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THE WOMEN IN Hospitality Leadership Alliance, a group of 32 organizations advancing women in hospitality, recently launched an interactive speaker directory with more than 700 senior-level women experts. The directory allows conference organizers to filter speakers by career background, title, company type, location, and other criteria, creating a shortlist for various topics and stages, WHLA said in a statement. "Representation matters, and visibility is a key component of career advancement," said Rachel Vandenberg, chair of the alliance podium committee and founder of Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel (an alliance member). "Despite many women having significant expertise in the hospitality industry, there are still fewer women on stage." Also, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management's 2023 Women in Hospitality research report, funded by the AHLA Foundation, found that women held only 24 percent of podium spots at hotel investment conferences and 37 percent of main stage speaking spots, despite comprising 58 percent of the hospitality workforce.

THE CHARITY WING of American Hotel & Lodging Association, the AHLA Foundation, announced merger with the Castell Project to strengthen and accelerate the industry's commitment to elevate women in hospitality. Castell Project is a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of women to the highest levels within the hospitality industry. As part of the merger, both the entities will focus on facilitating leadership development for current and prospective women in the industry, according to AHLA. They also will strengthen the college talent pipeline through mentorships and exposure to career paths and engagement with the future workforce. The two merged organizations hope to help more women become speakers and leaders through AHLA's ForWard: Advancing Women in Hospitality and other industry events and expanding a speakers' bureau of hospitality leaders who are women, besides conducting ongoing research related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including women in hospitality leadership and diversity benchmarking.

AAHOA'S NEWEST PROJECT aimed at promoting women in hospitality is the "ElevateHER Women's Initiative to Highlight and Support Women Hoteliers and Leaders in the Industry." The initiative, launched Tuesday, will offer networking and educational opportunities for women hoteliers and hospitality industry professionals. As part of ElevateHER, AAHOA is hosting the Women Hoteliers ElevateHER Conference on Oct. 26 to 27 in Cincinnati. The conference will focus on bringing together AAHOA's community of women hoteliers for education, inspiration, and empowerment. "AAHOA has been proud to celebrate the important work women are doing at every level of hospitality, and this initiative further underscores our commitment to the women of AAHOA and elevating their contributions to the industry," said Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA's first full-time female president and CEO appointed in May. "While there's still much work to be done, AAHOA recognizes the significant strides women have made to be seen at industry events, heard in the boardroom, and valued in the workplace. ElevateHER celebrates these accomplishments and will further drive our association's work around elevating and supporting women in the industry."

DEI ADVISORS RECENTLY launched 'It's Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast', showcasing the professional journeys of hospitality leaders. The podcast features more than 200 interviews with executives, thought leaders, life coaches, professors and authors, offering insights on career development, leadership and personal well-being. Founded in June 2022 by David Kong, former CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, DEI Advisors is a non-profit that promotes equality for women and underrepresented groups. The principals-Kong, Lan Elliott, Rachel Humphrey, Dorothy Dowling, and Huilian Duan-have interviewed hundreds of hospitality leaders. DEI Advisors said the podcast was created in response to listener feedback valuing stories of career triumphs, setbacks and strategies. "This award-winning podcast reflects our belief that empowerment begins with authentic storytelling," the company said. "By sharing these experiences, we aim to inspire individuals to dream big, pursue bold ambitions, and build the confidence to thrive in their careers."

ATRIUM HOSPITALITY MARKED the graduation of the inaugural class of WomenRISE, its female hotel general manager development program, which ran from February to October this year. The program helps women advance their careers through mentorship, resources and growth opportunities. Meanwhile, the selection process is underway for the next group of future GMs, set for career development in 2025, Atrium said in a statement. "Atrium's first year to offer our innovative WomenRISE program has been highly successful," said Anneliesse Cooper, Atrium Hospitality's chief human resources officer. "WomenRISE participants, instructors and mentors overwhelmingly agree that the investment in time and resources is hastening the career paths of women in hospitality. Through virtual group classes, individual interviews and 360-degree assessments for identifying strengths and areas for development, Atrium's WomenRISE 2024 class participants received focused training and mentoring to confidently move forward in their hotel career journeys."

DAVID KONG, THE recently retired CEO of Best Western Hotel Group, has launched DEI Advisors, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and other minority groups to achieve their career aspirations. Specifically, it plans to close the diversity gap that still exists on the upper, leadership levels of the hospitality industry. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, DEI Advisors will conduct a series of interviews with industry leaders with the intent of sharing inspiration and guidance to help individuals navigate their careers. The interviews will teach how to overcome conscious and unconscious bias, seek advancement, face structural barriers successfully, establish networks, advocates and mentors and better integrate their work life and personal life. "I formed DEI Advisors as a non-profit organization to collect and share insights and learnings from industry leaders," said Kong, who is DEI Advisors principal and founder. "While many companies are doing wonderful work in the areas of DEI, individuals must also be responsible, and feel empowered, for their own personal growth and career aspirations. Essentially, we're aiming to prepare future leaders in the industry for the driver seat of their own journey, where they get to truly help create and advocate for their own destiny."

SHEILA JOHNSON, FOUNDER and CEO of Salamander Collection, will receive the 2024 Peggy Berg Castell Award at The Lodging Conference 2024 in Phoenix on Oct. 8. The award, presented by the AHLA Foundation's ForWard initiative, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing women in hospitality. Johnson, who has developed properties in the U.S. and Jamaica, is active in professional sports, the arts and humanitarian causes. Johnson's Salamander Collection is the largest Black-owned luxury hotel company in the U.S. and ranks among the largest minority- and women-owned businesses in Washington, AHLA Foundation said in a statement. "It is hard to imagine an industry leader who embodies the principles of the Peggy Berg Castell Award more than Sheila Johnson," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation's president. "She has been an inspiration in so many areas throughout her career and continues to set standards for excellence in the hotel industry." The foundation said an independent group of industry leaders and stakeholders selected Johnson as the fifth recipient of the annual award. Recipients are principled leaders who champion inclusion in the hotel industry, creating new paths for women to advance. Julienne Smith, chief development officer for the Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts, received the 2023 Peggy Berg Castell Award.

IN MARCH, THE U.S. celebrated the achievements and history of women as part of Women's History Month. In recognition of the month, some hotel companies introduced or continued programs aimed at increasing women's role in the industry. In line with the Women's History Month theme this year "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories," Choice Hotels International kicked off its "HERtels at Choice Development Seminar" with nearly 40 franchise owners, general managers, and hotel associates in attendance. At the same time, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' "Women Own the Room" initiative has signed over 30 hotels across the U.S. and Canada in the first year of its launch. Also, California hotelier and philanthropist Sunil "Sunny" Tolani issued a special message for the month. HERtels by Choice Choice Hotels took the recently held Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta as a launch pad for its inaugural HERtels seminar. The event was held next door to the Marriott Marquis Atlanta, Hunter's venue, and is an enhancement of Choice's HERtels program that was launched in 2021. "While industry-wide parity is improving, with more female investors, directors, and leaders in hospitality than ever before, women entrepreneurs still face significant economic and societal barriers when it comes to hotel ownership and development. As an industry, we owe it to the next generation of hoteliers to change this statistic," said John Lancaster, vice president for emerging markets, franchise development and owner relationships, Choice Hotels International. "This initiative and the invaluable resources it provides is a natural extension of our industry-leading emerging markets program and our enduring commitment to helping growth-minded entrepreneurs further their unique ownership journey."

HOSPITALITY INVESTMENT EXECUTIVE Leslie Hale has won the third annual Castell Award instituted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation, a statement said. The award honors a female trailblazer in the hospitality investment arena who paves the way for more women to rise to the top. The award will be presented at the Lodging Conference on Sept. 20. Hale is the president and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust and vice chair of the AHLA board of directors, the statement said. She also serves on the board of directors of Macy's, Inc. and Delta Airlines Inc. The female leader is a Howard University Trustee and is a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Baltimore Branch. "Leslie is the ideal candidate for this important award," said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO, AHLA Foundation. "Over the years, her dedication to advancing the hospitality industry sets the gold standard for leadership, she has inspired men and women in our industry, and we are thrilled to honor her leadership."

ONLY ONE IN five hotel professionals believe the current tech stack is sufficient for achieving efficiencies, cost savings and adequate guest care, according to a recent survey by the Hospitality Women's Innovation Council. Approximately 91 percent of survey respondents indicated that better collaboration among technology companies on integrations is needed, while 86 percent felt improved integration processes would encourage greater investment in technology. HWIC, a group of hotel brand executives, managers, and innovators, conducted the survey between May 25 and June 15, HWIC said in a statement. More than 300 owners, managers, and technologists participated in the survey. The study was supported by Visual Matrix, a PMS software developer in Richardson, Texas. "Industry professionals have confirmed that more than any other factor, collaboration is the key to driving better business results for hoteliers-collaboration among technology providers and between the providers and the hoteliers they serve," said Georgine Muntz, HWIC co-chair and CEO of Visual Matrix. "When we created the council close to a year ago, we began with the assumption that women leaders in hospitality can help improve the ways industry professionals collaborate for common ends and encourage better standardized integrations. Now that assumption has been fully validated. We look forward to sharing the council's recommendations on better integration, collaboration and advancing innovation, in the weeks ahead."

WYNDHAM HOTELS AND RESORTS launched the new "Extra Mile" initiative to show support and gratitude towards flight attendants, ahead of the International Flight Attendant Day on May 31, a statement said. The hotel company is partnering with TV personality and former flight attendant Lauren Lane for the project. As part of the scheme, when flight attendants check-in at select hotels across the U.S., some will receive a $10 gift cards, in the form of reward points, to popular retailers like Starbucks and Amazon while others will receive a free weekend stay at the Wyndham hotel of their choice. "Our Wyndham team members consistently go the extra mile and the same is true of our travel counterparts in the sky, so many of whom are the first touch point on our guests' journey to us," said Jurgen Schafers, Wyndham brand leader and vice president of operations. "With thousands of attendants staying with Wyndham, often in between routes, this is our way of saying thank you and letting them know we appreciate all they do."