In February 2022, Choice Hotels became one of the first hotel brands to work with Safe Stays by ReloShare, a booking platform and program that helps provide emergency lodging to victims of abuse and violence. With the addition of Radisson Hotels Americas, over 90 per cent of Choice Hotels in the U.S. are now available for booking on the ReloShare platform.
According to a recent census of domestic violence victims, throughout just one day, September 9, 2021, there were more than 38,608 adults and children in emergency housing programs, while an additional 9,444 requests for emergency shelter were unmet that same day across the United States. The Safe Stays by ReloShare booking platform was created to provide a simple solution to the immense social service challenge of finding emergency housing for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other crimes. Safe Stays also enables anonymous bookings at select hotel locations for those in desperate and dangerous situations who may have fled and are without ID or where safety is a major concern.
The staff at any hotels that choose to offer Safe Stays by ReloShare are properly trained to intake guests, including those who have been booked under an alias by a social service agency. ReloShare will also manually verify these bookings with the hotel to help ensure the check-in process is handled anonymously and seamlessly upon guest arrival.
As of January 10, 2023, more than six thousand U.S. hotels in the Choice Hotels portfolio have been activated with ReloShare to provide safe housing solutions. Some participating brands include Cambria Hotels, Comfort Hotels and WoodSpring Suites, with more than 4,000 hotels located within a mile of an interstate exit.