Small beginnings, big dreams: The Student Hotel commits to building a better society, starting from within their own community

Amsterdam, May 30th – In its newly presented Impact Report of 2020-2021, The Student Hotel (TSH) has continued to set out and live up to its serious ambitions, making a lasting societal impact in all the realms of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. At The Student Hotel, ‘open minds, open doors’, is not just a catchphrase; it’s a definition of its culture. The heart of TSH’s business is to bring communities together and create positive impact. That is why the company has further deepened its focus on programs and policy in the space of Diversity & Inclusion, Education and Society. For TSH, ESG is not another buzzword or abbreviation, but a concept that lives in its DNA. 

Leading an environmentally conscious business is vital in 2022. When it comes to creating longevity and an equitable society for people and the planet, all three components are crucial. Most brands these days put in the effort to improve the E and G in ESG, but quite often, the Societal part is not up to speed. TSH is social by design. In their day-to-day, communities are brought together to create better societies. For instance, TSH used its platform for the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month, by renaming the TSH location in Amsterdam to The Pride Hotel and offering various events for the community. In this day and age, the S in ESG is fundamental and The Student Hotel takes the lead by effectively optimizing its impact when it comes to building a better, more inclusive society. 

“I hope what people see in this impact report is that our societal footprint is just as important as our environmental footprint,” said Amber Westerborg, our Director of Sustainability & Impact. “While there is a clear roadmap for the environmental footprint, that doesn’t mean we’re going to shy away from the societal footprint and trying to define our targets. In this year’s report you really see the balance between the two, and that’s only going to be strengthened in the future, so stay tuned!” 

Amber Westerborg - Director of Sustainability & Impact

The Student Hotel is not just any hotel and holds the value “everybody should like everybody” in high regard. The company takes pride in the diverse and inclusive community it has built over the years, for all people: students, business owners, tech entrepreneurs, travelers or digital nomads. TSH’s mission is to make sure every person who enters the hotel feels equally seen and valued. To put words into practice: in 2020 the company introduced its own Diversity & Inclusion board. This consists of a designated group of engaged employees, working on creating a more inclusive work and hotel environment for its community and employees. Part of the board’s activities have included setting up workshops, events and producing new content focused on D&I. Recently, workshops were given on topics such as gender equality, unconscious bias and micro-aggressions, and the company introduced a new inclusive hiring policy across all workstreams. This aligns with a recent survey among TSH employees where D&I was rated as a whopping 8.2 out of 10 in terms of importance within the organization. 

Different topics take center stage as society changes with time due to political, economic and cultural factors. That is why The Student Hotel prioritizes education as a business goal. In its newly presented podcast ‘TSH Unravels,’ societal topics are discussed from different angles. The podcast’s goal is to unravel societal expectations or predispositions, discussing topics like representation, feminism, circular business and Pride. 

TSH Vienna - Communal Area

“I’m excited about becoming a true hub for future changemakers. The Student Hotel has been on a mission to create strong communities with a focus on connecting people. It’s great to see so much focus on ESG and I hope TSH can really lead the industry on how to make a real social impact,” said Charlie MacGregor, CEO of The Student Hotel.  

As part of its dedication to welcoming all members of society, The Student Hotel participates in several initiatives to promote openness and inclusion. For example, in 2020-2021, The Student Hotel launched the Open Up partnership, encouraging the TSH community, its employees and students across its locations to speak up about their mental health and wellbeing during the Mental Health Awareness Week. Via the platform OpenUp, they get the chance to connect to mental health professionals and other resources, proving the long-standing care TSH has to its own community.  

Looking to the next year, The Student Hotel is excited and determined to take substantial steps and deliver on the themes of D&I and ESG. The company is looking to further develop programs and build upon its foundational work. Even during the ‘annus horribils’ that was 2020-2021, the company was able to still maintain – and improve – a positive Net Promoter Score (NPS), to measure customer loyalty) score. TSH was given a NPS score of 49 among students (industry average of 13). TSH aims to further expand its efforts to contribute to a more inclusive society.  All details on more game-changing policies can be found in TSH’s Impact Report.