More than 1.2 million children around the world are affected by human trafficking. Every year. And that has to stop. So, we’re doing our best to help more children stay with their families and in the safety of their own homes. The project is called Sweet Dreams Stay. From September 2017 to June 2018, we raised an incredible 3 million kronor for UNICEF through our Sweet Dreams Stay project. And everyone can help. Read on to find out how!

This article was updated 16 August 2018

We’re working with UNICEF to save children from trafficking

Nordic Choice Hotels has been working with UNICEF since 2008 to give child victims of human trafficking a better life. Over the years we have raised millions, but it’s far from enough. We will not stop until all children are safe, so we want to do even more. That’s why we’ve started the Sweet Dreams Stay project. And it’s really simple.

How does it work?

If you choose not to have your room cleaned when you stay at one of our hotels, we will make a donation to UNICEF to support their work in helping children affected by human trafficking. Every time you choose to forego cleaning, we will donate 10 SEK/NOK/DKK or 1 EUR (depending on where you are) to UNICEF. If you would like to support this project, please read the information below about how to proceed at our different hotel chains:

• If you are staying at a Clarion Hotel®, please hang the Sweet Dreams Stay sign on your door before 11pm, and instead of cleaning your room the next day, we will make a donation to UNICEF on your behalf.
• If you are staying at a Quality Hotel™ it’s the other way around – there you must hang the ”Please clean my room” sign on your door if you would like cleaning. Otherwise we will not clean your room and will make a donation to UNICEF instead.
• If you are staying at a Comfort Hotel®, please let our staff in the Barception know on what days you would like to have your room cleaned.  

You do of course still have the right to have your room cleaned when you stay at any of our hotels. The only thing that’s changed is that you can choose to forego any unnecessary cleaning and support a great cause at the same time.

Drawings raised 250,000 kronor

We kick-started the Sweet Dreams Stay concept in September 2017, by giving children across the Nordics the chance to help children in need. We invited children to our hotels to draw or donate their drawings! For each drawing received, we donated 10 kronor to UNICEF. We also invited kids to help from home by taking a picture of their drawings and posting them on our Facebook page. We also donated 10 kronor for each photo received.  So, how did it go you wonder? Well, we are proud to say it was a real success! We received an incredible 13,247 drawings at our hotels, thereby raising 132,470 NOK for children affected by trafficking. But that was not all! We decided to go ahead and double the amount and managed to donate 264,940 NOK to UNICEF!We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the children who made this possible! Well done you! Your efforts really do make a huge difference!

Hedda Skaug, who is in charge of our collaboration with UNICEF, is here shown in the Lao Chai province in Vietnam, where children are at extreme risk of being trafficked due to the terrible poverty, poor education and close proximity to China. The image above shows children using crayons for the very first time.

This is how you can help when you stay at Nordic Choice Hotels

If you’ve stayed at one of our hotels in the past, you may already have helped in the fight against human trafficking. Perhaps you’ve purchased a Sweet Dreams wristband? Maybe you’ve left a Christmas present under a “Lonely Christmas Tree”? If so, we want to thank you! Because it is when we work together that we can truly bring about a change. We hope to see you at one of our hotels or on Facebook!

Quick facts:

• From September 2018 to June 2018, we raised a total of 3 million kronor for UNICEF. This means that we can provide 150,000 safe nights for children affected by human trafficking!
• If you would like to support the project at a Clarion Hotel, please hang the Sweet Dreams Stay sign on your door before 11pm. Your room will then not be cleaned the day after and we will donate 10 kronor to UNICEF instead.
• If you would like to support the project at a Quality Hotel or a Comfort Hotel, you don’t need to do anything at all. If you do not request cleaning, we will automatically donate 10 kronor to UNICEF.