Rotana Corporate Sustainability Report 2014

84 With our fast expansion, it is essential to continuously evaluate, calculate and report on how much the company is giving back to the communities where we operate, as they provide the resources, infrastructure and markets that support our businesses and it is to our mutual benefit and responsibility to keep enhancing them. Over the last two years, Rotana’s initiative has expanded even more to touch the lives of hundreds of people through year- round community engagement programmes and fundraising initiatives and other activities. We are looking continuously to further enhance our community engagement programmes. In order to ensure that the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and sustainability best practices are planned, implemented and reported efficiently in line with our strategies, an EHS policy on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and Best Practices Execution and Reporting’ was issued in 2014 to be implemented in all operating hotels: • To identify where our contributions are going and to analyse the public benefits from our activities • To ensure that the activities are implemented across the company to leverage the strong sustainability commitment and engagement among all hotels • To raise motivation among all Rotana properties to participate more in initialising and implementing community driven engagements and sustainability activities • To evaluate our contributions in terms of cash contribution, colleagues fund raising, in kind contribution and colleagues volunteering hours The policy provides a guidance on: • Preparation and submission of an annual CSR activities plan • Effective execution of CSR activities • Reporting on total contributions (monetary, non-monetary, in kind, cash, fundraising) As a result, we were able to better evaluate our contributions value to the community as a group in terms of community engagement activities, colleagues volunteering hours, fundraising, in kind donations and cash contributions. Increasing Rotana Earth sustainability and CSR activities remains among the company’s business priorities for two consecutive years. To underpin that, we have set, as part of the annual sustainability KPIs for 2104 a target for our hotels to plan and execute five communities’ engagement activities and two sustainability activities engaging guests and to plan our activities in a way to respond to the communities need in an innovative, relevant and focussed way. Our aim is to make a real impact and bring lasting benefits to these communities. In addition to monetary donations, we also provided a variety of in- kind contributions by offering rooms, meeting and event venues, to support certain causes or organisations. Community development strategy Our Community Development framework includes engagement of the communities at different levels and in different aspects. The hotels giving programmes and the corporate giving programme. Our hotels strive to support the communities in the country of operation through employment opportunities, through procurement from local suppliers, fundraising, monetary contributions or in kind contributions. We have initiated the development of a corporate giving programme in 2014, targetting to complete and launch in 2015. In 2014, we have contributed and or partnered with more than 63 organisations in the region: 47 in UAE and 16 outside UAE. Our donations totalled 527,510 USD of which about 313,000 USD was donations and 215,000 USD colleagues volunteering hour’s value. Contribution Total community engagement activities Unit 2012 2013 2014 Total community engagement activities * # 195 165 325 Company monetary donations ** $ 250,000 270,000 312,448 * During 2013 and 2014, Syria properties did not participate in activities due to the country’s political issues ** Cash monetary donations only Unit 2014 Total activities reported # 273 In kind contribution value $ 157,269 Colleagues fundraising $ 5,464 Cash contributions $ 149,715 Total monetary contributions $ 312,448 Colleagues volunteering hours Hours 29,813 Colleagues volunteering hours value $ 215,061 Total contribution $ 527,510 Total activities/campaigns involving guests # 123 Average volunteering hours per colleague Hours 2.7 In 2013 and 2014, 98% of our hotels had participated and implemented activities engaging local community.