Citadines Austerlitz Paris: housing medical workers from Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, a public hospital within walking distance from the property. Credit: Ascott
ASIA - Ascott is launching its #StayHomeWithAscott campaign to rally the global community to curb the spread of COVID-19 by staying home. It has pledged a total of US$200,000 through the campaign. The donation will go towards Save the Children's1 food security and assistance programmes, to support about 12,000 underprivileged children affected by COVID-19.
The first US$100,000 will be donated directly to Save the Children. To unlock the second tranche of US$100,000, Ascott is calling on the global community to share photos or videos of their culinary adventures or creations in their home kitchens through Instagram.
With every Instagram post shared with the hashtag #StayHomeWithAscott, it will donate US$10, which goes towards providing food for a child over 20 days. Funding will come from CHF, the philanthropic arm of Ascott's parent company, CapitaLand.
The campaign aims to garner 10,000 Instagram posts over two weeks, from 20 April to 4 May 2020. Selected entries from participants will be featured on Ascott's official Instagram page @ascott_ltd.
Mr Kevin Goh, CEO, Lodging, CapitaLand Group and The Ascott Limited, said: "For over 30 years, our guests around the world have made Ascott their home away from home, and we want to continue to make sure that home is the safest destination when they travel. Enjoying the warmth and comfort of our residences, and being able to prepare and savour a home-cooked meal in our kitchens.
"Through our campaign #StayHomeWithAscott, we hope to remain connected with all our members in the Ascott family; and more importantly, encourage the global community to stay home, wherever home may be at this moment, and stay safe as we get through during this difficult period together."
Meanwhile, CapitaLand's wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), is providing housing for healthcare workers, returning nationals, and guests who are affected by border closures or city lockdowns, migrant workers and others who have been stranded due to COVID-19.
In Singapore, when travel restrictions were introduced, many returning nationals found themselves a home with Ascott. It has also offered free stays for care staff at Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, when they were displaced from their homes by landlords.
In Indonesia, a long-stay guest who has been a guest of Ascott Jakarta since February 2017, Mr Jimmy Deng, gave 1,000 surgical masks to staff in appreciation for their hospitality amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. He said: "I feel that the Ascott staff are part of my close friends, as they have always been so nice with me throughout my stay. So, I felt that I should also take care of them."
In France, Ascott is supporting healthcare workers, easing the demands of commuting to and from work, across the country. Since 23 March 2020, Ascott has provided over 1,500 free room nights in Paris and Marseille. The initiative is expected to continue until end of May.
In addition, from 6 April to 5 May 2020, Citadines Austerlitz Paris will provide 50 rooms exclusively for healthcare workers from Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, a public hospital within walking distance from the property. The initiative is in collaboration with BNP Paribas Immobilier Promotion IE and Sucres et Denrés.
In China, Ascott continues to care for healthcare workers by offering 630 complimentary nights in appreciation of their work. The initiative is available in 31 lodging properties across 19 cities from 1 May to 31 December 2020.