(Source: MyHotelNews, Qiu Juan) On August 29, 2014, Jinjiang Metropolo Hotels held an ice bucket challenge event in Shanghai in the Jinjiang style, and also raised donations for ALS patients on-site. On September 3, 2014, COO Mr. Li Yukai visited an ALS family in Shanghai on behalf of the company to offer condolences and personally delivered the donated funds, demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of Jinjiang people. Behind the trend of turning philanthropy into entertainment, Jinjiang Metropolo genuinely helped ALS patients in its own unique way.
The ice bucket challenge sweeps the hotel industry
Recently, a global campaign called the “Ice Bucket Challenge” has gone viral. Participants are required to post videos of themselves being drenched in ice water on the internet, and then they can nominate others to take part. According to the rules, those nominated must either accept the challenge within 24 hours or donate $100 to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). From August 19 to August 31, nearly 200 Chinese celebrities and public figures completed the ice bucket challenge on Weibo, including many prominent figures from the hotel industry.
On August 22, Zheng Nanyan, Co-Chairman and Chief Brand Architect of Plateno Hotels Group, responded to the ALS charity effort by successfully taking the ice bucket challenge nominated by Elong CEO Cui Guangfu.
On August 22, Ma Yingyao, founder of Shangkeyou InterCity, completed the “ice bucket challenge” and nominated veteran in the hotel industry @Qiao Yi from Eastday.com.
On August 23, Chen Miaolin, Chairman of New Century Tourism Group, accepted the ice bucket challenge nominated by major media outlets in Hangzhou. Chen expressed his hope that this lively and joyful approach would truly shift public attention to ALS patients. He announced a personal donation of 10,000 RMB to the China-Dolls Center for Rare Disorders, hoping to contribute to helping ALS patients.
On August 25, Qiao Yi, Founder and CEO of BestEastern, Xianzhi, MyPoint, Qiaobang Headhunting, and Midin, completed the “ice bucket challenge” and nominated three major figures in the hotel industry. Qiao Yi said, “As a service platform for the hotel industry, the greatest motivation for Eastday Ascend comes from wholeheartedly serving our hotel professionals—providing excellent services in recruitment, training, headhunting, and news information. Through this lively and fun approach, we hope to direct the attention of hotel workers toward ALS patients and do some good for society together.”
On August 25, at the invitation of Qiao Yi, President of Jinling Hotels Management Company, Chen Xueming, completed the “ice bucket challenge.” Regarding the challenge, Chen Xueming proposed the concepts of “connecting with the world and humanistic care.” He stated, “As Chinese people, we represent the future. We hope China’s hotel industry can enter the global stage in the near future. Also, through this special and positive method, we hope more people will exercise and pay attention to health, while wishing every patient a speedy recovery!”
On August 26, at the invitation of Chen Xueming, General Manager of Hong Kong China Travel Service Hotels Limited, Sun Wu, completed the “ice bucket challenge.”
These prominent figures in the hotel industry bravely took on the “ice bucket challenge,” using their actions to show concern for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ‘frozen people’). Recently, executives from Jinjiang Metropolo also undertook a special “ice bucket challenge,” while also raising funds for ALS patients on-site, returning to the original purpose of this charitable activity.
The deeper meaning behind the hotel ice bucket challenge
On July 29, the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” aimed at helping ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ‘frozen people’), was initiated by American baseball player Pete Frates. Officially known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, participants are required to post videos of themselves being drenched in ice water online and then nominate others to join. The rules state that nominees must either accept the challenge within 24 hours or donate $100 to fight ALS. The campaign aims to raise awareness about this rare disease, often referred to as “frozen people,” and to raise funds for treatment. ALS, the disease brought into the spotlight by the challenge, is a recognized rare condition, medically known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called Motor Neuron Disease (MND). It causes damage to motor neurons, leading to gradual weakness and atrophy of muscles, including those in the bulbar region (muscles controlled by the medulla), limbs, trunk, chest, and abdomen. In early stages, patients may only experience symptoms such as weakness, muscle twitching, and fatigue, which gradually progress to full-body muscle atrophy, difficulty swallowing, and eventually respiratory failure.
The challenge reached China on August 18, when Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi, was the first to take the “ice bucket challenge” and donated to the China-Dolls Center for Rare Disorders. According to data released by the Ice Bucket Challenge Special Fund Supervisory Committee, as of 24:00 on August 30, 2014, the “Ice Bucket Challenge Special Fund” had raised 8.14 million RMB. Among this, the Sina Micro Charity platform raised the most, with 7.28 million RMB; Alipay Wallet’s charity channel collected 420,000 RMB; direct donations to the “China-Dolls” totaled 280,000 RMB; Baidu Wallet’s charity channel raised 140,000 RMB; and only 1,000 RMB was actually donated to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation’s China-Dolls Fund. In contrast, in the United States—the birthplace of the challenge—the figures were even more impressive. According to statistics from the ALS Association, from July 29 to August 22, the U.S. received 53.3 million USD in donations, far exceeding the 1.9 million USD during the same period in 2013, with a significant increase in the number of donors. Although the viral spread of the “Ice Bucket Challenge” drew criticism for its “mutated” form of charity, some ALS patients did benefit from the campaign—such as Wu Jun.
Jinjiang Metropolo’s connection with ALS patients
Due to the recent global popularity of the ice bucket challenge, awareness of ALS and ALS patients has increased. China has 200,000 ALS patients who not only endure the pain of the disease but also bear huge medical expenses. ALS patients and their families hope not only for social attention but also for practical help. On the afternoon of September 3, Mr. Li Yukai, COO of Jinjiang Metropolo, visited Wu Jun, an ALS patient, at No. 1203, Lane 1203, Changdao Road, Jinqiao, Pudong, on behalf of the company, and handed over over 6,700 RMB in consolation money to Wu’s family. This donation was raised during the Jinjiang Metropolo “Focus on ALS, Donate with Love” campaign. While the ice bucket challenge was sweeping the globe, Jinjiang Metropolo also held its own version of the challenge on August 29, with CEO Yu Meng and other executives actively participating. In an interview with the media, Yu Meng stated that the ice bucket challenge is just a formality—the important thing is to help ALS patients around us in whatever ways we can, warming them with genuine care. He also said that society needs positive energy, and helping others is everyone’s responsibility. He hopes similar activities will encourage more people to care for, respect, and contribute to life.
This is actually the second time Jinjiang Metropolo has extended a helping hand to ALS patients. A year and a half ago, one of its subsidiary brands, Jinjiang Inn, provided special care and assistance to an ALS patient staying at the hotel.
On December 25, 2012, a special guest named Lü Yuanfang checked into Jinjiang Inn Beijing Dajiaoting. She came from Gansu and had spinal muscular atrophy, commonly known as ALS. At the time, she was pregnant and about to give birth. With the help of the media and many kind-hearted people, she came to Beijing to find a hospital that could perform a cesarean section. During this time, she stayed at Jinjiang Inn Beijing Dajiaoting, but soon found it difficult to afford the accommodation fees and decided to check out and look for another place. When the hotel staff learned of her situation, they immediately decided to waive all her accommodation fees until she found a new place to stay. The chef even personally arranged special meals for her. Later, after finding alternative housing, she checked out and thanked the various departments that had helped her, especially the restaurant, where she held the chef’s hand for a long time before leaving. Not long after leaving the hotel, she was hospitalized and successfully gave birth to a baby boy via cesarean section. Upon learning the good news, the hotel expressed their blessings via Weibo and other channels.
Facing Wu Jun, Li Yukai encouraged him to stay strong and expressed hope that Jinjiang Metropolo’s unique approach to the ice bucket challenge could inspire more companies, groups, or individuals to join in and provide practical help to these rare disease patients.
Charity activities build hotel brand value
As top hotel executives “get wet,” they are not only drawing attention to ALS patients but also promoting their own brands. Many hotel brands are now engaging in philanthropic efforts. Recently, Shenzhen Kempinski Hotel launched the “Embrace the Stars” charity campaign; to show care for the children of migrant workers, Crowne Plaza Kunming Downtown and Hilton Kunming Downtown gifted mooncakes and other festive items to teachers and students of a school for love before Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, many hotel groups have launched educational scholarship programs. Charity has become part of hotel brand building. This is very beneficial to society. In China, the main sources of charitable donations are still enterprises and entrepreneurs, and the sense of social responsibility among entrepreneurs is growing.
As Yu Meng said, society needs positive energy, and helping others is everyone’s responsibility. For enterprises, social responsibility is continuously increasing, and businesses are starting to focus on societal needs beyond their own operations and profits, contributing to public welfare. Of course, in the process of many hotel brands engaging in philanthropy, the brands themselves also gain marketing benefits. For example, Jinjiang Metropolo’s “ice bucket challenge” campaign. In the process of helping ALS patients, Jinjiang Metropolo successfully changed its image in the eyes of customers and employees. To customers, Jinjiang Metropolo is no longer just a hotel, but a “warm-hearted” hotel, a hotel that cares about public welfare. For employees, it also enhances their pride and sense of belonging. This may be why more and more hotel brands are engaging in charitable activities.
According to feedback on the effectiveness of the charity campaign, the marketing of the “Ice Bucket Challenge” has been highly successful. In China, without disaster mobilization, government push, or even proactive efforts from charitable organizations, such a large-scale public participation in a charity campaign initiated spontaneously by the public is unprecedented. This brings a question to those in the hotel industry: in this era of noisy, fragmented, and fast-paced social media communication, how can one achieve the “Ice Bucket Challenge effect”? If it were merely a marketing campaign for a charity event, it would not have garnered responses from people across the world. The charitable goal of donating to ALS patients calls forth love and compassion in humanity. The reason behind giving to charity is what most effectively transcends boundaries and cultures, resonating and inspiring people. Staying true to the roots of “entertaining” charity remains a great approach.