Synergy Achieves ISO 27001:2022 Certification Reinforcing Commitment to Data Security

A Major Step Toward Keeping Client Data Safe in the Age of Frequent Data Breaches

San Ramon, CA, October 17, 2023 — Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), a leader in serviced accommodation program management, announced today, the company has successfully received certification in ISO 27001:2022, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to data security and protection. This version of the certification from the International Organization for Standardization is the latest and has the most thorough requirements to date.

ISO 27001 is the best-known internationally recognized standard that promotes a comprehensive approach to information security, encompassing people, policies and technology. By adhering to this standard, organizations establish robust information security management systems, which serve as invaluable tools for risk management, cyber-resilience, and operational excellence.

“Data breaches have become a major threat to businesses from an operational and financial perspective, and we know that whatever happens to Synergy’s security impacts that of our clients,” said Debra Christopher, President, Synergy. “By achieving the ISO 27001:2022 certification, our clients can have confidence that we are doing all the right things to protect their data.”

This year, Synergy dedicated a staggering 800 hours’ worth of work specifically to focus on meeting the requirements of ISO 27001:2022, the most stringent industry standard available today. This was done to ensure that Synergy has provided ample investment in the people, processes and technology needed to provide the most thorough data protection possible.

“We are one of the first companies in the corporate housing industry to receive the new ISO 27001:2022 certification,” noted Mitch Christian, Information Security Officer for Synergy. “The 2022 version advances the 2013 version in that it now encompasses the entire business process when it comes to protecting information assets. We know this certification and commitment will build trust, assuring our clients that their information is handled securely and professionally.”  

Cybercrime is a significant threat to decentralized organizations, costing companies an average of $4.45 million per breach in 2023. With that in mind, Synergy maintains an ongoing substantial investment in the security of its data and systems.

About Synergy Global Housing

Founded in 1999, Synergy is an international serviced accommodation provider headquartered in San Ramon, CA, delivering a superior hospitality-driven extended-stay experience to the business travel and mobility industries. Providing best-in-class housing and services in over 2,000 cities in more than 85 countries, the company has offices in China, Singapore, India, England, Ireland and multiple locations throughout the United States.

Recognized globally, Synergy’s recent awards include the 2023 and 2021 Company of The Year from the Corporate Housing Provider’s Association (CHPA), 2023 ITM Service Excellence Team; 2022 Operations Team of the Year from the Business Travel People Awards; 2022 and 2020 Serviced Apartment Provider of the Year Regional/Global from Relocate Magazine; and the 2021 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year from the Forum for Expatriate Management (FEM) U.S. and EMEA regions.

Synergy is a member of The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a leading international lodging owner-operator based in Singapore. Spanning more than 220 cities in over 40 countries, Ascott’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott, Citadines, lyf, Oakwood, Quest, Somerset, The Crest Collection, The Unlimited Collection, Préférence, Fox, Harris, POP!, Vertu and Yello. Ascott is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI), one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups headquartered and listed in Singapore and Malaysia. Today, Ascott boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.

Synergy leads the way to Being Carbon Neutral with Science Based Targets Commitment

Collaboration with SBTi sets a clearly defined path to reduce global emissions in line with climate science.

San Ramon, CA, April 11, 2023 — Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), a leader in end-to-end serviced accommodation program management, has announced its commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as part of its ongoing quest to be carbon neutral by 2030.

In a move that will define Synergy’s approach to environmental sustainability, the commitment will align Synergy and SBTi as they collaborate to develop a clearly defined roadmap aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Collaborating with SBTi will ensure that Synergy’s sustainability initiatives will be aligned with the latest climate science deemed necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement—a legally binding international treaty on climate change that seeks to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The commitment will see the multi-award-winning company held accountable for progress made toward its journey to be carbon neutral, while simultaneously providing its clients with confidence that Synergy’s services will support the achievement of their own environmental sustainability objectives. 

Of the announcement, Charlotte Winter, General Manager, EMEA and co-lead of Synergy’s sustainability program said, “At Synergy, sustainability is carried out with action and reinforced through transparency, accountability and responsibility. As we seek to reduce our scope one, two and three emissions globally, our partnership with SBTi will support us in identifying the critical areas we need to improve upon, and ensure they are meaningful from a scientific standpoint.”

The SBTi is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature which promotes best practices in emissions reductions in line with net-zero targets. In order to achieve its validated status, Synergy will be required to create an official emissions reduction target aligned with SBTi’s criteria, present its target to the SBTi for official validation, announce its targets to its stakeholders and report on its company-wide emissions annually.

“Synergy’s involvement with the Science Based Targets Initiative demonstrates our firm commitment to reducing our impact on the environment to be carbon neutral,” said Jackie Rardin, Regional Operations Director, Americas and co-lead of Synergy’s sustainability program. “As we continue on our journey, we recognize the importance of collaborating in unison with our global stakeholders to reach real, tangible goals which will make a difference in the future of our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it.”

In addition to co-leading Synergy’s sustainability committee, Both Winter and Rardin play prominent roles in ensuring industry alignment through their participation on GBTA and CHPA sustainability committees.

The announcement comes after Synergy partnered with sustainability software company, GreenFeet to measure and publish its carbon emissions baseline report as it tracks its progress to carbon neutrality. Synergy is due to publish its second annual report in Q3 2023.

About Synergy Global Housing

Founded in 1999, Synergy is an international serviced accommodation provider headquartered in San Ramon, CA, delivering a superior hospitality-driven extended-stay experience to the business travel and mobility industries. Providing best-in-class housing and services in over 2,000 cities in more than 85 countries, the company has offices in China, Singapore, India, England, Ireland and multiple locations throughout the United States.

Recognized globally, Synergy’s recent awards include the 2023 and 2021 Company of The Year from the Corporate Housing Provider’s Association (CHPA), 2022 Operations Team of the Year from the Business Travel People Awards; 2022 and 2020 Serviced Apartment Provider of the Year Regional/Global from Relocate Magazine; 2021 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year from the Forum for Expatriate Management (FEM) U.S. and EMEA regions; and the 2020 Corporate Business of the Year from the Association of Services Apartment Providers (ASAP). Synergy is a member of The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a leading international lodging owner-operator based in Singapore. Spanning more than 200 cities in over 40 countries, Ascott’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott, Citadines, lyf, Oakwood, Quest, Somerset, The Crest Collection, The Unlimited Collection, Préférence, Fox, Harris, POP!, Vertu and Yello. Ascott is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI), one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups headquartered and listed in Singapore and Malaysia. Today, Ascott boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.

Synergy Partners with GreenFeet to be Carbon Neutral by 2030

The partnership will guide the measurement and reduction of Synergy’s global carbon footprint using science-based targets. 

San Ramon, CA, March 7, 2022 — Today, Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), a leader in serviced accommodation program management, announced a partnership with prominent sustainability software company, GreenFeet to track, measure, and reduce its carbon footprint to become carbon neutral by 2030. GreenFeet empowers people, companies and organizations with easy to configure, accurate visibility into their CO2 emissions to assess options and, ultimately, change behaviors and reduce emissions quickly.

“Sustainability isn’t a brand objective nor a check-the-box exercise at Synergy,” said Debra Christopher, President. “It’s a universal commitment inspired by passionate Synergy team members who care a great deal about being a part of an organization that takes responsibility for its environmental impact.”

Utilizing GreenFeet’s intuitive technology platform, Synergy will streamline its carbon emission data collection, measurement and interpretation worldwide. From there, it will identify key areas across its global operations best suited to reduce its overall carbon footprint. Each step in Synergy’s comprehensive sustainability plan is benchmarked against the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in a broader effort to align to the Business Travel Association’s (BTA) recent three-step environmental, social and governance (ESG) campaign. Synergy’s ultimate objective is to do its part to help fulfill the goals outlined by the 2016 Paris Agreement to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C (compared to pre-industrial levels).

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Synergy and help them align their carbon accounting standards to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol, widely considered the gold standard in the industry,” said Lisa McKelvey, Co-Founder of GreenFeet. “Through our five-step process (measuring; setting and evaluating goals; reducing emissions; offsetting and reporting), Synergy is very well positioned to achieve carbon neutral status with a comprehensive program to meet its sustainability goals."

Working hand in hand with this GreenFeet partnership, Synergy will ensure that targets are science-based by joining nearly one thousand companies worldwide aligned to The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that are leading the transition to a carbon neutral economy by setting reduction targets grounded in climate science.

“We recognize the need to update our sustainability policies and practices on a global scale to ensure we have the biggest impact possible while supporting our peers and the overall industry,” said Stephen Hanton, President International. “It’s culture. It’s behavior. It’s passion. But most importantly, it’s necessary.”

The GreenFeet partnership adds to a growing number of sustainability initiatives currently in motion for the global service accommodation program manager, including:

• A “Green Leaf” program that ranks the sustainability levels of Synergy’s global property offerings. Working closely with supplier partners, each of Synergy’s global property profiles will soon display a leaf ranking system to help inform environmentally-conscious guests of the property’s sustainability levels
• The removal and replacement of all single-use plastics in the apartment with environmentally friendly glass and microplastic-free options (currently in a phased rollout throughout the EMEA region)
• An internal training program to educate and empower Synergy associates on making small eco-conscious changes at work and home (launched in late 2021)

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About Synergy Global Housing:

Founded in 1999, Synergy is an international serviced accommodation provider headquartered in San Ramon, CA, delivering a superior hospitality-driven extended-stay experience to the business travel and mobility industries. Providing best-in-class housing and services in over 2,000 cities in more than 85 countries, the company has offices in China, Singapore, India, England, Ireland and multiple locations throughout the United States.

Recognized globally, Synergy’s recent awards include 2021 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year from the Forum for Expatriate Management (FEM) U.S. and EMEA regions; 2021 and 2020 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year from the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA); 2020 Corporate Business of the Year from the Association of Services Apartment Providers (ASAP), and the 2020 Best Service Apartment Provider – Regional/Global award from Relocate Magazine.

Synergy is a member of The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a leading international lodging owner-operator based in Singapore. Spanning more than 200 cities in over 30 countries, Ascott’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello, Fox Lite and POP!. Ascott is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment (CLI), one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups headquartered and listed in Singapore and Malaysia. Today, Ascott boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.

About GreenFeet:

GreenFeet is an easy to use and cost-effective sustainability platform designed for organizations of all sizes. GreenFeet helps organizations to easily put in place a sustainability program, everything from calculating carbon emissions to goal setting, reduction initiatives, offsetting, reporting and more. GreenFeet's mission is to help reduce the world's carbon footprint by providing an easy to use and accessible solution for companies of all sizes to quickly and efficiently manage and ultimately reduce their emissions in line with international agreements and targets.

Synergy Expands EMEA Presence with First Plastic-Free Property in London

Trendy New Apartments Now Open in London’s Famous Strand District

Located in the hub of one of London’s commercial and institutional thoroughfares, just steps from Temple, Holborn and Chancery Lane underground stations, Synergy The Strand comprises a mix of 12 stylish one-, two- and three-bedroom contemporary apartments, all of which are entirely plastic-free and environmentally conscious.

The announcement comes as Synergy continues to evolve its sustainability policies, which have inspired the removal of single-use plastics and micro-bead toiletries from Synergy’s owned apartments. Guests will now be provided with plastic-free and vegan alternatives to traditional toiletries, both locally sourced and handmade. These initiatives aim to create a sustainable living experience that better aligns with guest, client and company values.

Calm and Contemporary

An ideal base for business travellers, interns, project teams and assignees alike, Synergy The Strand offers a contemporary and calm respite set apart from the neighbourhood’s deep historic influence and commercial bustle.

Guests enjoy state-of-the-art kitchens, spacious living areas complete with a desk, cozy, carpeted bedrooms and top-notch marble bathrooms, all brought to life within a bold colour palette and abundance of natural light. However, the crown jewel of the apartments is none other than the striking views of the adjacent Royal Courts of Justice.

All 12 of Synergy’s newest London apartments take up a designed-led FFE with a concerted effort to support guests working a remote or hybrid schedule. Every Synergy The Strand apartment comes with a desk and a few select apartments offer dedicated, ergonomic workspace to ensure those working remote can remain productive while staying in the apartment.

Apartment Amenities:

• Ergonomic desk/workspace*
• Secure touchpad entry
• Fully equipped kitchen and dining area
• Dishwasher
• Washer/Dryer
• Flat-screen Smart TV
• Bath and rainfall shower
• Air-conditioning
• Elevator
• SynergyWork office set-up*
• En-suite*
• Landmark views*

*in select apartments

Synergy Services:

• Meet and greet services
• Self check-in
• Generous welcome packs
• Weekly housekeeping
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Home in the Beating Heart of London

Location wise, guests of Synergy The Strand are within walking distance of London’s Square Mile commercial hub and near some of the best public transport connections the city has to offer. The Thameslink National Rail and the Central, Piccadilly, Circle and District Underground Stations are all at their fingertips. Guests can, for example, access the likes of Canary Wharf in just 20 minutes.

Synergy The Strand is also placed perfectly for guests looking to experience the best of London’s leisure and entertainment districts. London’s Fleet Street and Chancery Lane are just around the corner providing everything a Londoner would expect from a typical British High Street. From trendy eateries and bars to easy-going pubs and cafes to supermarkets, pharmacies, gyms, hairdressers—whatever guests may need or want, they can find it within a short walk.

Amongst Synergy The Strand’s many qualities, perhaps its most popular is its proximity to London’s famous West End district, a quick 20 minutes away on foot. The West End houses London’s SOHO, Covent Garden and Mayfair districts. Each district is a destination in and of itself, rich with gastropubs, upscale dining, nightlife, theatre and shopping options providing guests of Synergy The Strand with the opportunity to experience the very best of London like a true local. The district is full of life at any given time of day but really comes alive in the evening as local professionals and students from nearby universities flock to soak up its bright lights and allure.

Closer to home, the apartments are also a stone’s throw from some of London’s most iconic architecture and cultural monuments, including the Royal Courts of Justice, Royal Opera House, Somerset House and St Paul’s Cathedral. Some of England’s most renowned historical educational institutes, including Kings College, the London School of Economics and Political Science, are also located just around the corner from the apartments, offering stunning architecture that even the locals stop and take in as they make their way to their office.

The opening of Synergy The Strand adds to Synergy’s rapidly growing portfolio of properties across the UK and Ireland and comes after Synergy announced plans in November to ramp up its accommodation presence through property acquisition and partnership development. Nigel Carter, Director of Development EMEA, joined Synergy in November to spearhead the project and drive the development of innovative and strategic alliances to ensure Synergy remains agile in meeting the needs of its global client base as travel ramps up back to pre-pandemic levels.

The Synergy Difference

Synergy The Strand apartments are spacious, elegantly designed and adapted for today’s hybrid working professional, but what really makes a stay in these apartments special is Synergy’s consultative guest and client services. Backed by award-winning hospitality, custom housing programmes, strict duty of care standards and an experienced team of local experts available 24/7/365 to help with whatever our guests need, Synergy ensures these exceptional apartments are safe, secure and a comfortable temporary sanctuary while on the road in London.

Synergy The Strand—truly effortless and stylish apartment living for when you need the perfect London serviced accommodations.

Synergy Global Housing Introduces First Supplier Health and Safety Tracking Software

-SynergySMART Offers Guests and Clients Peace of Mind to Stay with Confidence in the wake of COVID-19-

San Ramon, CALIF. (11/10/2020—) Today, Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), one of the world’s leading serviced accommodation providers, introduced SynergySMART (Simple Mobile Apartment Reporting Technology), an automated sanitization/cleanliness tracking web-based platform developed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to streamline the tracking and measurement of its comprehensive global supplier partner health and safety protocols.

“With SynergySmart, every Synergy unit, whether in New York City or a remote city outside of Hyderabad, will have the capacity to quickly and efficiently provide an instant record of adherence to the same exact health and safety standard across the globe,” said VP of Global Supply Chain, Joan McCarthy Mack.

SynergySMART is a automated sanitization/cleanliness tracking and measurement mobile, web-based platform.
The SynergySMART platform, the first of its kind in the international serviced accommodation sector, provides the mechanism to track and record the execution of the SynergyCares supplier partner health and safety protocols across the company’s 110,000+ unit global inventory—a vital step in restoring the expectations and confidence international travelers require to feel safe and at ease in their serviced accommodation.

“Essentially, this web-based platform will deliver proof our suppliers adhere to our strict SynergyCares standards of health and safety, which will level-up the confidence our global clients and guests desperately need to get back to consistent levels of business travel,” said Mack.

SynergySMART product features:

• Supports multiple languages
• Mobile responsive design
• Embedded photo and video add-ons
• Local auto-date, time-stamp and geo-locator on all forms
• Audit trails for checklist changes
• Automated reminders based on date specific triggers
• Integration with supplier partner pre-existing inspection forms

“SynergySMART is extremely simple, easy, and intuitive to use for both our global supply chain providers and their housekeeping teams,” said International President, Stephen Hanton. “The web-based platform will be entirely mobile-friendly, making it a quick and seamless extension of the services our partners already complete.”

SynergySMART will support daily, weekly, and monthly reporting with the goal of a personalized real-time dashboard. Trends and analysis crossed referenced with guest survey feedback will further foster Synergy’s trademark guest experience excellence.

Mack, a 20-year global supply chain leader, was recently brought on to lead the Synergy award-winning global supply chain partnerships, believes this is the first step in working with industry trade associations like the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) and the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) to establish a universal set of industry-wide cleanliness and sanitization apartment guidelines and checklists.

As highlighted in a recent Synergy webinar series titled, Restoring Business Traveler Confidence, multi-national corporate traveler and mobility directors require continuous communication updates to help set clear expectations with not just relocating and traveling business professionals but internal stakeholders as well. Further noted in a recent Business Traveller Magazine—Europe piece, service providers and operators must do more than speak to their standards, ‘they must be able to track, record, and measure supplier compliance in order to provide the necessary visibility to business clients.’

“Our trade associations, like ASAP and CHPA, created the movement towards clear, attainable industry guidelines,” said Hanton. “SynergySMART is simply a part of that bigger picture aiming towards the end goal of giving business travelers proof their accommodations are safe, sanitized, and ready for them upon arrival.”

Synergy completed a mandatory comprehensive supplier partner training and development program in support of SynergySMART and the SynergyCares supplier partner health and safety protocols. The training program, attended by over 150 suppliers based in the Americas with a scheduled rolled out in EMEA and APAC by the end of the year, covers a broad focus of sanitization education, implementation of best practices, and the value of consistent health and safety global standards.

About Synergy Global Housing:

Synergy Global Housing (Synergy) is a leading global serviced accommodations provider based in the California Bay Area. Founded in 1999, Synergy delivers a superior furnished housing experience to the business travel and workforce mobility industries, providing best-in-class serviced accommodations in over 85 countries, with Global Solutions Centers in Dublin, Ireland; Hyderabad, India; Singapore; San Ramon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, California; New York City; and Seattle, Washington. Through our people, passion, and innovation, Synergy delivers boutique services, custom-tailored to meet our client’s individual needs.

Synergy is a member of The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a Singapore company that has grown to become one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Spanning more than 190 cities across over 30 countries, Ascott’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello, and POP!. Ascott is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited (CapitaLand), one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups headquartered and listed in Singapore. Ascott boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.