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 , cofounder & 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 maledominated 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 |
Lina Patel
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
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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
Mehvesh Mumtaz Ahmed
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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
Molly Hardie
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
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48 hotelsmag . com May / June 2024 |