Having one good idea is a good thing. When that idea evolves into a second good idea, that can only be even better.
On that note, the trick for Kevin Carnes, general manager of the Four Points by Sheraton BWI Airport, is making sure that his update on someone else’s earlier brainstorm comes to fruition.
What has Carnes’s enthusiasm in high gear is a new-ish concept that he’s spearheading called Hotels for Heroes. It’s based on the public donating reward points from their hotel chain-sponsored credit cards; in return, the hotels use the points toward assisting soldiers who have been injured in the line of military duty and their families.
It sounds great on the surface and its predecessor program, the airline-oriented Hero Miles Program, has been a big success, so Carnes and others are selling the idea to the hotels.
It’s been a tough sell so far, but he hopes the idea gains momentum at a Feb. 9 meeting on Capitol Hill with representatives from the American Hotel Lodging Association, various hotel brands, the Fisher House Foundation and representatives from the offices of Sen. Ben Cardin and Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger.
All Over Again
Carnes’s idea is a twist on the Hero Miles Program, which was sponsored by Ruppersberger in 2003 — and just issued its 25,000th ticket. The initiative, which features the participation of 13 airlines, allows members of the public to donate their credit card reward points to the Fisher House Foundation, the Rockville-based nonprofit that administers the program.
Last fall at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, Ruppersberger and Cardin announced the creation of legislation for Hotels for Heroes to provide free, round-trip airfare to wounded warriors recovering at military or VA medical centers and their friends and family who want to assist them.
Fisher House (which is similar in concept to the Ronald McDonald House) runs 56 homes across the country for said military families visiting those injured loved ones. But when its accommodations are full (and reservations can take up to two months), hotels are the next option.
Carnes looked at the model for Hero Miles and thought, if the airlines can succeed with such a program, “Why not the hotel industry?” he said. “So I started communicating with Congressman Ruppersburger and Sen. Cardin. Both of their wives are members of the Military Child Coalition, which meant that they were interested immediately.
“We then ended up at a meeting on Capitol Hill in July with Ann Jacobs, Ruppersberger’s legislative director,” he said. “She gathered information as to what the criteria should be regarding use of the program and set parameters as to how the soldiers could use it.”
Making a Choice
While Carnes’s enthusiasm for the idea is matched by the two politicians and many other interested parties, there has not been much in the way of affirmation from the corporate side, aside from some interest from Choice Hotels.
“The only issue with Choice is that they want to allow their Privileges [rewards] members to redeem the points for cash and make an occasional corporate donation to Fisher House,” he said, noting that how much money that would be and how often that occurs has not been discussed.
“We’re hoping for more participation,” said Carnes.
So is Cliff Wietstruk, project director for franchise management for Silver Spring-based Choice Hotels International.
“We’re still working out the mechanics as to how it will work,” said Wietstruk, noting that Choice Privileges members get points for each stay. “How many points depends on the length of stay, room rate, etc. Customers can use those points for gift cards, gift certificates, travel packages or hotel nights.
“But what people can do now that the program is up and running,” he said, “is donate their points to active military individuals and their families so they can visit wounded relatives, at places like Bethesda Naval Hospital, and stay in a nearby Choice hotel for free,” such as Comfort Inns, Sleep Inns, Quality Inns, Clarions and the other hotels under the Choice corporate umbrella.
“In addition, if someone dies, their points can be donated to a worthwhile cause and this will be one of the causes,” Wietstruk said, adding that Choice is already involved in similar programs with other charities.
Feeling Hopeful
Wietstruk is “very surprised” that the other major hotel chains haven’t jumped on the Hotels for Heroes bandwagon, but still expressed optimism about the program’s eventual success.
“I think that the [other chains] will eventually see the importance of this and reconsider their decisions if they have not made the commitment to it yet,” he said. “I feel that this is important to Choice because of our corporate responsibility. We give back to the community when we can and we feel that this program is in line with that commitment.”
As for the facilitator, Fisher House Foundation President David Coker sees the synergies and success of the Hero Miles program, and is also hopeful that Hotels for Heroes will prove to be a similar effective avenue in helping those in need.
“In this case, instead of using cash donations, people can give something else that they may not otherwise use and help those in need through the power of community,” Coker said. “We can solve a problem and create a win-win situation.”
However, like Carnes and Wietstruk, Fisher House has not identified a hotel partner as 100% committed, either.
“However, we’re hopeful about Choice [expanding its involvement] and, hopefully, more chains will join us in this effort,” he said. “I have no expectations, but I’m hopeful of getting good news soon.”
And Coker plans to be on hand at the Feb. 9 meeting on Capitol Hill. “Set up the right way, this program will be worth the wait,” he said. “In the meantime, we will continue to meet the needs of the military families as best we can.”
