Preamble
The Society was established in 1988 by a group of leading hospitality consultants with the objectives of fulfilling the need for competent, unbiased and professional advice, promoting awareness and the advancement of the hospitality consulting profession and fostering a high ethical industry standard.
The Society believes that by assembling the most prestigious consultants in the hotel industry under one organization, and by organizing the collective knowledge and experience of those engaged in hospitality consulting, the quality of consulting services to the industry will be greatly enhanced.
A requirement of membership in the Society is demonstrating, at its highest level, integrity and competence in each member’s respective professional discipline.
This Code sets expectations for candidates and members to act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect, and ethical conduct in all interactions with the public, clients, prospective clients, and colleagues across the global hospitality industry, reflecting a core tenet of the Society.
This Code is designed to set expectations of candidates & members that acting with integrity, competence, diligence, respect and in an ethical manner when engaging with the public, clients, prospective clients and colleagues in the global hospitality industry is a core tenet of the Society.
The Society enforces the Code by formally investigating all reported instances of violations. Based on the conclusions of the investigation, the Society reserves the right to take disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension or revocation of membership.
In recognition of members’ obligations to the profession, by accepting membership in the Society, members confirm and pledge to comply with the following articles of professional conduct.
Professional Attitude & Behavior
A member shall conduct all professional activities in a manner that reflects credit upon the member, the Society, and the hospitality industry.
1
Members shall not engage in any conduct that compromises the reputation or integrity of the Society, the consulting profession or other members.
2
Members shall not take personal, financial or other advantage of proprietary or otherwise inside material or information resulting from their professional relationships with clients unless full and complete disclosure has been made, nor will they provide the basis on which others might take such advantage.
3
Members shall not promote their services in any manner that could be detrimental to the Society or its individual members.
4
Members shall not solicit employees of clients for employment without the consent of the client.
5
Members shall maintain the highest-level of professional competence throughout their tenure in the Society.
6
Members shall always conduct themselves in a professional and morally acceptable manner when attending an ISHC sponsored or hospitality industry event.
7
Members shall not commit or ignore an act of discrimination or harassment.
8
Members shall treat all persons with respect, dignity and fairness, in a manner that fosters equitable participation without regard to personal identity.
9
Members shall be mindful of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) when conducting business.
10
Members will support this Code by reporting any code violations to the Society.
Relationships with Clients
A member must not accept any engagement or engage in any practice involving a violation of the Code. A member must immediately withdraw from any engagement if such a violation is identified.
General Responsibilities
1
Members shall, before accepting an engagement, confer with the client or prospective client in sufficient detail to ensure that the member is wholly qualified to conduct the work.
2
Members will treat all information received during an engagement as confidential, except when compelled by appropriate authorities.
3
Members will advise the client of any significant reservations they have regarding anticipated benefits of an engagement. They will not accept an engagement in which they cannot perceive a client benefit.
4
Members will not promise any benefit that is not within their control to deliver.
Independence, Objectivity & Integrity
1
Members must use reasonable care and judgment to achieve and maintain independence and objectivity in their professional activities, making certain that advice to clients is based on impartial consideration of all pertinent facts and responsible opinions.
2
Members must have a reasonable and adequate basis for any conclusion or recommendation, supported by appropriate research and investigation, and exercise fair, honest, skilled, informed and independent professional judgment.
3
Members must not accept any engagement which precludes or limits the ability to develop factual and supportable opinions, findings, or conclusions.
4
Members must not knowingly accept any engagement in which the member is called upon to lend professional reputation or signature to misleading predetermined opinions or positions.
5
Members must not offer, solicit or accept any gift, benefit, compensation or consideration that reasonably could be expected to compromise their own or another’s independence and objectivity.
6
Members must not accept any engagement involving a conflict of interest and must withdraw from an engagement when an unavoidable conflict of interest arises after the engagement has been accepted, unless such conflict is fully disclosed in writing to all parties and all parties agree that the engagement may be accepted or continued.
7
Members must avoid, or make full disclosure of, all matters that could reasonably be expected to impair their independence and objectivity.
Due Professional Care/Competency Provision
1
Members may not accept any engagement which is beyond the scope of the member’s competency, knowledge and expertise unless the member obtains the needed knowledge or expertise from other sources.
2
Members will ensure that others they assign to an engagement, including subcontractors, comply with the standards set out herein, are qualified to produce the engagement benefits, and are adequately supervised.
3
Members will ensure that sufficient relevant information is obtained and evaluated in developing conclusions and recommendations.
4
Members will demonstrate a commitment to the quality of their advice, assistance and resulting deliverables.
Professional Relationships
Members recognize that from time to time they will be working with other professional hospitality consultants, as well as those from other disciplines, and that it is necessary to adhere to the highest standard of conduct.
1
Members referring another consultant to a client will not misrepresent the qualifications of the other consultant nor will they make any commitments for the other consultant.
2
When engaged by a client to review the work of another, consultant members will exercise objectivity and integrity in all technical and advisory conclusions communicated to the client
Procedures for Handling Alleged Violation of Code of Professional Conduct
The following are the procedures for handling alleged violations of the Code of Professional Conduct. The purposes of the procedures are to provide a mechanism for determining the merits of charges against members in a fair hearing before an unbiased tribunal; to protect the rights, privacy, and professional reputation of members; and to protect the rights and interests of clients in dealing with members.
1
Any person, whether a member or a non-member, may file a charge of misconduct against a member. Misconduct is deemed to be any violation of the Code of Professional Conduct. The charge may either be formal or informal, as discussed below.
2
A formal charge is a written statement of the facts alleged, with substantiating evidence, copies of which the Chairman of the Society transmits to the Professional Conduct Committee (the “PCC”) and to the accused member, identifying the party who filed the formal charge. After investigation by the PCC, the PCC decides by majority vote whether to dismiss the charge or refer it to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) for hearing and decision.
3
The Board serves as an unbiased tribunal, hearing evidence provided by the PCC and the accused member. Each Board member shall affirm that such Board member has no conflict in serving on the tribunal. Any Board member who has a conflict in serving on the tribunal shall be excused from serving on the tribunal. The Board’s decision, by majority vote, may take the form of dismissal of the charge, a letter of censure from the Chairman of the Society, suspension from the Society for a stated period of time, expulsion of the member from the Society or such other action deemed appropriate under the circumstances.
4
An informal charge is an allegation made against a member of violating the Code of Professional Conduct that is made in a form other than a formal charge. Upon receipt of an informal charge of misconduct on the part of a member, the Chairman of the PCC initiates a confidential inquiry to confirm its merits. If there is reasonable ground for the charge, the Chairman of the PCC formulates a statement of charges, to which the accused member may file a response within 30 days after receipt of the statement of charges. If the Chairman of the PCC and the Chairman of the Society jointly determine that the charges are sufficiently serious, the PCC will review the matter and recommend one of the following courses: dismissal of the charge; instruct the Chairman of the PCC to obtain additional information required to arrive at a decision; instruct the Chairman of the Society to send a letter to the offending member in the nature of a warning or cease and desist of the offending activity; or any such other action the PCC deems appropriate. If the same violation occurs after the member is informed of the violation determination, a formal charge will be entered against the offending member and handled as set forth herein.
5
All matters relative to the filing and investigation of charges are regarded as confidential and are not in any way made public or disclosed to the membership until the final step in these procedures has been completed. If any member breaches the confidentiality, that member shall be disciplined.
6
When a member withdraws from membership or is removed from the Society, that member will immediately:
- return the ISHC pin to the Society office;
- cease to use the ISHC designation in association with their name, reports, or any other communications; and
- no longer hold himself or herself out as a member of the Society in any form or media.