(Source: Meadin, Qiu Juan) On August 29, 2014, Jinjiang Metropolo Hotels held an ice bucket challenge in the Jinjiang style in Shanghai and conducted a fundraising event on-site for ALS patients. 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 philanthropic activities into entertainment, Jinjiang Metropolo genuinely helped ALS patients in its own unique way.
The Ice Bucket Challenge sweeps the hotel industry
Recently, an activity called the "Ice Bucket Challenge" has gone viral globally. Participants are required to post videos of themselves being doused with ice water on the internet, after which they can nominate others to take part. The rules state that the nominated person 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 several major 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 Ctrip CEO Cui Guangfu.
On August 22, Ma Yingyao, founder of Shangkeyou InterCity, completed the "Ice Bucket Challenge" and then nominated hotel industry veteran @ Eastday.com Qiao Yi.
On August 23, Chen Miaolin, Chairman of New Century Tourism Group, accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge nominated by major media outlets in Hangzhou. Chen stated that he hoped this lively and joyful approach would truly shift public attention to ALS patients. He announced a personal donation of 10,000 RMB to the Porcelain Doll Rare Disease Care Center, hoping to contribute to helping ALS patients.
On August 25, Qiao Yi, Founder and CEO of Best Eastern, Xianzhi, Maidian, Qiaobang Headhunting, and Miding, 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.com Sheng comes from wholeheartedly serving our hotel professionals, providing quality services in recruitment, education and training, headhunting, and news information. Through this fun and lively method, we hope to draw the attention of hotel professionals to ALS patients and do some good for society together."
On August 25, at the invitation of Qiao Yi, President Chen Xueming of Jinling Hotels Management Company completed the "Ice Bucket Challenge." Regarding the challenge, Chen Xueming proposed the concepts of "global integration and humanistic care." He said, "As Chinese people, we represent the future. We hope China’s hotel industry can march into the global arena in the near future. We also hope this unique and positive approach encourages more people to exercise and focus on health, while wishing every patient an early recovery!"
On August 26, at the invitation of Chen Xueming, Sun Wu, General Manager of CTS Hotels Limited, completed the "Ice Bucket Challenge."
These leaders 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 ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Recently, executives from Jinjiang Metropolo also undertook a special "Ice Bucket Challenge" and, at the same time, conducted fundraising for ALS patients on-site, returning to the original purpose of this charitable campaign.
The meaning behind the Ice Bucket Challenge in hotels
On July 29, the "Ice Bucket Challenge," aimed at helping those with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS), was initiated by American baseball player Pete Frates. Officially called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, participants were required to post videos of themselves being drenched with ice water online and then nominate others to participate. The rules stipulated that the nominee had to either accept the challenge within 24 hours or donate $100 to fight ALS. The campaign aimed 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 public eye through the Ice Bucket 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 progressive weakness and atrophy of muscles, including those in the bulbar region (muscles controlled by the medulla), limbs, trunk, chest, and abdomen. Early symptoms often include only weakness, muscle twitching, and fatigue, gradually progressing to full-body muscle atrophy, difficulty swallowing, and eventually respiratory failure.
It reached China on August 18, when Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi, was the first to take the "Ice Bucket Challenge" and donated to the Porcelain Doll Rare Disease Care Center. According to data released by the Supervisory Committee of the Ice Bucket Challenge Special Fund, as of 24:00 on August 30, 2014, the "Ice Bucket Challenge Special Fund" had raised 8.14 million RMB. Among this, the Sina Weibo Charity platform raised the most funds, totaling 7.28 million RMB; Alipay Wallet’s donation channel collected 420,000 RMB; direct donations to the "Porcelain Doll" 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 Porcelain Doll Rare Disease Care Fund. In contrast, in the U.S., the birthplace of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the numbers were even more impressive. According to data from the ALS Association, from July 29 to August 22, the U.S. received $53.3 million in donations, far exceeding the $1.9 million during the same period in 2013, with a significant increase in the number of donors. Although the "Ice Bucket Challenge" faced criticism during its viral spread as a "mutated" form of charity, some ALS patients, such as Wu Jun, did benefit from the campaign.
Jinjiang Metropolo Connects with ALS Patients
Due to the recent global popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has drawn attention to ALS and those affected by it, China has around 200,000 ALS patients who not only endure physical suffering but also bear heavy medical expenses. ALS patients and their families seek not only social attention but also practical assistance. On the afternoon of September 3, Mr. Li Yukai, Chief Operating Officer of Jinjiang Metropolo, visited Wu Jun, an ALS patient living at 1203 Lane, Changdao Road, Jinqiao, Pudong, on behalf of the company, and handed over over 6,700 RMB in consolation money to Wu’s family. This sum was raised during Jinjiang Metropolo’s “Focus on ALS, Donate with Love” campaign. While the Ice Bucket Challenge was sweeping the globe, Jinjiang Metropolo also held its own Jinjiang-style Ice Bucket Challenge on August 29, with CEO Yu Meng and other senior 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 nearby in any way possible, warming them with genuine care. He added that society needs positive energy, and helping others is everyone’s responsibility. He hopes such events will inspire more people to cherish and respect life and to contribute love.
This is actually the second time Jinjiang Metropolo has extended a helping hand to ALS patients. Over a year and a half ago, one of its subsidiaries, Jinjiang Inn, showed special care and support to an ALS patient staying at the hotel.
On December 25, 2012, Jinjiang Inn Beijing Dajiaoting Hotel welcomed a special guest named Lü Yuanfang from Gansu, who had suffered from spinal muscular atrophy (commonly known as ALS) since childhood. 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 where she could undergo a cesarean section. During this period, she stayed at Jinjiang Inn Beijing Dajiaoting, but soon found the cost difficult to bear and decided to check out and look for alternative accommodation. 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 hotel’s chef even personally arranged special meals for her. Later, after finding housing elsewhere, she checked out and thanked all the departments that had helped her, especially the restaurant, where she held the chef’s hand for a long time before leaving. Not long after she left the hotel, she was hospitalized and gave birth to a baby boy via cesarean section. Upon learning the good news, the hotel expressed its congratulations via Weibo.
Faced with ALS patient Wu Jun, Li Yukai encouraged him to stay strong and expressed hope that Jinjiang Metropolo’s unique approach to the Ice Bucket Challenge would encourage more enterprises, organizations, or individuals to join in and offer tangible help to these rare disease patients.
Charity Activities Build Hotel Brand Value
As hotel industry leaders “get wet,” they are not only drawing attention to ALS patients but also promoting their brands. Nowadays, many hotel brands are engaging in charitable initiatives. Recently, Shenzhen Kempinski Hotel launched the “Embrace the Children of the Stars” charity campaign; to express care for the children of migrant workers, Kunming Marriott Hotel and Crowne Plaza Kunming Central delivered mooncakes and other festival gifts to teachers and students at a school for love before Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, many hotel groups have educational scholarship programs, and charity has become part of brand building. This is highly 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 continually increasing, and companies 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 charity, they also conduct marketing. For example, Jinjiang Metropolo’s Ice Bucket Challenge. 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, one that is enthusiastic about charity. For employees, it enhances their pride and sense of belonging. Perhaps this is 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 very 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 noisy, fragmented, and fast-paced era of 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 raising funds for ALS patients calls forth love and compassion from humanity. A cause rooted in public contribution is most likely to transcend boundaries and cultures, resonating deeply and inspiring shared empathy. Staying true to the essence of a “fun-driven” charity campaign remains a great approach.