We are delighted to announce that Marriott, one of the largest hotel chains in the world, became a Magic Breakfast partner.
Marriott is an iconic and globally renowned brand, and we are incredibly proud to have them join us on our mission to ensure no child or young person is too hungry to learn.
Our partnership together will make a huge difference to child morning hunger across the UK, especially as Marriott has set itself the impressive goal of raising enough to fund 1 million breakfasts this year.
We had the joy of speaking to Joanna Chugh, Area Vice President UK, Ireland and The Nordics. Joanna spoke to us about why Marriott decided to partner with Magic Breakfast and what she’s most excited for in this partnership.
Q: Hi Joanna, can you describe your role at Marriott?
As Area Vice President, United Kingdom, Ireland, and The Nordics my role is central to the overall management of the UK Marriott Hotels including everything from operations to finance. I’m responsible for 53 managed hotels across the region, representing brands such as JW Marriott and Delta Hotels. I also work with the wider Marriott UK Business Council when it comes to charity support for Marriott in the UK.
Q: How did you initially hear about Magic Breakfast?
I first learnt about Magic Breakfast at a hospitality industry event last year where Lindsay MacDonald, Magic Breakfast’s CEO, spoke eloquently on the important work the charity does for children across England and Scotland. Lindsay’s presentation put in full focus for me the challenges many families are facing in the ‘Cost of Living’ crisis and how Magic Breakfast makes a tangible difference for over 200,000 children, providing breakfasts and tackling morning hunger in schools.
Q: What made you want to partner with Magic Breakfast?
As Magic Breakfast supports schools across England and Scotland the reach correlates well with the spread of our hotels across the region and makes the work the charity does all the more tangible to encourage engagement from our hotel teams to get involved with fundraising. As a parent myself, I feel for all the families struggling currently in the UK. The work Magic Breakfast is doing, not just to provide breakfasts day-to-day, but also to lobby for free breakfasts for all school age children is vital.
Q: What are you most excited for in this partnership?
At many of our restaurants we are running a Magic Meal on our menus where £1 of each meal ordered is donated to Magic Breakfast. This first campaign will help to spread the Magic Breakfast message and engage our hotel teams with the new partnership. I’m excited to see our hotel teams raise to the challenge to raise further funds for our first target of over one million breakfasts. We have a strong ethos and history of charity fundraising at Marriott UK and I look forward to seeing how individual hotels get involved with the support of Marriott UK Business Council teams.
