Being a hotel company doesn’t mean just being passionate about service to your guests and associates—that extends to the community, as well. And Interstate Hotels & Resorts has made charitable work a core mission from its corporate office in DC to its nearly 400 hotels owned and managed globally, says prez and COO Ted Knighton. A few weeks ago at its global leadership conference in Atlanta, 500 Interstate volunteers helped Hands on Atlanta assemble 6,000 meals to be handed out around to the hungry and homeless around the city. Coincidentally, it was held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and more than 750 families from the Fourth Ward—where MLK was born—were recipients of 3,000 of those meals, Ted tells us.

Ted says everyone enjoyed the camaraderie and team effort, and the company has recognized individual and hotels’ specific community service during an awards ceremony. This year, honorees included Westin Tampa Harbour Island’s Orkun Aydin, Plaza Charleston Airport-Convention Center‘s Mark Mitchell, Hilton Fort Lauderdale’s Michael Matheson, and Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott Manhattan/Central Park’s Tim McGlinchey. The latter dual-branded hotel was one of the latest to open in Interstate’s portfolio, as well as its Streamsong Golf Resort and Spa in Bowling Green, Fla. (above). Ted says the first half of the year has been excellent for the firm, with revenue and RevPAR on the rise. You’ll hear more from the company when CEO Jim Abrahamson also speaks at BLIS.