, a local charity that gives beds to those who otherwise slept on pallets. According to the Reuse Development Organization, reuse provides an excellent, environmentally-preferred alternative to other waste management methods, because it reduces air, water and land pollution, and limits the need for new natural resources, such as timber, petroleum, fibers and other materials. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recently identified waste reduction as an important method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a contributing factor to global warming. “The Candlewood Suites partnership with NFBA supports IHG’s overall mission to sustain the environment and the communities in which we operate our hotels,” said Vicki Gordon, senior vice president, Corporate Affairs, IHG. “We conducted this pilot program with the Candlewood Suites bedding change initiative in order to document environmental, community and hotel operational impact. Our goal was to take the learnings and, assuming positive results, create a template that we could then offer all our brands when they conduct similar refresh activities.” Based on the very positive results achieved, the template will be shared with all franchisees at IHG’s annual Investors Conference in October. About Candlewood Suites Hotels Candlewood Suites is focused on comfort, space and value. With more than 140 properties located throughout North America, guests find spacious studio and one-bedroom suites in the U.S. and Canada. For more information or to book a reservation, go to www.candlewoodsuites.com or call 1-888-CANDLEWOOD. Candlewood Suites participates in Priority Club Rewards. With more than 33 million members, Priority Club® Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry. Winner of the 19th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty “Program of the Year” and named “Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World” by Global Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotel loyalty program. Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll by logging on at priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG’s 3,800 hotels worldwide. About National Furniture Bank Association The NFBA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with the mission to increase the service capacity of existing furniture banks, and to open new furniture banks in areas without one. No child in America should have to sleep on the floor. Contact the NFBA to find a furniture bank near you or to become a sponsor. http://www.Help1Up.org