2021 brought with it many challenges - but we are proud to look back over the year and recognise the many accomplishments of our teams across the world.
The year got off to a good start, especially considering the somewhat negative end to 2020 we had just experienced with more lockdowns introduced in all global regions. We picked up the award for Most Creative Marketing at the CHPA Tower of Excellence Awards in February. Not only was this fantastic recognition for our Americas team, but it also highlighted the amazing work of our teams around the globe who came together to deliver personable and inclusive marketing campaigns during the initial phases of the pandemic.
Throughout 2021 we made great strides in further establishing a sustainable future for our business and the wider industry. In April we partnered with Trees4Travel, providing our clients with the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their business travel by planting trees around the world. We also pledged to plant a tree of our own for every tree planted by our clients.
More good news followed later that month when SilverDoor became the first serviced apartment provider to partner with TRIPBAM. The partnership brought serviced apartments to the forefront for Travel Managers using TRIPBAM to book stays of five nights or more – passing on considerable savings and introducing a new audience to serviced accommodation.
Later in the year, we also received REST and albert accreditations. The REST certification indicates that our business is implementing environmental and economic management, as well as exceeding in areas of corporate social responsibility and supplier practices and compliance. Similarly, our albert accreditation demonstrates that our offering is geared towards environmental sustainability – showcasing our suitability for our clients involved in television, film, and music production who are partnered with the albert organisation. Finally, in December we proudly received our third ISO certification (14001) in recognition of our Environmental Management Systems. This standard specifically examines our processes regarding sustainability and energy waste reduction – ensuring that our environmental impact is being measured and improved at every level.
Award season brought with it a spate of accolades for SilverDoor, first with our win at the EMMA APAC awards in which were recognised as demonstrating Outstanding Agility & Crisis Management as a Service Provider. This meant that both our Americas and APAC offices received worthy recognition in 2021 – a fantastic outcome, especially considering the changing landscape surrounding travel in these key areas.
In September our Marketing department was again recognised for its exceptional efforts throughout the pandemic, collecting the award for Best Social Media at the Serviced Apartment Awards 2021. This was followed by the news that our Chief Information & Technology Officer, Hanish Vithal, was recognised in the 2021 CIO Top 100 in October – demonstrative of SilverDoor’s industry-leading approach to in-house technology and software development. After being Highly Commended in the EMEA EMMAs in the Corporate Housing Provider of the Year category, we topped of the year by winning the Accommodation Provider of the Year award at the Next Gen GM GEM awards in December.
However, the standout moments of 2021 had to be the acquisition of The Apartment Service by SilverDoor parent company, Habicus, and the launch of new Lancaster office - Charter House. Both of these milestones evidenced SilverDoor’s market strength following the pandemic as well as our drive to grow and enhance our services throughout the global serviced accommodation markets. We are thrilled to have welcomed the TAS team into our Habicus network, and, needless to say, our Lancaster team is beyond delighted with their state-of-the-art new office.
All in all, 2021 was a phenomenal year for SilverDoor, and we are eager to continue our journey into the new year. We also recognise that we couldn’t have achieved any of these milestones without the ongoing support of our valued partners, colleagues and clients around the globe. We thank you all and look forward to sharing a prosperous 2022!
