Hotel Carlton
There was a time that the only interaction between neighbors, Hotel Carlton and The Raphael House was at Halloween, when the children at the family shelter would come over for their "trick or treat" booty. In January of 2005 a special opportunity arose for the two providers of comfort and hospitality that has developed into a model for building strong bonds with guests, while helping rebuild local families in a tangible and practical way. The Carlton’s staff began inviting guests to “round up” their hotel bills; the remainder would become a direct donation to The Raphael House. Every guest/contributor was then automatically entered in a drawing to “Win A Week With Us!” – a free week’s stay at The Hotel Carlton. By the end of 2006 over $12,000 had been collected, inspiring a matching gift of $2,700 from a long-time Raphael House supporter. One hundred percent of the contributions collected continue to go to The Raphael House and one hundred percent of the effort that makes the program work comes from The Carlton’s staff.
The “Win A Week With Us” had its genesis with Hawaii realtor, Dave Levenson, who launched The Kohala Foundation, to “bring business solutions to social issues,” such as asking hotel guests to round up their hotel bills so that the proceeds could fund a selected local social project. It was inevitable that Dave and Chip Conley, Founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which manages The Carlton would meet. “Chip was crazy enough to let The Kohala Foundation try this idea out…and he was smart enough to suggest The Hotel Carlton as the perfect place for the pilot program.” The Carlton team saw The Raphael House as the perfect choice to benefit the program. The Carlton’s success with “Win A Week With Us!” has since paved the way for similar efforts to be rolled out at dozens of other Joie de Vivre properties. It’s all about being a good neighbor!