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Women have played a vital, albeit often overlooked, role in the hospitality industry since its early days. Initially, they were primarily employed in roles like innkeepers, serving food and making beds. Throughout history, they have gradually expanded their roles, working in various aspects of the industry, including management and leadership. While women still face some challenges in reaching top leadership positions, known as C-suite levels, their contributions have been significant in shaping the industry.
Two female leaders in the industry recently offered their opinions concerning the outlook for women in hospitality:
Having previously served as president & CEO of the AHLA Foundation and executive vice president of communications and public relations of AHLA, Maietta brings a deep knowledge of AHLA’s mission, operations, financials, and people, and has solid relationships with AHLA’s key stakeholder groups, including members of the AHLA board and Foundation board of trustees.
Here’s what I love about our industry — and what makes it so different from so many others — you don’t necessarily need a formal four-year degree to build an incredible career. What you DO need is training, and you need to be intentional about it.
Hospitality is exactly what it sounds like — it’s about people and service. Those skills can be learned, and some of the best leaders I know started in entry-level positions and worked their way up.
Whether or not you have a hospitality degree, you need to be deliberate about your development and advocate for yourself. Seek out mentorship. Take advantage of training programs — whether that’s through your company, industry associations like AHLA, or programs like what we offer through the AHLA Foundation. The ForWard initiative, for example, is an incredible platform for networking, leadership development, mentorship, and supporting the growth of women leaders in our industry.
If you work hard and are passionate about service, there’s a path for you. And our job is to make sure women see those paths and feel supported in pursuing them.
Hospitality is an industry of people and service. Fundamentally, it’s about human connection and taking care of people. When we create environments where our teams feel valued and empowered, that’s when we deliver truly exceptional experiences for our guests. And while people skills are the most critical component of the job, there’s much more too it.
You need to be a problem solver. Great hospitality professionals don’t just fix problems; they anticipate them and create systems to prevent them.
Business acumen is critical, especially as you move into leadership roles. You need to understand revenue, labor costs, and think strategically about market positioning and operational efficiency.
Our industry is being transformed by technology — you need to be increasingly tech-savvy. From AI-powered customer service advancements to sophisticated property management systems, you need to understand how technology can enhance the guest experience and improve operations.
It’s one of the coolest and most innovative industries you can join, with hundreds of career pathways. It’s not just a job, it’s a lifelong career and AHLA and the AHLA Foundation are here to help assist people in that journey.
With more than 25 years of experience in the hotel industry, Cooper focuses on Atrium Hospitality’s core values and company culture as she partners with the company’s leadership team to drive talent strategies that support the successful execution of organizational objectives. She joined Atrium Hospitality in April 2022 as Senior Vice President, Human Resources. She advanced to Chief Human Resources Officer in December of that year. Cooper promotes a culture of leadership excellence that attracts and develops best-in-class talent, therefore facilitating both individual as well as organizational growth.
With the kickoff of Atrium Hospitality’s WomenRISE Program in 2024, our company focused on the development of women General Managers by providing mentorship, resources and growth opportunities to support them in successfully navigating their career journeys.
Consensus among WomenRISE class participants, instructors and mentors is that the investment in time and resources for the nine-month program was well worth it. Feedback from program graduates revealed improved preparedness and self-confidence for taking the next steps to achieve their career goals.
While leadership training programs, mentorship and advocacy are becoming more popular with hospitality companies for leveling the playing field for women, potential candidates’ growth mindset is also a factor that can influence their advancement to management and the C-suite level. Mentors and advocates can encourage hospitality professionals to go for next-level opportunities, but candidates must decide for themselves when to take the leap to broaden their presence and responsibilities within an organization.
When it comes to education in the hospitality industry, women are winning in this space. In fact, women make up about 70% of hospitality graduates today. Additionally, most hospitality managers overall are women.
The majority of hospitality C-suite level leaders started in hourly roles in the industry, and most worked in several different departments or functions of the business throughout their careers. While today’s emerging leaders will likely not have to travel the same career paths as those who went before them, there are still core lessons they can take away from those examples.
Emerging leaders need to find a hotel department or role that they’re passionate about, where they can build their skills and really shine; learn from their colleagues; seek guidance from knowledgeable mentors; and when presented with an opportunity to broaden their exposure to other areas of hotel operations, take it. In any business, performance and results are table stakes, but what will differentiate emerging leaders is intentionally cultivating their own leadership styles that demonstrate a willingness to be a lifelong learner, the desire to connect with people authentically, and the ability to inspire others to action.
Throughout my 25-year hospitality career journey, I’ve had many mentors that helped me along the way and great bosses that supported my growth by challenging me and giving me the autonomy to make decisions. I’m grateful for their support, which bolstered my own confidence to make personal choices to go for next-level opportunities, including the C-suite level.
