A non-profit webinar initiative entitled ‘Open Door’ was held on Friday 1st April 2022 to raise awareness for the various projects providing accommodation solutions to aid the grave Ukrainian refugee crisis currently affecting many European states. The hospitality sector is already supporting the refugee crisis in numerous ways and the webinar brought together representatives from several initiatives to talk about their projects, discuss the challenges they face, and to identify how others can help and contribute. Open Door was hosted by the hosts of the Hospitality Resilience Series (which was a series of webinars with experts to help hospitality professionals be in a better place to get through the Covid-19 crisis): Jonathan Humphries, HoCoSo; Jon Hazan, Atlas Events; and Chris Mumford, Cervus Leadership Consulting. The hope is that this simple initiative can boost the profile of these desperately needed humanitarian projects to all countries across Europe, helping those currently operating or those who want to help but are not sure how to do so.
The need to provide accommodation for the millions of Ukrainian refugees will only continue in the coming months. By acting now, the industry can put measures in place to meet this need.
Webinar panellists:
Alliance4Ukraine, Nils Omland
A one-stop-shop platform for refugees from Ukraine entering Germany. This project is supported by Google and the BMW Foundation amongst others. The platform is able to provide multiple solutions to many of the refugees’ needs, from accommodation, legal support, clothing and jobs.
Wunderflats, Jan Hase, CEO & Co-Founder
Housing support for displaced Ukrainian refugees providing access to apartments at no, or very low cost.
Unterkunft Ukraine, Felix Oldenburg, Board Member
https://unterkunft-ukraine.de/
An alliance of mission-driven organisations supporting solidarity in civil society and connecting refugees with available private accommodation.
Hospitality Helps, Michael Widmann, Co-Founder, & Preben Vestdam
https://hospitality-helps.org/en/home
Providing temporary hotel accommodation to Ukrainian residents by connecting them with hotels providing free stays in many countries.
Booking.com, Alexandra Wolframm, Head of Public Affairs DACH
Enabling accommodation partners in certain countries to support refugees by offering them a place to stay for free or at a significantly reduced rate. Booking.com will waive commission fees for these reservations.
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