As part of its centennial celebrations in South East Asia this year, Hilton announced its partnership with non-governmental organization Street Feeders of Kuala Lumpur (KL) to extend its hospitality to the homeless and urban poor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Working with volunteers from the Street Feeders of KL, whose mission is to break social stigmas surrounding the homeless and help reintegrate them back into society, Hilton also engaged students from local school Sekolah Kebangsaan La Salle (2) Jinjang in preparing care packages for a group of homeless people living on the streets of the Malaysian capital.
The care packages were comprised of basic essential items, including food, water and soap, accompanied by hand-written messages of encouragement by the students. The 350 packages were prepared and distributed through a joint effort by more than 100 volunteers from the Street Feeders of KL and Team Members across Hilton’s six hotels in Kuala Lumpur.
“Our founder, Conrad Hilton, started the company with the belief that travel could make the world a better place. Over the last century, being the most hospitable company in the world has been a core focus for us here at Hilton, and it is this part of our DNA that has inspired us to perform these ‘Acts of Hospitality’ throughout our communities during our milestone centennial year,” said Mr. Jamie Mead, Regional General Manager, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, Hilton.
“Malaysia represents a significant part of our presence in South East Asia, and, as a company of our scale and heritage, we have a responsibility to do our part for the communities we operate in. The homeless and urban poor in Kuala Lumpur is a segment we can all do more for and we are grateful for the chance to work with local partners, such as the Street Feeders of KL, to help meet some of their basic needs. As we look towards the next hundred years of our operations, we are committed to continue building strong relationships with our partners to positively impact the communities our hotels operate in,” Mead added.
Chris Farentino, Team Leader, Street Feeders of KL, said, “The Street Feeders of KL first started in 2011 to reach out to and empower the homeless and urban poor here in Kuala Lumpur. As we continue working towards this goal, we are honored to have the support of an established brand, such as Hilton, to further our cause, and we look forward to continued opportunities to impact lives across the country together.”
Malaysia holds the largest number of operating hotels for Hilton within South East Asia, with 11 properties open across three brands — its flagship Hilton brand, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn. The global hospitality company is also set to almost double its presence with a robust pipeline of nine properties due to open within the next five years. This will include the introduction of Hilton’s lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton in Bukit Bintang, as well as its global luxury brand, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, which is slated to open in the heart of Kuala Lumpur in 2021.
The activation in Kuala Lumpur is the second edition of Hilton’s “Acts of Hospitality” campaign in South East Asia, with the first installment completed in Jakarta, Indonesia, this July. In honor of the Public Facility Maintenance Agency, an appreciation dinner was held at DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta – Diponegoro to thank them for their tireless support in keeping the hotel’s surrounding areas safe, clean and hospitable for guests and the wider community.
Community celebrations and engagements are set to continue across South East Asia throughout the rest of Hilton’s 100th year.
