EVERYONE HAS
PROTECTING HOUSEKEEPERS
are taken seriously , says Diego Bufquin , assistant professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management . “ Managers need to tell employees , ‘ We will have your back no matter what ,’” he says . Prominent signs in guest rooms and public areas help to discourage unacceptable conduct , he adds .
Stepped-up training must extend to human resources managers who address harassment claims . “ HR managers are there to recruit and train , but they don ’ t always know how to handle this kind of conflict ,” Braunlich says . “ They ’ re not psychologists .”
REPRESENTATION HOTELS contacted companies including Marriott International , IHG and Hyatt Hotels ; all declined to discuss specifically how they are responding to the changing paradigm . A spokeswoman for the American Hospitality & Lodging Association ( AHLA ) says the
“ industry has made employee and guest safety a top priority . “ AHLA has partnered with nationally recognized nonprofits and developed tailored trainings for the industry ,” the spokeswoman says . “ Our industry has in place procedures and protocols for employees around reporting and prevention , and these are continuously reviewed and updated . As an industry we will continue our work day in and day out with a focus on ensuring America ’ s hotels are secure places for all those who work and visit them .”
A broader concern is the representation of women in senior management at hospitality companies . The odds are 3-to-1 against a woman winning promotion to the vice president level , says Peggy Berg , founder of the Atlanta-based Castell Project , a nonprofit striving to advance the careers of women in hospitality . An analysis of the STR Directory of Hotel and Lodging Companies
EVERYONE HAS
TO DO SOMETHING .
KELLY THOERIG , MARSH
“ by Castell found that as of 2016 , women represented only 5 % of CEO positions , 9 % of president posts and 9 % of partner positions . Fifteen percent of C-suite positions were held by women .
Kate Walsh , dean of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration , whose research has focused on women in management and culture change , says the hospitality industry presents special obstacles for women . “ Many run into barriers at the general manager level because they don ’ t want to uproot their family to run another hotel ,” she says . “ There has to be a commitment by the big players to develop all their professionals , and women are part of that .”
Fern Kanter , executive vice president and managing director at Boston asset manager CHM Warnick , leads initiatives to promote advancement of women in real estate and hospitality . “# MeToo calls ( men ) out , and we have to bring this to the surface ,” she says . “ Women need to convey confidence , act the part and educate men — not in a confrontational but in a collaborative way .”
PROTECTING HOUSEKEEPERS
The # MeToo movement is providing momentum for housekeepers seeking greater protection from harassers . Unite Here , which represents 270,000 workers in the hotel and gaming sectors , among others , has influenced the passage of ordinances in Seattle and Chicago , and is lobbying for similar measures in California and cities such as Miami . The union wants hotels to adopt policies that encourage workers to report incidents without fear of repercussion , post signs reminding guests of the hotel ’ s sexual harassment policy , and issue panic buttons that summon help for housekeepers from security staff .
“ This is a national conversation , so management is paying attention ,” says Maria Elena Durazo , general vice president for immigration , civil rights and diversity for the union . “ Hotels don ’ t have to wait to take action .”
The 2011 arrest of French financier Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a seminal moment , industry experts say . He was charged with assaulting a housekeeper at the Sofitel New York in Manhattan . Following the incident , which was settled out of court , the union won clauses in collective bargaining agreements to require New York and Washington , D . C ., hotels to issue panic buttons . Because other U . S . cities aren ’ t as highly unionized , Unite Here has lobbied local lawmakers to adopt ordinances requiring hotels to adopt policies that encourage housekeepers to report harassment .
Hotels have opposed a Seattle ordinance passed in a November 2016 referendum that requires hotels to issue panic buttons but also requires that they bar a guest from staying at the hotel for three years when a worker provides a sworn accusation of sexual harassment — a provision derided as a blacklist .
The city was sued in December 2016 by the Seattle Hotel Association ( SHA ), the Washington Hospitality Association ( WHA ) and the AHLA . The hotels argued the law , among other things , violated the rights and privacy of customers and left ambiguities . The case has moved through the courts in Washington . But # MeToo has provided a shot of adrenaline . “ Housekeepers feel validated by the public conversation ,” says a Seattle union spokeswoman .
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