About us
The Center for Responsible Hospitality is an independent nonprofit built by hotel owners and operators, working to make responsibility measurable, credible, and useful to the people who run hotels every day.
Our story
We were founded by hotel owners, operators, and industry professionals who have spent their careers inside hotels and in the communities they serve.
We have managed properties. Led teams. Worked with local partners. Navigated ownership pressures and operating realities. Carried the weight of daily operations.
And like many in hospitality, we believed in doing what was right. But when we looked to the industry's leading initiatives for guidance, we saw a disconnect. The standards shaping "responsibility" were largely built outside hospitality, far from operational realities. They layered on checklists and reporting requirements that added burden without improving decisions. The pressure often fell on front-line staff already stretched thin.
And community priorities — local economic resilience, housing pressures, ownership structures, long-term place health — were rarely central to the framework.
At the same time, guests were asked to change their behaviors — reuse towels, take shorter showers, pay a community fee — at a time when they want to relax or enjoy themselves. Meanwhile, the most consequential operational decisions remained unexamined.
The result: more labels, more reporting, more confusion.
Too little clarity about what actually drives impact.
We realized the industry was following standards that were not built by hospitality, and not built for it.
So we built something different.
Responsible hospitality should strengthen teams, reinforce communities, and improve performance. If it does not do those things, it is not working.
We created CRH to make sure it does.
To empower hospitality leaders with clear, credible performance signals that align business success with thriving communities and long-term resilience.
A global hospitality industry where responsible performance is standard practice, not a marketing claim — and where hotels contribute meaningfully to workforce stability, community vitality, and enduring destination health.
We envision an industry that measures what matters, understands tradeoffs, and operates with transparency and integrity.
Our principles
Industry-led
Responsibility in hospitality must be shaped by those who operate hotels every day, not imposed from the outside.
Community-centered
Hotels are anchors within local economies. Responsible practice must strengthen the places they call home.
Evidence-based
Responsibility should be measured. We ground our work in research and data, so claims can be trusted and tested.
Values-driven
Responsible hospitality involves tradeoffs. We provide clarity so leaders and travelers can make informed decisions aligned with their priorities.
Practical and scalable
Our work reduces unnecessary burden and focuses on signals that leaders can act on.
Transparent by design
Clear, comparable information builds trust — with guests, employees, investors, and communities.
Join the movement
CRH advances responsible hospitality through research, collaboration, and real-world pilots with hotels across markets and ownership structures.
Get Involved