a&o Code of Ethics

Diversity

Competetion
by innovation

Sustainability

Integrity

We promote a community spirit at a&o

Loyal and friendly employees who care about the comfort and wellbeing of our guests create our connection to our customers. At a&o, teamwork comes first. a&o supports its employees in order to create long-lasting relationships. This spirit of togetherness motivates us to collaborate and achieve great things.

Promoting and maintaining our community spirit relies on always treating one another with respect. Harassment and bullying are not tolerated. a&o is committed to creating a healthy and safe work environment. Equally important, we must always treat our guests cordially, and their well-being is our top priority. We look out for each other and our guests.

The safety and well-being of our colleagues and guests is of the utmost importance to us. We comply with all health and safety laws and regulations and aim to maintain the highest standards of hygiene. If we spot any safety or health hazards, we take care of them immediately. This may involve fixing the issue ourselves – as is good practice at a&o – or, if an employee sees fit, informing colleagues or management.

Diversity

We welcome people of all backgrounds. We are multicultural on purpose. Open-minded and non-political is our trademark.

At a&o, there is no place for discrimination based on race or ethnic background, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Everyone – be they a guest or a team member – is treated with equal respect.

Competition by innovation

At a&o, we constantly strive for innovation. We have the courage to be creative, and we always want to try new things. We are often regarded as the first in the industry to implement novel ideas and approaches – both technological and operational – which is a source of pride for us. Being “dynamic” is not just an empty word to a&o – we love and need change! We are constantly improving ourselves to meet the needs of our guests. We value fast decisions as well as flexibility. “Passionate” and “energetic” are two words that capture our spirit.

Anti-competitive and unfair business practices have no place in in our business environment. We win over guests by offering them what they need: budget-priced accommodation in central locations fitted to their needs. We neither seek to gain an unfair advantage over other hospitality businesses or lure guests to us by improper means, nor do we stifle competition to the detriment of our guests by aligning business practices with other hospitality companies; instead, we compete with them in an honest manner, to come up with the best solutions in the market.

Sustainability

a&o has long been committed to environmental and social sustainability efforts. They are central components of the company's strategic focus and operating business.

Environmental

a&o’s carbon emission per overnight stay is already among the lowest in the industry, and we have pledged to be the first European ho(s)tel chain to operate CO2 net zero by 2025.

More information on environmental sustainability measures adopted by a&o can be found under www.aohostels.com/en/green/. And these are just the beginning – a&o employees and management are continually looking for new ways to run our business in a more environmentally friendly manner

Social

Our slogan “everyone can travel” reflects a social mission: We believe that traveling is important for social progress. It educates, broadens people’s minds and allows them to exchange ideas and overcome stereotypes.We are proud to help more people be able to travel by offering affordable, practical accommodation in central locations all over Europe. Furthermore, a&o supports social and cultural causes, both those related to travel and otherwise. We regularly open our doors to such causes by offering free accommodation to artists and athletes and by hosting art exhibitions on our premises. a&o has also established and is funding a charitable organization which provides education for sustainable development (ESD).

Integrity

a&o and all employees conduct their work with integrity and comply with applicable laws; because there are certain legal provisions that businesses are more prone to violate, we mention them explicitly in our Code of Ethics without implying that other laws do not have to be respected:

No child or coerced labor

a&o rejects all forms of child and/or forced labor. Not only is such labor strictly prohibited within our own company, we also pay close attention to the manufacturing conditions in our supply chain. Our principles are set out in more detail in our Sourcing Policy.

No bribing

While it is more virtuous to give than to receive, both giving and receiving can pose problems when dealing with business partners or with authorities.

While it is more virtuous to give than to receive, both giving and receiving can pose problems when dealing with business partners or with authorities.

When making gifts or extending invitations, a&o employees will always be mindful to not create the impression that they are seeking to unduly influence any decision of the recipient. Utmost caution must be applied in that respect when dealing with authorities.

When in doubt about gift giving or receiving, employees must check with the Compliance Officer.

Prevention of money laundering

a&o typically does not receive large cash payments and the nature of our business does not require us to perform routine background checks on our customers. But if a&o employees at any time have reason to suspect that payments received have come from illicit financial sources, they must immediately inform the Compliance Officer.

Data privacy rights

We understand that personal data is valuable and respect people’s right to keep such data private. a&o employees will at all times handle private data with care and discretion, and a&o will store, process, transfer and use personal data only in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Please refer to our data privacy statement under https://www.aohostels.com/en/website-privacy-statement/ for further details regarding data processing at a&o.