Fairfield Inn & Suites Helps Small Businesses ELEVATE To New Heights

Twenty ambitious and energetic female entrepreneurs, in industries ranging from financial planning to jewelry design, are more connected and visible after participating in Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott's ELEVATE fueled by Fairfield program for women-owned small businesses.

Throughout the three-month ELEVATE initiative, Fairfield Inn & Suites provided hotel meeting space and other resources in the Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; New York, NY; and Washington, D.C. areas, which the program participants creatively used to make the greatest impact for their businesses. Their efforts included arranging photo shoots, as well as hosting networking events, ribbon cuttings, seminars and workshops.

"Women-owned business is a vital part of American entrepreneurship," said Shruti Buckley, vice president and global brand manager for Fairfield Inn & Suites. "Doing what we can at Fairfield to help the ELEVATE participants come closer to attaining their business goals has been a valuable and inspiring experience for us."

Fairfield Inn & Suites awarded a $5,000 business grant to ELEVATE participant Dominique Broadway, founder of financial services consultancy Finances Demystified, for demonstrating the most creativity in the use of hotel meeting areas and program resources. Broadway utilized the Fairfield space to help her business bloom by conducting corporate planning sessions, hosting a kick-off event for her Social Money Tour and shooting 24 financial tip videos for small business owners.

"Being part of the Elevate program was beyond what I expected," said Broadway. "I've faced numerous challenges as a small business owner and the resources provided by Fairfield Inn & Suites have allowed me to get my name out there and grow my business exponentially." Broadway will use the grant to further develop her financial education programs and create online classes and interactive workshops.

In addition to Broadway, many of the participants elevated their businesses thanks to the program and use of the Fairfield hotel meeting space, including:

• Elana Reinholtz, founder of Bird & Stone, a socially conscious jewelry design company, who hosted her first-ever trunk show atop Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Chelsea's rooftop terrace;
• RegIna Brooks, owner of Regine Danielle Events & Design, who booked 65 percent of her available dates for 2014, due to having space to meet with clients; and
• Somya Munjal, founder of financial literacy education business Youthful Savings, who hosted a fundraiser for an upcoming empowerment program and credits the space for its success.

"More than twenty-five years ago, Fairfield Inn & Suites started off as a small brand itself," said Buckley. "Today, we are finding meaningful ways to help others grow and showcasing our commitment to supporting local communities and commerce."

For more information about the program, please visit www.elevatefueledbyfairfield.com.