From collections of soaps and shampoos to donations to animal shelters, our Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM colleagues are showing their caring spirit during the holiday season.

In Bountiful, Utah, staff collected soap, shampoo and other amenities for the Clean the World campaign. In fact, there was so much collected that administrative assistant and front desk associate McKenzie Madsen, who helped coordinate the collection said, “It was hard to get all the items on the table. They were falling everywhere. It’s pretty cool seeing how much there is.”

“We’re so glad to partner with Clean the World,” said Grant Dahlstrom, general manager of the Country Inn & Suites, Bountiful. The not-for-profit organization recycles soap and shampoo products discarded by the hotel industry, redistributing sanitized hygiene products to impoverished people to prevent millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses.

Meanwhile, colleagues at the Country Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport South, which joins the Carlson Rezidor family Jan. 1, 2014, are getting ready for their opening with donations to local charities.  Since the hotel is undergoing a major renovation, furniture and soft goods were no longer needed as they are being replaced with new, more contemporary goods. The hotel team donated furniture and artwork to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Bedding items, which are not accepted by Habitat, were donated to a local animal shelter.  In addition to the bedding, the team collected cleaning supplies and other products for their four-legged friends at the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA.

Pictured above on the right: Nikki Santigati, front desk agent and shuttle driver at the Country Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport, helped gather donations for the Phoenix Airport South's Giving Tree.