Affinia Hotels Partners with Operation Smile To Help Change the Lives of Children Worldwide
Program to Raise $120,000 to Kick off May 2 in NYC and D.C.
New York (May 2, 2013) – Affinia Hotels, a boutique hotel collection of Denihan Hospitality Group, is on a mission to spread smiles throughout the world.
Beginning May 2, Affinia Hotels is launching a 12-month partnership with Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that believes children deserve to live their lives with dignity, and dignity begins with a smile. The collaboration will raise funds and build awareness for Operation Smile’s mission to save lives and heal smiles by providing life-saving surgeries for children and young adults worldwide who were born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
Affinia’s goal is to raise $120,000, equating to 500 surgeries, to support Operation Smile’s team of medical volunteers in providing reconstructive surgery for thousands of patients each year in 60 countries around the world. 2013 also marks the 30th anniversary for the organization.
The choice of Operation Smile as the brand’s charitable partner reflects Affinia’s mission to provide comfort and give people a reason to smile through the brand’s Tender Loving Comfort® (TLC) movement. TLC is led by its Chief Comfort Officer, Chrissy Denihan O’Donovan, who recently completed a medical mission to Bolivia with Operation Smile. The TLC movement is carried out by the staff at Affinia’s six hotels in New York City and Washington, D.C.
“Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft each day, and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child smile,” said O’Donovan. “Teaming up with Operation Smile will bring more awareness and funds to a cause that literally changes lives.”
Affinia’s Operation Smile campaign includes a cause-related-marketing initiative, a social media fund-raising program and more.
- Stay Awhile Give a Smile: Affinia Hotels will donate $10 for each Stay Awhile, Give a Smile package booked, which includes a Smile Kit equipped with a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, mints and floss; gratis Wi-Fi, and a list of smile-worthy destinations in NYC and D.C. Available for travel through August 31, 2013 with nightly rates starting at $149 in D.C. and $199 in NYC, this offer must be booked by June 29 by visiting www.affinia.com/smile or calling 866-246-2203 and using promo code SMILE.
- “Share a Smile” Social Media Campaign: Now through May 29, Affinia will donate $2 to Operation Smile every time an Affinia fan shares the answer to “What makes you smile?,” in addition to donating $2 each time someone retweets Affinia’s Operation Smile message with the hashtag #RTaSmile, now through May 7, up to $14,000. Learn more on Facebook and Twitter.
- Operation Smile onsite and online: Guests of Affinia Hotels have numerous ways to participate and learn about Operation Smile. Every Affinia guestroom key cardholder will include a donation insert that guests may fill out, and the amount will be added to their bill at checkout. Each hotel hosts complimentary Wine Hours five nights a week, and will feature Operation Smile-themed nights periodically throughout the year for guests to learn how the global organization has changed the lives of over 200,000 children and how to get involved. Travelers can learn more by visiting www.operationsmile.org/affinia.
The Operation Smile partnership has the entire staff, from bellmen to executives, inspired to make a difference. All 600 Affinia associates have been briefed so they can speak to the mission of Operation Smile and welcome guests to get involved. When the goal of raising $120,000 is met, one hotel associate will represent Affinia Hotels and its parent company, Denihan Hospitality Group, on an Operation Smile medical mission.
About Affinia Hotels
Affinia is a distinctive collection of boutique hotels with locations in New York City and Washington, D.C. targeting the growing base of travelers looking for a uniquely comfortable and customized experience. The brand combines modern business amenities with the comforts of home, including custom-designed Affinia beds, pillow menu and a range programs and services giving guests the opportunity to customize their stay. Each hotel embraces the local attributes of each city and community, and was awarded the 2012 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor as a result of travelers consistently recommending the hotels with high praise.
Affinia Hotels is operated by Denihan Hospitality Group, a privately-held hotel management company with more than 50 years of hospitality management expertise.
About Operation Smile
Every three minutes, somewhere in the world a child is born with a cleft palate or cleft lip, which translates into 480 children every single day. One in every 10 children born with this facial deformity will not live to celebrate his or her first birthday. As a result, in any given year over 17,000 children born with this easily treatable facial deformity will die.
Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is an international children’s medical charity with a presence in more than 60 countries, whose network of more than 5,000 medical volunteers from over 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 3.5 million healthcare evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities, as well as patients suffering from burns. To build long-term self-sufficiency in developing countries, Operation Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their own local communities, donates medical equipment and supplies, and provides year-round medical treatment through Comprehensive Care Centers.
Visit www.operationsmile.org, follow @OperationSmile on Twitter, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/operationsmile for more information on Operation Smile’s global efforts.
Media Contact:
Christina Khoury, Quinn & Co. Public Relations, (212) 868-1900, ext. 267, ckhoury@quinnandco.com
Katie Meyer, VP, Corporate Communications, Denihan Hospitality Group, (646) 424-2614, katie.meyer@denihan.com
Media Contact for Operation Smile:
Jessica Kraft, director of Public Relations & Media Strategy (757) 321-3207, Jessica.Kraft@operationsmile.org
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