Giving Tuesday: Hotels with a heart

Looking to book a vacation with a conscience without having to log in the kinds of heavy hours required of a volunteer vacation? If you’re in a Giving Tuesday mood, consider booking a room at one of the following hotels where guests are either invited to partake in a charitable activity at their convenience or a donation is made via the booking process.

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Photo courtesy of The Hall

The Hall: Miami, FL

The woof-worthy Giving Tuesday deal at this brand new, pet-friendly South Beach gem is the 5% contribution it’s giving from all reservations to Miami-based Jamie’s Rescue whose work directly improves the lives of shelter animals. Drenched in gorgeous pastels, this 163-room boutique hotel is full of surprises, including candy-striped cabanas surrounding an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a stunning Art Deco facade, Sunny’s restaurant from “Top Chef” alum Spike Mendelsohn and guest rooms that are asbreezyand elegant as the Miami Beach itself.

The Grand Lawn | Photo courtesy of Salamander’s Resort and Spa

Salamander’s Resort & Spa: Middleburg, VA

This tail-wagging deal happens on Giving Tuesday—and all other Tuesdays for that matter. It’s called Yappy Hour and it’s a weekly meet and greet on the resort’s Great Lawn in which guests and their four-legged friends are encouraged to mix and mingle from 5–7pm while boozing, noshing and—if you’re a canine—gulping down dog treats. Best of all, 10% of all profits from the weekly event benefits the Middleburg Humane Foundation. Meanwhile, therest of this luxury resort offers 340-acres of pastoral delights just a short drive from Washington, DC.

Photo courtesy of the Westin Playa Bonita

Westin Playa Bonita: Panama City, Panama

We’ve actually done this so we can attest to how amazing and moving it is. The once gang-infested Casco Viejo (old quarter), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is turning into Panama City’s new hub for foodies, night owls and culture vultures. As part of every visitor’s stay at this seaside Westin located on a private beach just minutes from the city, guests are treated to a complimentary behind-the-scenes tour led by reformed ex-gang members. These tours help the docents earn money to support their families while giving them a stake in keeping the Casco Viejo safe for visitors and locals alike. As for the walking tours, they illuminate the history of the neighborhood while showing just how beautiful this centuries old and cobblestoned area is.

ALSO: Orbitz Rewards gives back, too—earn instant rewards on flights and hotels.

Photo courtesy of Aruba Marriott

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino: Aruba

Yee-haw (or should we say hee-haw) to the charitable initiative offered by this oceanfront resort in sunny Aruba. Unbeknownst to many is that one of the island’s crown jewel attractions (aside from all those amazing beaches) is a donkey sanctuary that houses the descendants of the animals who serviced the island for hundreds of years until the automobile was introduced in the 20th century. As part of the guest experience, guests at the Aruba Marriott can participate in the Support the Donkeys program by donating $10 toward sanctuary upkeep and maintenance and in exchange receive a commemorative purse or backpack.

Photo courtesy of Extended Stay America, Orange County

Extended Stay America: Various locations

This one basically restores our faith in humanity. Through a partnership with the American Cancer Society, this ubiquitous hotel brand provides free and discounted room rates to cancer patients who are traveling away from home to receive treatment. The program, Hotel Keys of Hope℠, aims to reduceone of the largest barriers to patient success—the high cost of lodging while traveling for treatment. Since its 2012 inception the hotel has donated more than 150,000 free and discounted rooms and in the process saved more than 15,000 cancer patients nearly $4.5 million dollars in lodging costs. It helps that the company boasts 629 properties in the United States and Canada.

Photo courtesy of the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa

CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort and JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa: Cancun, Mexico

These sibling properties, both major players in Cancun’s frenziedHotel Zone, give their guestsmore to their Mexico vacation besides poolside margaritas and sunburns by teaming up with a local Salvation Army foundation called Escuela de Niños Ejercito de Salvacion, an orphanage that leads programs to assess, nurture and develop children. Guests lodging at either resort can book a family visit to the orphanage and donate their time playing games, handing out snacks and having fun with the children. Now that’s a way to earn an afternoon of guilt free piña coladas under a shaded cabana.

Photo courtesy of Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort

Tabacón Thermal Resort and Spa: Costa Rica

Americans love to visit Costa Rica for its verdant forests, wild creatures and tropical splendors. One such place to experience all of the above is at the sprawling Tabacón Thermal Resort and Spa, an eco-friendly escape set on 900 acres of natural reserve at the base of Arenal volcano. Among the resorts many treasures, including thermal springs, waterfalls and more than 500 species of local wildlife, is the fact that part of the hotel’s profits go toward environmental initiatives such as species tagging, plant-a-tree-programs, integral waste management and water conservation. Future plans include the construction of a bike path as a means of reducing automobile pollution and promoting hiking and walking.

 

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Tagged: Caribbean, Florida, Mexico, Uncategorized, Washington DC