Responsible Business Strategy 8


As a global hotel company, Carlson Hotels, Americas is an integral part of communities, contributing to their infrastructures, growth and development. We take this responsibility very seriously.


By conducting ourselves according to our values, we get great satisfaction while assuring our guests they have chosen the right partner with which to do business. We are grateful to the men and women of Carlson Hotels, Americas who bring to life every day our commitments to our stakeholders through a responsible approach to business.


We also understand that we have an economic responsibility to our customers, shareholders, business partners and owners. By operating in a way that is respectful of human rights, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable, we can better meet these economic responsibilities.


We have created the Responsible Business program because we believe it is our personal and professional responsibility to make things happen – following our Credo. Without taking that responsibility, we cannot make a difference or sustain long-term profitability.


Vision and Strategy. Our vision for the Responsible Business program is to take a leadership role in the international hospitality industry. In order to be a leader, our Responsible Business program must be anchored in our core business and touch upon the work routines of all employees. Moreover, the program must be continuously updated and developed, and our work with Responsible Business must be measured so as to spur continuous improvements.


Carlson Hotels, Americas’ Responsible Business program was broadened in 2010 and fully aligned with our core business objectives to increase awareness and readiness, to handle risks, and to reduce costs. An important aspect of taking this leading role is our eco-labeling strategy (refer to page 28) where the results have been overwhelming. Ninety hotels were certified by the end of 2010 – an outstanding achievement.


In March 2010, Carlson proudly joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. We are aligning our operations with the ten universally accepted principles of the Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.


By signing the Global Compact, Carlson publicly reaffirmed our commitment to leading a company with a clear sense of corporate social responsibility and a strong commitment to the common good. We are committed to supporting the Global Compact’s ten principles by making them an integral part of our business strategy, day-to-day operations and organizational culture, incorporating them in our decision- making processes and communicating our progress on an annual basis. Additionally, we are committed to engaging in partnerships to advance broader development objectives, such as the UN Millennium Development Goals.


Carlson Hotels, Americas actively seeks out and develops partnerships with non-governmental organizations, industry groups across all of our business units and others. Our partnerships, together with our strategies to align our business operations with the ten principles of the Global Compact, constitute our efforts to fulfill the development objectives of the United Nations. Through these partnerships, Carlson Hotels, Americas is able to expand the breadth and depth of our Responsible Business efforts.


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