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Hotels in Hackney are set to charge visitors a £1 a night for a voluntary donation – the first scheme of its kind in the UK.
The money will go towards a new community fund to allow local residents to benefit from the growing number of tourists visiting the East End.
Launched in the new events space at the Ace Hotel by the Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe, The Hackney Community Fund will go towards training and employment schemes to help develop a range of skills in the hospitality sector, supporting cultural events for visitors and members of the community and new improvements to public spaces in the borough.
The Ace Hotel and Boundary have already signed up to the scheme, and local hotels will begin collecting the donation as early as August this year.
Five more hotels are set to sign-up in the coming months, and discussions are ongoing with further establishments across the borough. An estimated £100,000 is expected to be generated in the first year.
Mayor Pipe said: “This is the first time a council has gone into partnership with its local hotels for the benefit of the local community, to support local people into employment, improve local public spaces and help celebrate the character of the borough.
“I’m very pleased that forward-thinking partners in the hospitality sector have joined forces with Hackney Council in developing new ways to support the improvement of the borough.”
Peter Prescott from Boundary, one of the first hotels to sign up for the fund, said: “Boundary is delighted to be one of the founding members of the Hackney Community Fund. We very much look forward to supporting some exciting arts and training projects for local people in Hackney.
“It’s a great way for our guests to show their support for the positive changes that are happening all around the borough.”
