Revolutionary Platform from Safe Stays by ReloShare Gives Domestic Violence Victims and Hotel Owners Peace of Mind
CHICAGO, IL, May 4, 2023 – Through the rapid growth of its innovative “Alias-Approved Hotels” effort, Safe Stays by ReloShare is building upon its status as the first and only hotel booking platform to meet the unique emergency housing challenges of social agencies supporting domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault victims.
Via the groundbreaking Safe Stays lodging platform, social service agencies can provide crime victims with safe, emergency housing at local hotels—instantly and with complete anonymity.
Approximately 435 social service agencies across the US currently use the Safe Stays platform to book rooms for the people they serve. Nearly 20 percent of the approximately 15,000 hotel rooms available on the platform now are “alias-approved,” meaning victims can check into a hotel under an alias name and without needing government-issued ID or a credit card.
Recent studies of domestic violence across the U.S. show the growing need for emergency shelter and support services as victims navigate unforeseen challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises.
According to a recent one-day census of domestic violence, there were more than 38,608 adult and child victims in emergency housing programs in a single day. An additional 9,444 requests for emergency shelter were unmet that same day.
Amid the need for quality supply and protected housing, hotel owners now have the power to help vulnerable people by registering to be Alias Approved through Safe Stays by ReloShare. This feature allows for reservations to be made without a real name or ID required, increasing the safety for this population.
“When a room is booked in an Alias-Approved Hotel by an agency client, an alias name is generated in the reservation, making these people virtually untraceable by their abusers – a game changer for the most vulnerable in our society,” said Paige Allmendinger, Head of Safe Stays by ReloShare. “By joining our network and going the extra step in becoming alias- approved, we can offer survivors the psychological safety to begin their journey toward healing.”
To launch Alias-Approved Hotels and grow its network, ReloShare partnered with ad agency DDB San Francisco on a range of business-to-business (B2B) marketing initiatives to drive awareness and adoption among hotel owners and operators. This encompassed event activations at the 2023 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show and LinkedIn direct messages targeting hotel owners/GMs.
“The Alias-Approved Hotels platform is crucial in maintaining the privacy and safety of victims of domestic violence, and we were excited to help ReloShare grow this effort,” said Jo Cresswell, Creative Director at DDB San Francisco. “We also see this innovation being able to
help other vulnerable people whose identity might be a safety issue for them, for instance, those fleeing human trafficking and political persecution.”
Since launching in 2020, Safe Stays by ReloShare has continued its rapid expansion and growth with the addition of prominent hotel brands and new social service agency users across 48 states and the District of Colombia.
“I am proud of our team and the hotels and social service agencies in the Safe Stays ecosystem that are making a positive impact on the lives of so many people,” said Matt Singley, co-founder and chief executive officer, ReloShare. “Together, we are overcoming a long-time challenge faced by nonprofit and governmental agencies—getting fast access to safe housing and doing so in a manner in which vulnerable survivors can be virtually untrackable by their abusers.”
To learn more on how to become Alias Approved, visit: https://www.reloshare.com/list-your- hotel
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