Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill Awards Community Grant to the American Experience Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC – As a part of Hyatt Community Grants, a philanthropic program that empowers Hyatt colleagues to guide charitable giving, Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill announced today that it has awarded a $12,000 grant to the American Experience Foundation (AEF) at a holiday event benefitting the organization. AEF is the 501(c) (3) public charity associated with Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. The grant will be utilized to further the organization’s efforts in enriching the lives of low-income students through inspirational travel experiences and educational opportunities to cultivate the next generation of hospitality industry professionals.

The Hyatt Community Grants program, which is now in its eleventh year, encourages hotels around the world to identify and nominate local community-based organizations for funding consideration. The program builds on Hyatt’s belief that no one better understands a local community’s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those who live and work there. Since 2008, colleagues at Hyatt hotels have helped direct nearly $3.5 million to 260 nonprofits in 52 countries around the world. 

“We are honored to support AEF and its commitment to enriching the lives of low-income students,” said Gail Smith-Howard, Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill general manager, who has been on the AEF Committee since 2015. “It is important now, more than ever, to care for our local communities, the cities we call home, and AEF’s commitment to taking care of our community’s future – its youth – is inspiring. I truly believe that together with AEF we can make a meaningful change in the future of our community.”

All participating community-based organizations must have a significant local presence and align with Hyatt’s new global program, RiseHY, which is designed to pair the hospitality industry’s career opportunities with young people who need them.

Through AEF’s affiliation with DDC and its nearly 1,000 member businesses, the organization is uniquely positioned to open doors for students, filling a need for career exposure and creating paths to success through inspirational travel opportunities and real life educational experiences.

AEF’s annual programs provide:

Free field trips to the nation’s capital for low-income students from DC and across the country
Internships and educational opportunities to connect students with hospitality industry professionals
Scholarships to qualified students and alumni from DC’s four high school Academies of Hospitality & Tourism

“Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill continues to recognize the importance of AEF,” said Claire Carlin, executive director, AEF, and vice president, partnerships and alliances, DDC. “Gail and her team have invested time and resources by hosting our career ready interns and their host employers annually for a networking and educational luncheon and this generous grant will go a long way in helping us grow our programs.”

Funding for the Hyatt Community Grants program is provided by Hyatt. Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill will be among 29 Hyatt hotels around the world that will award grants totaling $365,000 to nonprofits in their local communities in 2018.

“At Hyatt, we believe that fulfilling our purpose starts with understanding the needs of others. This is at the core of our Hyatt Community Grants program, because no one is better suited to identify what our communities need than our colleagues who live and work there,” said Jessica Schultz, senior manager of community engagement, Hyatt. “Hyatt Community Grants celebrate and build upon our hotels long-standing engagements with local community-based organizations providing on-the-job training and paths to employment for Opportunity Youth and under-resourced youth across the globe. We look forward to continuing this positive momentum in the future to help many more of these well-deserving community-based organizations impact lives of youth.”

Giving Back #HyattThrive

From December 3 to December 14, Hyatt colleagues worldwide will use social channels to celebrate Hyatt Community Grants recipients and the way they give back to communities #HyattThrive. For more information on the recipients of the Hyatt Community Grants program, visit about.hyatt.com/en/risehy/community-grants.html The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Hyatt Community Grants

Hyatt Community Grants is a key component of Hyatt’s global corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive. Through the Hyatt Community Grants program, Hyatt deepens the company’s community ties by empowering colleagues to act as local philanthropists. The Hyatt Community Grants program brings together teams of colleagues to support the prosperity and well-being of their communities. For more information about Hyatt Thrive, visit thrive.hyatt.com.

About Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill

Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill is located just steps from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Featuring a five-story contemporary atrium with 838 guestrooms including 31 suites that all offer a modern and contemporary feel, the hotel features Article One – American Grill, a newly renovated restaurant and bar that offers locally sourced and seasonal menu items. The hotel’s 38,000 square feet of total meeting space includes Regency Ballroom, largest ballroom on Capitol Hill, and Thornton Room, known best for its city skyline views. For reservations or information, call (202) 737-1234 or visit the website at hyattregencywashington.com. Follow hotel on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the American Experience Foundation

The American Experience Foundation (AEF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity affiliated with Destination DC, enriches the lives of students through inspirational travel experiences and educational opportunities to cultivate the next generation of hospitality industry professionals. AEF offers students an introduction to the wonder of travel and exposure to hospitality career paths through: free field trips for low-income 8th graders from Washington, DC and across the country; scholarships to qualified DC high school Academies of Hospitality and Tourism students and graduates; and educational programs to connect students to hospitality industry professionals and ensure college and career readiness. americanexperiencefoundation.org

About Destination DC

Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. For more information, visit washington.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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