Stay With Impact: The River Inn
Tucked in the heart of Georgetown near the Potomac, The River Inn has been welcoming Washington, D.C. travelers with old-school hospitality since 1956. But it's what's brewing behind the scenes — quite literally — that's turning heads these days. Through a partnership with Procure Impact and Butler Coffee Lab, The River Inn is serving guests something far richer than a great cup of coffee: a chance to create opportunity for people with disabilities.
Two Procure Impact interns recently sat down with Ashlee Harper, Director of Operations at The River Inn, to hear firsthand how a simple search for a better coffee program turned into one of the hotel's most meaningful partnerships.
The Search for Something More
Like a lot of great partnerships, this one started with a problem to solve. Ashlee had been on the hunt for an in-room coffee provider that felt right for The River Inn — something beyond the usual big-name brands.
"I was looking for small business coffee options for a really long time," Ashlee shared, "and we were looking at the bigger brands, but they just didn't really align with what we were looking for."
After a visit by Procure Impact’s co-founder and President, Jen Collins, that search eventually led Ashlee to Butler Coffee Lab, a mission-driven coffee roaster sourced through the Procure Impact marketplace — and the fit was immediate.
Living Their Values
As a lifestyle hotel, The River Inn has always aimed to be more than a place to stay — it's a reflection of how guests want to live.
"We're a lifestyle hotel," Ashlee explained. "So when you stay at a lifestyle hotel, you want to be emulating what you do in real life, right? And then one of our core values is 'serve others,' so just by purchasing things that we already need to purchase — the fact that they're giving back to these communities — I think it really resonates with our vision and core values."
It's a simple but powerful idea: a hotel’s everyday purchases can either be transactional, or they can be transformational.
Creating Jobs, One Coffee Pod at a Time
The impact of this partnership reaches far beyond The River Inn's suites. For Butler Coffee Lab, a nonprofit coffee roaster dedicated to inclusive employment for people with disabilities, the increased demand meant something life-changing: two new jobs.
"Partnering with Procure Impact and The River Inn has been a meaningful and energizing experience for Butler Coffee Lab," said Terry Kaiserman, Managing Director of Butler Coffee Lab. "Not only has it expanded our reach by placing our coffee in the hands of more guests, but it has also strengthened our mission to provide inclusive employment for people with disabilities. The increased demand from the partnership has allowed us to provide more consistent hours and job stability for our workforce, boosting both morale and productivity."
That growth translated directly into new roles for Jake and Brianna [pictured above], two employees whose lives have been shaped by the opportunity. What started as a search for a better coffee vendor has become a source of dignified, stable work for people who needed exactly that.
A Delivery They'll Never Forget
For Ashlee, one moment captured what makes this partnership special. When it came time for Butler Coffee Lab's first delivery, the owners didn't ship it — they personally showed up.
"I think one of my highlights was the owners of Butler Coffee coming on site," she said. "I think they drove over four hours one way and back just to make our first delivery…that really meant something to me."
That level of care hasn't gone unnoticed by guests, either. Every suite at The River Inn is now stocked with Butler Coffee Lab pods, giving travelers a warm, complimentary brew — and a story worth sharing.
"Meeting the Butler Coffee Lab team and understanding that making a purchase with Butler Coffee Lab is providing a quality product and coffee experience to our guests, but also giving back to a marginalized community, makes all the difference."
- ASHLEE HARPER -
Ready to create your own meaningful guest experience?
At The River Inn, a morning coffee is no longer just a daily ritual. It's a reminder that hospitality, at its best, extends far beyond the walls of a hotel — into the communities and lives it touches.
Thank you to Ashlee Harper and the entire River Inn team for showing what it means to #staywithimpact, and for proving that even the smallest touches can carry great purpose.
Every hotel has the power to turn everyday amenities into meaningful connections.
If you're ready to discover how a partnership with Procure Impact can help you create remarkable guest experiences that fuel jobs and uplift communities, we'd love to talk.
Comments