Fellen said the hotel also intends to help in January and February, having been told by the charity that members of the public tend to be generous to the homeless up until Christmas, but in January and February help is less forthcoming.
“We have also learned from helping this time. For instance, the clients told us that they would like a vegetarian option, and also that it would be good for the food to be not very spicy, since this can cause problems for them.”
The Gute Nacht Bus sets off at 10pm each night and follows the same routes and stops so that clients can be sure of where to catch it.
“The philosophy of the hotel and IHG is to have a positive effect on the local community, so we wanted a local partner and charities that had an impact here in Dusseldorf,” Fellen added.
“It also helps inspire the colleagues to take part, though once they come back talking about how much they enjoyed it then it is very easy to find new volunteers from the hotel to help as well.”
The hotel also has two partners which it solicits donations for: Dolphin Aid and BürgerStiftung Düsseldorf – a citizens’ foundation in Dusseldorf that enables the city’s inhabitants to help each other through donations of time, money or items.