Shatterproof Hospitality Heroes Reception convenes 70+ Hospitality Firms and raises $2.1M to drive options to the dependancy disaster

Shatterproof, a nationwide nonprofit group and a pacesetter in enhancing the best way the healthcare system addresses and treats substance use problems, honored Amanda Hite, president, STR, a CoStar Group firm, with the 2025 Shatterproof Hospitality Hero Award. Hite is acknowledged for her braveness and dedication towards elevating consciousness of substance use dysfunction and ending dependancy stigma. Because the seventh recipient however first girl to win, Hite units new requirements at her firm and throughout the business.

Senior executives throughout the resort business united throughout NorthStar Journey Group’s annual Americas Lodging Funding Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles to commend Hite on her accomplishments. Greater than 70 hospitality firms raised $2.1 million in the course of the occasion to advance Shatterproof’s necessary work led by Founder and CEO, Gary Mendell, a former hotelier (chairman and co-founder of HEI Accommodations and Resorts), who misplaced his son Brian to dependancy in 2011.

“I’m honored to obtain this award, however extra importantly, to assist elevate essential help for Shatterproof and the transformational work they’re doing,” stated Hite. “STR is proud to collaborate with Shatterproof as they paved the way in advocating for individuals with substance use dysfunction, their households and the communities this illness impacts.”

Following the reception, Hite joined different business leaders together with Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Accommodations & Resorts; Paul Daly, World Head of Franchise & Proprietor Relations at Hyatt; Julienne Smith, Chief Improvement Officer at IHG Accommodations & Resorts; and Shatterproof’s Gary Mendell for a panel dialogue to additional outline subsequent steps for the business. The dialog was transferring and provoking, with every member of the dais sharing their private connection to the mission. The session culminated with Hite asserting an annual partnership with Shatterproof, Ballotti asserting that Shatterproof can be named a featured charity on the 2025 Wyndham World Convention, Daly committing to proceed Hyatt’s efforts to make a protected setting for colleagues and friends recovering from dependancy and Smith asserting a rollout out of Shatterproof’s Simply 5 academic platform later this yr. To shut the panel, Smith additionally introduced a private donation, an extra testomony to her dedication to influence.

In keeping with the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Service Administration (SAMHSA), workers of eating places and inns (the 2 main branches of the hospitality business) have the best charges of substance use out of your complete American workforce. A substance use dysfunction doesn’t simply have an effect on workers themselves and their households; companies lose billions of {dollars} every yr within the type of greater well being care prices, absenteeism and presenteeism (when workers are at work, however not absolutely productive).

Since 2016, the hospitality business has raised greater than $9.6 million for Shatterproof throughout occasions at ALIS, and this yr lots of the business’s main hospitality manufacturers pledged to onboard Shatterproof’s worker training program Simply 5 to additional help their workers. Hospitality companions are additionally serving to to convey the dialog into the sunshine, by publicly sponsoring Shatterproof’s annual Walks to Finish Dependancy Stigma, the most important occasion sequence for substance use dysfunction within the nation.

“I proceed to be impressed by the unimaginable help of the hospitality business,” stated Mendell. “Substance use dysfunction is a largely preventable illness, and it’s by way of the beneficiant help and consciousness efforts of the hospitality business that we will cut back stigma and improve the variety of coverage modifications and therapy assets to finish this disaster. They’re the primary business that has actually moved the needle as an business close to Shatterproof. Annually they get extra concerned and are going past sponsoring the occasion—however are working to teach and supply assets to their workers, clients and communities.”

The 2025 Shatterproof Hospitality Heroes Committee contains  James Burba and Jeff Higley, Burba Resort Community; Paul Whetsell, CapStar Resort Firm; Clark Hanrattie, Anthony Rutledge, and Greg Mendell, HEI Accommodations & Resorts; Chris Nassetta, Hilton Accommodations and Resorts; Dan Lesser, LW Hospitality Advisors; Invoice Reynolds, Marcus Accommodations; Joel Eisemann, Noble Funding Group; Mark Woodworth, Woodworth Core Group; Robert Alter, Seaview Buyers; Stacy Silver, Silver Hospitality Group; Gary Mendell, Shatterproof; Thomas Corcoran, TCOR Resort Companions; Patrick Campbell, Tim Hodes and Merrick Kleeman, Wheelock Road Capital; and Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham Accommodations and Resorts.