conversation around gender parity , but by actually appointing women to key leadership roles , such as myself . Consider development : Among the developers and hotel owners that we work with , the most important factor for them is establishing long-term relationships that are rooted in trust , transparency and cooperation . When Accor puts a woman at the helm of that action , it sends a very powerful message about our commitment to gender equity . Fortunately , our partners share our values and at least 60 % of our new projects come from those existing partners , so they very clearly trust that when Accor puts a person in a leadership role , that person is uniquely qualified to drive that business . Reid , Aimbridge : You can ’ t worry about what you can ’ t control . Does the old boy network still exist ? Yes , but there has been enough change that it ’ s not career limiting . What I love is the rise of the “ smart girls club ,” because women are helping other women succeed more than ever . There ’ s also an undeniable positive financial impact of a diversified leadership team , and CEO , boards and C-suite executives understand that . Be the woman that helps other women succeed , not the one who complains about the lack of opportunities . Sisson , Hyatt : This really requires a deeper look at our industry ’ s approach to recruiting and the criteria by which we evaluate candidates . |
Arlie Sisson
Certain roles seem to gravitate toward similar groups of people : How can that process be disrupted and improved ? It comes down to three things : 1 ) being intentional about DE & I ; 2 ) removing barriers to entry to our industry ; 3 ) providing training and support to expose candidates to other aspects of hospitality and lodging . Williams , Impulsify : I recently sat with the CEO of a huge hotel technology company . I asked him why there were no women in leadership positions there . His immediate response : “ We just hired a CMO who is a woman !” as though this was a concession to the fact no women were actually in a leadership position that drives product or technology strategy at a technology company . He saw me roll my eyes , then said , “ I know , I know . I just tend to hire people I have known and spent time with over my career and they happen to be mostly men .” It made sense to me honestly . It wasn ’ t deliberate exclusion of a gender ; he just had more experience dealing with men over a 30-plus-year tech career . Rausch , Sonesta : I ’ m
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excited to see women making inroads in several less traditional departments within Sonesta : security ( 12 % of the workforce ), culinary ( 24 %) and engineering ( 4 %). Our development team is 20 % female . Though it ’ s still about hiring the best candidate , there is much more consistent attention to diversity in the candidate pool being considered . That ’ s really the key to a diverse workforce , which then benefits the organization with diversity of thought and experience . Hiblum , Arlo Wynwood : We need to shake things up and break down those “ old boys club ” mentalities that might still linger in certain segments . One way to do this is by rolling out diversity and inclusion initiatives that put fair hiring practices front and center . I believe something should be set in stone to make sure every candidate , no matter their gender , has an equal shot at opportunities within the industry . Recruiters should continue to expand their networks and actively seek out qualified female candidates for positions in development , finance , operations and other non-traditional roles . Boards
Jennifer Hiblum
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should prioritize diversity and inclusion by setting targets , providing unconscious bias training and seeking diverse perspectives . Overall , creating an inclusive environment in hospitality demands efforts from recruiters , boards and leaders to dismantle barriers and ensure equal opportunities for women in leadership positions . Ritcher , Concord : Addressing the “ old boys club ” to me is not a recruiter or board member issue . It is the responsibility of company leaders to make sure that the women in their underwriting teams , accounting and finance teams and design teams are invited to the table if that is where their interest lies . At conferences , they should be introduced and allowed to play a role in the meetings . Simply paying the fee for attendance doesn ’ t foster growth of relationships , especially when there is a long-standing connection between groups . It ’ s good old-fashioned mentorship in my mind . Smith , IHG : I don ’ t believe it ’ s an intentional omission for women in development . People naturally tend to hire those who make us comfortable and often those are others we know or who look like us . The same applies for striving for role : people often tend to go for positions held by people who look like them . To change that , diversification must become more intentional . Taylor , The Pensacola Beach Resort : When I first entered real estate , I was a |
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50 hotelsmag . com May / June 2024 |