Homewood Suites Launches New Edition of Its Socially Responsible Children's Book Series

In order to help travelling parents stay connected with their children during extended business trips, Hilton's Homewood Suites, the upscale, residential style arm of the hotel chain, had a rather novel idea: a series of children's books called Lewis the Duck, which has now arrived at its fourth edition. The books explain to children what business travel is like through its protagonist Lewis.

The series is the brainchild of Homewood's global head of brand management Bill Duncan who found inspiration in his own experience as a traveling businessman. The latest installment, called Lewis the Duck Lends a Helping Wing, is authored by Duncan and his son Christian. The plot follows Lewis' efforts at Duck Inc. to initiate a corporate responsibility program as requested by his boss, Mr. Wood. With the support of his colleagues and family, he proceeds to implement several projects, including the building of a school library, a cleanup of the aptly named Duck River and support for a local shelter for the homeless.

Previous editions have tackled other themes related to the business world and CSR. In Lewis and His Long Trip, the book explains extended-stay travel while in Lewis Goes to Canada, the matriarch of the Lewis family takes the family along to a business trip in Canada. In Lewis Goes to Mexico, the story sends a message of respect for different cultures when traveling abroad.

Homewood Suites is the only hotel brand to publish an original children's book series and has printed more than 100,000 copies of the four books, which are available for purchase at every Homewood Suites Suite Shop, or via a dedicated website, which features interactive games and where kids can create their own luggage tags.

Besides the book series and the website, Homewood Suites also engages in other socially responsible projects including local reading programs and childhood literacy through an association with the Books for Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops reading libraries for young, at-risk children. Homewood Suites has constructed five of these libraries since 2010, besides donating over 5,000 books and committed over 1,500 service hours. In 2011, Hilton Worldwide launched Travel with Purpose, which is part of its commitment to providing shared value to its business and communities around the world.

Image credit: Homewood Suites