UNFPA, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane launch “Sharing New Life” campaign.

UNFPA, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane launch initiative to support maternal and newborn health

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane on Tuesday jointly launched “Sharing New Life” campaign, a groundbreaking partnership to raise funds to support maternal and newborn health.
Launched from October 1 to December 31, 2025, guests will be invited to make small, voluntary contributions when staying overnight, dining, or hosting events at the two hotels - Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane.
Every contribution will go directly to UNFPA programmes that support safer pregnancies, safer deliveries, and healthier beginnings for mothers and their babies in Laos, particularly in remote areas.

UNFPA’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Pio Smith.	Cluster General Manager of Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane, Mr Murali Viswanathan.

UNFPA’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Pio Smith, emphasised that the partnership represents a new way of thinking about impact.
“This initiative demonstrates what is possible when innovation and partnerships meet compassion. By working with Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, we are turning ordinary moments of hospitality into extraordinary acts of solidarity. Each guest’s contribution will help save lives and give mothers and their newborns the healthy start they deserve.”
Echoing this spirit, Cluster General Manager of Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane, Mr Murali Viswanathan, underlined the importance of embedding social good into business models.

UNFPA’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Pio Smith addresses the launch ceremony.

“At our hotels, we believe businesses can and must be a force for good. We are proud to be the pioneers in Lao PDR to embed voluntary giving into key touch points of guest experience at both of our hotels, creating a new model where business success and community wellbeing go hand in hand,” the manager said.
“By partnering with UNFPA, we are grateful to have the opportunity to meld hospitality and generosity seamlessly - proving that every guest experience can also be an opportunity to drive change and create healthier beginnings for mothers and children.”
Inspired by the intention to give back to the community, Mr Viswanathan wished that this joint initiative would set an example for other businesses to adopt or follow. 
“Our hope and our dream is that UNFPA can then engage with other businesses in order to do the same,” he told local media.
Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites Vientiane are looking beyond this pilot initiative as they plan a longer term commitment, leveraging lessons learnt from the “Sharing New Life” campaign.
“From this pilot, we will adapt from our learnings and make improvements to the programme which can be sustained for a longer period of time,” Mr Viswanathan said.
The campaign ensures full transparency, assuring that donations will appear clearly on guest bills, be reconciled monthly, and handed over to UNFPA at the end of the campaign.
“So, 100 percent of the funds that are generated as a result of this will be driven back to the cause,” Mr Viswanathan said.
UNFPA Country Representative Dr Bakhtiyor Kadyrov described the initiative as a wonderful example of a partnership between an international organisation and the private sector to drive positive change.
In Laos, the partnership with UNFPA marks a first for the country, linking hospitality directly with the well-being of mothers and newborns.
The partnership brings together UNFPA’s mission of rights and choices for all with Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn & Suites’ drive for innovation and community impact in Laos.

By Advertorial Desk
(Latest Update October 2, 2025)