ESG Report | Championing Better Governance

Governance in ESG refers to the company's systems and management, such as its board of directors, ethical and legal standards, policies and transparency in financial reporting. 

CitySuites has 100 policies in place that accommodate legislative changes, which are also updated every year. Using Shield compliance to monitor our building compliance, we can also flag any potential issues of non-compliance on the system. 

We will ensure the governance criteria are met and exceeded in 2023 through our ESG objectives. 

Governance ESG Objectives for 2023 

The full ESG report in 2022 is available for viewing.

Our Approach To Risk Management

Moving forward, identifying and understanding our exposure to risk empowers us to pursue long-term, sustainable growth. 

Risk and compliance feature as a monthly item at our Health & Safety Committee meetings - while our comprehensive risk register tracks all incidents on an online compliance system. So, all incidents are reviewed by a third party who, in turn, provides a recommended course of action and mitigation measures - as mentioned in our ESG report in 2022. 

Our disaster recovery plan, created following a third-party audit of our exposure to potential risk, bolsters our mitigation risk measures. 

Our recent GSA assessment provided us with a physical onsite assessment back in June (2022), which resulted in us investing in effective security measurements across our properties, including crisis management plans and security procedures. 

Our People

Our business puts our employees and our guests first, ensuring that safety protocols and standards are at their highest in our properties. 

This includes fire-safety programmes, training materials, educational resources and documented procedures that ensure our employees are both well-trained in safety protocols, while also being protected from potential fire hazards. 

The governance processes in place at CitySuites are bolstered by comprehensive H&S training - which was completed by all of our employees. The training module includes Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) awareness training, a well-known and necessary programme that ensures the safety of employees handling hazardous substances. 

Data Privacy & Cybersecurity 

In an age where digital utility is widely implemented, cyber risk has become one of the most prevalent concerns in numerous industries. Maintaining operation fluidity and protecting against external threats mean developing durable security processes that protect our data effectively. 

An accreditation by Cyber Essentials Plus is proof of this, as it's the highest level of certification offered under the Cyber Essentials scheme. Our V-LAN segregation between our networks for guests and staff is firewall-protected, and reinforced by a third-party provider. 

Our data assets are also protected through careful data maintenance, storage and how we dispose of them (in line with our security measures). All employees have a Disclosure & Barring (DBS) check and complete full training on our data policies, as well as a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when they join the company.

Other Important Notes On Governance Procedures

CitySuites have built a reputation that highlights the importance of professional care integrated into the business. 

Our anti-modern slavery statement outlines our long-standing commitment to enforcing the highest legal and ethical standards throughout our business and supply chain. This is made by our standalone Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy. 

Our Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy is strongly integrated in our values at CitySuites. We hold ourselves accountable for maintaining this standard - having a stringent anti-bribery and corruption policy in place (in accordance with the Bribery Act 2010).