Marriott International has once again proudly announced its commitment to celebrate and promote diversity, equity and inclusion around the globe, by welcoming everyone without distinction. Creating an inclusive environment in which everyone feels comfortable, Marriott will celebrate Pride Month throughout the year.
Celebrating Diversity & Promoting Equality
Recognizing the importance of creating respectful environments, the hotel chain is introducing various activities and experiences at its hotels throughout the region to invite travelers to come together and celebrate this important cause.
Marriott’s initiatives seek to celebrate diversity and promote equality, reaffirming its commitment to being a leader in the hotel industry in terms of inclusion and respect for all its guests and associates.
Celebrate: A Campaign To Give Visibility To The LGBTQ+ Community
One of the campaigns launched by the hotel group is CelebrARTE, which aims to give visibility to the LGBTQ+ community by creating temporary art galleries to showcase the work of emerging local artists throughout 2023. The artists will create their interpretation of the iconic “Do Not Disturb” sign in their own unique artistic style, allowing their vision to shine through.
The final artwork will be exhibited in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Puerto Rico for a limited time to show the Marriott International’s support to the LGBTQ+ groups. Visitors will be able to purchase the artwork, and the profit from each sale will go to a local non-profit organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community.
Finding New Ways To Meet The Needs Of Travelers And Associates
Marriott International works to anticipate the needs of travelers by better understanding habits and preferences of its guests, including the LGBTQ+ community. In collaboration with the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), it is conducting research to obtain data on LGBTQ+ travelers in the Caribbean and Latin American region.
Rainbow Lighting: Illuminating Properties With Bright Colors
Marriott International has a regional tradition of illuminating its properties with rainbow lighting, where various hotels light up their facades or spaces with bright colors during the month of June. This year, 12 properties in 7 markets in the region will participate, illuminating their properties with rainbow colors to demonstrate that there is no place for inequality, and celebrate pride.
Participating Properties Include:
– Buenos Aires
– Brazil
– Costa Rica
– Aruba
– Honduras
– Chile
W Bogotá: Information Panel To Inspire Debate On Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
On June 29, an information panel will be held at the W Bogotá hotel to inspire a debate on diversity, equity and inclusion in Colombia. The panel featuring spokespersons such as Gustavo Lovera, General Manager of W Bogotá, María José Silva, Manager of Vacation Tourism at ProColombia, Sam Castañeda, CEO of the OUT in Colombia Travel agency, as well as Felipe Cárdenas, President of the board of International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) in the country.
Podcast & Other Activities
To make visible the main problems of the LGBTIQA+ community, Marriott International hotels in Chile created a seven-episode podcast entitled “The Pride of Being Yourself” that will be released during the month of June. Its common thread will be the acronym LGBTIQA+, where a hotel will take charge of a letter of the acronym, addressing a topic of their interest.
W Panama will also have various activities to support the LGBTQ+ community with the LESBO Fest Territorio de mujeres, which includes a market for women’s entrepreneurship, art and live music, a catwalk and coronation of the Pride 2023 queen, and two parties in commemoration of Pride.
Marriott Bonvoy: A Wide Variety Of Experiences To Explore
Marriott International encourages its Marriott Bonvoy, its award-winning travel program members to discover the joy of pride in new destinations, from Aruba, Lima, Panama to Mexico with a wide variety of experiences to make the most of their travels.
The year-round celebration acknowledges Marriott’s commitment to inclusion, and their strength lies in their ability to embrace differences and make everyone feel respected and valued with efforts such as celebrating Pride throughout the year. The hotel group has received many awards for its longstanding support of the LGBTQ+ community, including its induction into the DiversityInc Hall of Fame in 2021, and its recognition in 2020 with a 100% rating on the Campaign for Corporate Equality Index.
