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Updated: 2007-06-14 16:56

In addition to his busy daily routine as a general manager at a luxury hotel, William Hall has some other "voluntary but important" work to attend to.

Hall, general manager of Hotel Equatorial Shanghai, also serves as the chairman of International Branded Hotels of Shanghai (IBHS), an industry association representing 54 international hotels in Shanghai that have a more than 24,000 combined guest rooms.

"The (chairman's) job is voluntary but interesting and important," Hall says.

The organization is a network for member hotels to exchange views and serves as a bridge between the industry and local authorities, says Hall, who has held the chairman position for three years.

Among the most important functions of IBHS and one that Hall is enthusiastic about is the organization's charity causes that mainly target child development, which Hall says "is the common wish of the member hotels."

"Young people are the future of China," Hall says.

IBHS is currently sponsoring the Shanghai Sunrise Charity Foundation that cares for 10 middle school students from families in which one or both parents are disabled.

It is also in partnership with Shanghai Charity Foundation (SCF) for various charitable activities.

The hotel association last year gave 125,000 yuan to the foundation to provide school lunches for 90 students for one year, the second time that it donated to SCF since it started the initiative to raise funds for charity.

IBHS donates funds to SCF and specifies to which charities the money should go to and how much should be given.

"We should contribute to the Shanghai Municipality and do what we can to support social causes," Hall says.

"We are a part of the local society."

"Our staff is living and working in Shanghai and we deal with local people every day as they hold weddings or other social functions at our hotels," Hall says.

"We think we should extend a helping hand to those less fortunate," the chairman says.

IBHS has donated a total of 350,000 yuan to various causes in Shanghai in the past three years, according to Hall.

The figure is expected to reach 500,000 by the end of this year.

IBHS's flagship event is its annual charity golf tournament.

"The annual golf competition, which is in its fourth year, is our main fundraiser," Hall says.

Senior management of its member hotels or hotel supply companies and corporate sponsors are the main participants in the event.

"It is also a good way for them to meet in a relaxed environment," he says.

"It started small but it has grown rapidly," Hall says, noting an increasing number of players and teams.

The inaugural event in 2004 attracted 70 players. The coming tournament, set for June 1 at the Shanghai West Golf Club, is expected to draw 80 players and 30 teams.

Hall hopes 200,000 yuan will be raised in the upcoming golf event, for the funds will be donated to SCF in August, according to Hall.

"We just hope the charity fund will grow larger and we can contribute more to the city's social causes," says the chairman, who has been in Shanghai since 2000.