Screenshot of the Hospitality website.
Long Beach hotels and restaurants have convened to work together on mutually beneficial policies, creating the Long Beach Hospitality Alliance (LBHA), they announced this week.
According to a release issued Monday, the LBHA is set up as a member-based partnership involving hotel and restaurant operators, seeking collaboration between them and tourism-related services in the City of Long Beach. LBHA will also serve as a liaison with the city government, local and national media and special constituency groups, according to the release.
“We see the opportunity to work together with the tourism industry to not only promote lodging and dining in Long Beach, but to advocate for our industry collectively,” said Pam Ryan, general manager of the Renaissance and a founding member of the LBHA in a statement. In the past, the lone such group providing advocacy for the hospitality chamber was likely the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re not out to reinvent the wheel,” said Kristi Allen, general manager of Hotel Maya, a DoubleTree by Hilton, and also a founding member of LBHA in a statement. “Plenty of destinations have formed similar alliances. Our goal is to bridge partnerships and work together to better promote hospitality in Long Beach through advocacy, education and community events.”
As its first order of business, the organization’s staff held its first training series session on personal safety, with the participation of 340 employees from different Long Beach hotels. The session arrives after the Renaissance and Westin facing issues with employees who allege unfair working conditions. In fact, two employees from the Renaissance have filed lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and feeling generally undervalued and unsafe.
RELATED
Female Workers File Suit Alleging Sexual Assault, Harassment at Long Beach Renaissance Hotel
The next information session takes a cue from the tragic events involving the Pulse Nightclub shooting that hit Orlando, Florida last month. All employees and managers will undergo active shooter training to help prepare for such unexpected and increasingly common circumstances.
“I commend the Long Beach Hospitality Alliance’s work on advancing training for local hotel and restaurant employees who serve as another set of eyes and ears for our community,” said Long Beach Councilwoman Stacy Mungo in a statement. “Every additional employee who can help our law enforcement ensure the safety of residents and visitors to Long Beach is beneficial to us all.”
The release stated that the alliance is also planning an event to celebrate, honor and recognize exceptional members working in Long Beach’s hospitality community, with forthcoming details.
The organization’s philanthropic component consists of hotel and restaurant members supporting public schools, nonprofits and causes. They are often found volunteering to read to children, beach clean ups, helping at local shelters, and mentoring high school students.
For more information about LBHA, visit www.lbhospitality.com.