Third Annual No Room For Trafficking Summit to Highlight Survivors Fund Successes on July 30

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The AHLA Foundation has announced that its third annual “No Room for Trafficking” summit will take place on July 30, 2024, coinciding with the United Nations World Day Against Human Trafficking.

At last year’s NRFT Summit, the foundation announced the first NRFT Survivor Fund grantees, including Safe House Project, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), Restore NYC, Inc., and the University of Maryland’s SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors. They also presented data highlighting the impact of the $500,000 distributed among these organizations:

• 643 survivors received emergency services to help them escape human trafficking.
• 514 survivors received training and coaching to prepare for employment.
• 240 people have been trained to provide professional support to survivors.
• 80 survivors were connected with job opportunities.
• 66 survivors obtained employment without exploitation.

AHLA Foundation President Anna Blue said: “In 2022, we launched the NRFT Survivor Fund – a first for the hospitality industry – to expand the hospitality and lodging sector’s efforts to support trafficking survivors. Since launching the Survivors Fund, we have increased the total amount raised to $7.5 million to reach our goal of $10 million, and we look forward to awarding $1 million in grants to community organizations that support survivors of human trafficking at our third annual summit.

The AHLA Foundation’s anti-human trafficking initiatives are led by the NRFT Advisory Council, which includes 12 hospitality industry leaders. The council is co-chaired by Joan Bottarini, chief financial officer of Hyatt, and Farah Bhayani, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer of G6 Hospitality, the parent company of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands.

Corporate supporters of the NRFT Advisory Board and Survival Fund include Aimbridge, Choice Hotels, Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation, IHG Hotels & Resorts, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Marriott International, Real Hospitality Group, Red Roof, Sonesta, Summit Foundation, Vision Hospitality Group and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.