What’s on the minds of today’s women executives? A lot. And in this Women in Hospitality feature, HOTELS looked to get it out of them—from what advances women have made in the myriad fields that serve hospitality to if the “old boys club” still exists.

The good news is the more we highlight women in hospitality, the less we will have to write about it in the future. One day, there no longer will be a story to write because the hospitality industry will have reached rightful equity across it.

It’s still not there yet—and most would agree. But strides are being made and, in recent years, hotel companies have taken it upon themselves to create programs that not only highlight women in hospitality, but purposely make it core to their ethos.

How much, then, has changed? HOTELS turned to 20 leading women executives in the hospitality industry, across a broad range of disciplines, to find out and learn what they are focused on in their specific lines of work as we move through 2024 and beyond.

Over the next several days, we will roll out a question and answer. Here’s today’s:

HOTELS: How much improvement has there been made in the hiring and advancement of women in your specific field? What needs to be improved?

Agnès Roquefort, chief development officer, Accor: The hospitality industry has made significant strides in the hiring and advancement of women. [In fact], Accor created its first gender equality charter in the workplace in the 1970s and normalized its first diversity agreement in 2007. We strongly believe that women should have the same opportunities as men and that no woman should see her perspectives or ambitions restricted. As a mother of two daughters, the ability and ease for women to achieve leadership roles is very important to me. Presently, 42% of the workforce at Accor is women and we have ambitious goals to recruit and retain women in leadership roles, which we are on track to achieve. By 2025, we aim to have 40% women on our executive committee; 45% women on our global steering committee and senior leadership team; and 40% women as general managers.

Allison Reid, former chief global growth officer, Aimbridge: There has been vast improvement in the number of women leading and working in the hospitality development space over the past decade, driven largely by the increase in female college graduates in finance and real estate disciplines, combined with a general focus on corporate diversity. What hasn’t changed is finding ways to keep mid-career women from having the existential crisis of trying to find a true work-life balance. Most women still carry a heavier burden outside of work than their male colleagues. The numbers don’t lie, and we know that finding ways to help associates navigate the changes in their lives will lead to a more engaged, productive, profitable, and happy team.

Arlie Sisson, SVP, global head of digital, Hyatt Hotels Corp.: According to the 2023 Women in Hospitality report from the AHLA Foundation and Pennsylvania State University, 58% of the hospitality workforce was female in 2022, but when it comes to leadership positions, women comprised only 19% of C-suite roles. Challenges of gender parity inevitably take time, but it starts with recognizing and supporting women at every stage of their careers. Quite unique to hospitality is the extent to which our industry incubates and promotes from within. Whether you start out in housekeeping or as a corporate intern, there’s a real, attainable opportunity to grow. I’m an example of this: I started at a property front desk to where I am today.

Janine Williams, founder & CEO, Impulsify: Women in technology represent approximately 26% of the technology workforce, which on the surface sounds abysmal, but when you consider only 16% of female college students opt for STEM programs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), I would challenge that the overwhelming reason for the disparity is because only a small minority of women pursue careers in technology. I don’t believe the shortage of women is because they are being deprived of the opportunity by Neanderthal men who think women have no place, but perhaps by their own lack of interest in the field. When there is a disproportionate lack of female graduates pursuing an industry, there is naturally a lack of representation in the workforce.

Jennifer Rausch, chief people officer, Sonesta: There have been several factors influencing the great improvements we’ve seen in hiring and advancing women in hospitality. We take great pride in the diversity of our workforce: Fifty-one percent of our leadership positions are held by women and 55% of our leaders come from non-white backgrounds.

Jennifer Hiblum, GM, Arlo Wynwood: There has been a noticeable increase in the number of women taking on leadership roles within hotels, including GM positions, like mine. This progress is encouraging and indicative of a shift toward greater gender diversity and inclusivity in the hospitality sector. However, despite these advancements, there are still areas that require improvement. One key aspect is the need for continued support and mentorship programs specifically tailored to women in hospitality. While more women are entering the industry, many still face unique challenges and barriers to advancement, such as unconscious bias and lack of access to networking opportunities. There is also the need for greater representation of women in top executive positions within hotel management companies and industry associations. Having more women in these influential roles can help drive systemic changes and promote gender equality throughout the industry.

Julienne Smith, chief development officer, Americas, IHG: It’s been refreshing to see more women entering hospitality across all roles and sectors in recent years and, more specifically, a larger presence in leadership positions. Though we have made great strides in promoting and welcoming gender diversity and inclusion, there is still room to do more in providing women with the opportunities they need to grow and thrive. Leading hotel and hospitality companies can continue to drive this change internally by prioritizing more inclusive workplace cultures, providing leadership development opportunities and advocating for policies that promote gender equality. Externally, we also can support industry organizations that work to address and overcome systemic barriers that impede progress for women, such as She Has a Deal, AHLA’s ForWard and Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance.

Julie Richter, CFO, Concord Hospitality: In my field of real estate finance, I am in contact with very talented women on a regular basis—from bankers to brand representatives to attorneys. It is much less often that I go to a business dinner where the waiter approaches the table with his greeting of “good evening gentlemen and lady.” Where representation is still lacking is on the principal side in the development portion of the business. I don’t see many women heading up assemblage and progression of development projects.

Leigh Taylor, co-founder & president, The Pensacola Beach Resort: If you consider my mother’s experience as a young hotelier 40 years ago or my experience right out of college, there has been significant change. In terms of opportunity, I don’t think overt, female-driven hiring practices truly help us in the long run of creating organic meritocracy. Something that could be improved is not making the assumption that all young women want to work in sales & marketing, public relations or design. If you’re in a position of power and can encourage or mentor a young woman who is interested in the more male-dominated areas of hospitality, help her prepare for interviews or use your own network to connect. We should be teaching young women how to work effectively in male-dominated teams.

Lina Patel, director of strategic franchise initiatives, Red Roof: The hospitality industry is supported by women at all levels, but women have been underrepresented in leadership positions until the last few decades. Today, one can see the impact of our efforts to push for diversity and inclusion, with more women hotel leaders and a more significant presence in the C-suite than ever before. This is the result of hard work and tireless effort from women and allies across hospitality. The next step to cultivate the growth of women in hospitality is continued participation from the rest of the hospitality community as we increase collaboration, address gender biases and push for equal pay among workers. We must also strive to provide impactful mentorship opportunities, advocate for equal growth opportunities, and design programs to elevate women.

Liz Uber, COO, Extended Stay America: There have been great strides in the hiring and advancement of women in the hospitality industry, though there is still more to do. Much of that improvement stems from the additional opportunities and benefits offered by companies to foster women’s career development through mentorship and hotel ownership programs. At ESA, 54% of our corporate team members are women with many leading our larger departments— capital, commercial, real estate, accounting, brand and operations. I am equally impressed by the 65% of property-level GMs in our owned and managed hotel portfolio that are women. Female team members at all levels are making significant contributions, but more needs to be done to foster their continued growth to the executive level, including mentorship, professional development and, in some cases, a shift in company culture.

Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed, VP of social impact, Rosewood Hotel Group: Due to the expansive nature of the industry and the range of roles it offers, hospitality has a more level playing field when it comes to absorbing people from all demographics and walks of life, including women. At Rosewood, our global executive committee has an even number of male and female leaders. To continue to achieve meaningful progress, one step is key: measure, record, report. Every company must first gather baseline information on where it stands in terms of gender distribution across all levels of employment. Without measurement of how initiatives are contributing both positively and negatively to our mission of gender equity, it’s very hard to identify gaps and gauge improvement effectively. Equally, we need to put measures in place that ensure better gender balance in leadership roles. There is no reason that women should not be holding the most senior-level positions.

Molly Hardie, co-chair, H7 Holdings: Women have made great strides in leadership within the hospitality industry and we’re seeing more women in executive roles than ever before. I believe there’s a greater acceptance for diversity in leadership in the industry and in business overall. Still, there’s far to go before women have equity in the C-suite and as hotel owners. As a woman owner, I’m still a rarity.

Sarah Dinger, EVP of brand management, My Place Hotels: We’ve undoubtedly seen progress, with an increasing number of women holding prominent positions across various sectors of the industry. Within my organization, nearly half of our management and executive roles are held by women.

Sima Patel, co-founder & CEO, Ridgemont Hospitality: Our industry has made some great strides, but we need to do more. Our philosophy is simple: promote from within and provide on-the-job training to those who take the initiative. It will be a huge step forward if we continue to make intentional efforts to elevate women leaders from within and set them up for success.

Sophie Richard, asset manager, M&L Hospitality, current president, HAMA Europe: In asset management and acquisition, there has been a noticeable increase in the representation of women compared to a decade or two ago. This shift is particularly evident during prominent events like hospitality investment conferences. At HAMA Europe, our board has near parity with four women out of nine board members.

Tina Burnett, chief development officer, G6 Hospitality: Clear strides have been made in the last few decades, especially at the brand level. Though this is still a male-dominated industry, women in hospitality and leadership are much more prevalent as of recent and we’re seeing more companies hiring and promoting women to help lead their brands. At G6 Hospitality, our executive leadership is more than 50% women. In fact, more than 35% of Motel 6 and Studio 6 franchises are driven through some form of female ownership. There are still improvements that we must continue to make to diversify our organizations and make franchising more accessible. One way we can further amplify women’s voices is by not only providing a seat at the table, but also ensuring they have the platform to echo their expertise across the industry.

SOURCE: Hotelsmag.com