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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.

IT'S BEEN A tough year for women in the hospitality industry, but progress has been made as more female executives took leadership roles, according to an annual report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit focused on promoting women in the industry. The next challenge, according to the project, is getting more women in hospitality education programs. Castell Project founder and chairwoman Peggy Berg released the 2022 Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership report during the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles earlier this week. During the conference, Berg received the ISHC Pioneer Award for her work in the industry, and she told a story during her acceptance speech that encapsulates where women are coming from in the industry. When she was in college, Berg said, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act lifted the restrictions on women working. So, she walked into a large firm looking for a job. "The partner in charge of the office, Jerry, he took one look at me and said 'Well, this will never work.' And then because of the EEOA, he said, 'I will give you a job if you promise not to get pregnant for two years,'" Berg said. "Jerry thought this was impossible. I thought Jerry didn't understand the law. Mostly I thought, if that's the barrier to success, the best vertical I have to cross, I can run this company. And a few years later, 140 men found themselves with a female partner."

THE AHLA FOUNDATION, is re-launching its ForWard program, created to advance women in leadership and ownership within the hotel industry, and plans to integrate the program with the recently acquired Castell Project, an organization focused on promoting women in hospitality leadership. Also, the foundation presented the 2023 Peggy Berg Castell Award to Julienne Smith, IHG Hotels & Resorts' chief development officer for the Americas. The integration of ForWard and the Castell Project will result in a unified platform offering resources, events, professional development, and community-building opportunities, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement. "There is tremendous opportunity for us to do more to celebrate, champion, and create community for women," said Anna Blue, president of AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. "AHLA Foundation is uniquely positioned to collaborate across industry and invest in the women who are advancing hospitality."