The Russian invasion of Ukraine has left millions of people homeless, giving them no choice but to flee the country.
Many are now seeking shelter in countries across Europe as they look to rebuild their lives and the hospitality industry is trying to play its part.
A number of initiatives have sprung up, which are hoping to make a difference.
One of them is www.Hospitality-Helps.org, a platform offering Ukrainian residents the ability to book short-term stays at hotels around Europe and beyond that provide free accommodation.
The initiative is supported by more than 600 hotels representing groups such as Accor, Hilton, IHG and Marriott as well as independent hotels.
One of HospitalityHelps hotels partners Martin Oesterreich, general manager of the Zoku Hotel in Austria, said: “With the war so close to home, we wanted to do something to help the people of the Ukraine. Since we joined HospitalityHelps we have been able to host 35 families. Even today, I can't begin to put myself in the shoes of the people who lost everything from one moment to the next and I am glad that initiatives like HospitalityHelps were set up so quickly so we can come together as an industry to provide support.”
Founders of HospitalityHelps include PKF hospitality group and HotelSwaps.
Michael Widmann, global CEO of PKF Hospitality Group, recently appeared on a panel as part of a non-profit webinar initiative called Open Door, which was held to raise awareness for the various projects providing accommodation solutions to aid Ukrainian refugee crisis currently affecting many European states.
Other speakers on the webinar included:
· Nils Omland – team member at Alliance4Ukraine, a platform providing multiple solutions to many of the refugees’ needs, from accommodation, legal support, clothing and job.
· Felix Oldenburg – board member of Unterkunft Ukraine, an alliance of organisations supporting solidarity in civil society and connecting refugees with available private accommodation.
· Jan Hase – CEO and co-founder, Wunderflats, which is trying to provide access to apartments at no, or very low cost.
Open Door was hosted by the hosts of the Hospitality Resilience Series:Jonathan Humphries, HoCoSo; Jon Hazan, Atlas Events; and Chris Mumford, Cervus Leadership Consulting.