Scenario: 1 unsold room per hotel per week across a 50-hotel portfolio
≈ £6.8m
Total annual social value created
By donating just 1 unsold room per week per hotel, RBH could unlock around £6.8 million in annual social value for unpaid carers, communities and the State. This is a portfolio-wide opportunity to turn low-occupancy nights into measurable social impact, creating a quantified ESG lever that's visible to owners, investors and brands – without any negative impact on hotel performance.
≈ 2,600 breaks per year
50 hotels × 1 room per week × 52 weeks
Thousands of unpaid carers offered a proper rest at minimal operational cost to RBH.
≈ £0.74m value to the State
Reduced pressure on NHS and social care from carers who are better rested and less likely to reach crisis point.
≈ £135k social value per hotel per year
On average, each participating hotel generates c. £135k in social value just by converting low-occupancy nights into Carefree breaks.
Who is Carefree?
Carefree is a UK charity that turns unsold hotel rooms into short breaks for unpaid carers, creating measurable social value that can be tracked and reported.
- 16,000+ breaks delivered to date across the UK
- 200+ hotel partners already benefiting from the programme
- Independent economic model developed with Just Economics, aligned with HM Treasury Green Book guidance
The model quantifies the social value of each break across carers' wellbeing, community partners and the State, creating auditable "S in ESG" metrics for hotel partners.
Assumptions: For illustration purposes only. Scenario assumes 50 RBH-managed hotels, each donating 1 room per week via Carefree, for 52 weeks. Average social value per break c. £2,600, including c. £284 value to the State (avoided health and social care costs), based on the latest Just Economics modelling.
What this looks like per RBH hotel
Per-hotel economics, owner story and ESG fit
Per-hotel impact at a glance
(1 room per week per hotel)
Carefree breaks per year
Social value per hotel per year
Value to the State per hotel per year
Hotel teams retain full control over inventory, dates and blackout periods, ensuring complete flexibility around peak trading times.
Hotel P&L: cost-neutral or better
The Just Economics analysis suggests that, on average, hotels are at least cost-neutral and often slightly profit-making when they release unsold rooms to Carefree, once three factors are taken into account:
- Marginal cost of an otherwise empty room (c. £20 for cleaning, utilities and wear)
- Average in-stay spend by carers (c. £54 per break on F&B and extras)
- Referral effect, as carers recommend the hotel to friends and family, generating a small but steady stream of paid bookings
Across our existing partners, this translates into a small net gain per Carefree break rather than a donation that hits the bottom line.
A ready-made "S in ESG" lever for RBH
RBH has set clear ESG expectations with owners, brands and investors. The environmental side is increasingly well covered – but genuine, scalable social impact is harder to deliver and evidence.
Carefree gives RBH a portfolio-wide, quantified intervention that can be reported as:
- Total social value created per year (headline figure across the portfolio)
- Value to the State, using a credible, independent methodology
- Number of unpaid carers supported, with real stories from real stays
All of this can be surfaced in owner reports, brand updates and ESG disclosures as a single, easy-to-understand story: "We turn our unsold rooms into measurable social value for carers."
Operational fit for RBH and hotel teams
No tech lift
Carefree plugs into existing booking processes; no new system for hotels to manage
Low operational drag
Carefree handles carer eligibility, communication and support; hotels process reservations as normal
Inventory control
Each hotel chooses how many rooms to release and when, with full flexibility over peak dates
Staff engagement
A simple, feel-good initiative that teams can champion internally, reinforcing RBH's "Giving Something Back" ethos
Impact Snapshot