Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Report: African Americans underrepresented in hospitality executive roles

A study by The Castell Project found black executives make up 1.5 percent of total

AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE underrepresented in the executive ranks of the U.S. hotel industry, according to a new report from the Castell Project, a not-for-profit that promotes women in the industry. The Project in the report urges hotel companies to consider addressing this imbalance as they hire back employees after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, “Black Representation in Hospitality Industry Leadership 2020” is based on a review of employee listings on websites for 630 hotel companies in the U.S. and Canada with a minimum of five hotels and/or 700 rooms. They reviewed information on more than 6,000 people and found the following points:


  • 84 percent of the company websites reviewed do not show any black executives and only 102, or 16 percent, showed a black employee at the director level or above.
  • Black executives represent 1.5 percent of hospitality industry executives at the director level or above on company websites, 12.5 times below their proportionate share of hospitality industry employment.
  • Korn Ferry reports that black people hold 5 percent of executive positions across all industries and four percent of executive positions at S&P 500 companies.

“While black women and men account for one in five hospitality jobs according to the U.S. Department of Labor, our research found there are a mere one in 65 hospitality industry executives at the director level or higher. This is the public face of the industry shown on corporate websites,” said Peggy Berg, Castell Project, Inc. chair. “The hospitality industry has long told the story that anyone can start at an entry level position and reach leadership through sweat and hard work. Unfortunately, the numbers do not show this to be true for black employees.”

Berg said she hopes the statistics in the new report will open more opportunity in the hospitality industry for black men and women.

“Diversity in leadership has not been a high priority for the hospitality industry,” Berg said. “With attention now, however, it can shape the future.  This means being mindful of the post-coronavirus racial makeup of organizations and implementing best practices modeled by leading companies that have successfully diversified leadership across the economy.”

The Castell Project also issues its “Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership” report annually. The latest of those found more women are entering leadership positions in the hotel industry than in previous years.

More for you

Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel Tech Advances; Outpaces Operational Readiness

Report: Tech outpaces readiness in hotels

  • A gap is growing between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in AI use.
  • Distribution teams are evolving with limited resources and uneven investment in talent and automation.
  • The report outlines how commercial teams in hospitality are managing transformation.

THERE IS A widening gap between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel staff still early in using AI effectively, according to “The State of Distribution 2025” report. Despite the availability of technology, training, systems and workflows remain in development.

The second edition of the industry benchmark report—published by NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub, in collaboration with RateGain Travel Technologies and HEDNA—noted that as traveler expectations rise, aligning people, processes and platforms is becoming a driver of performance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peachtree Group's Residence Inn by Marriott under construction in downtown San Antonio, topping out milestone reached, June 2025

Peachtree tops out San Antonio Residence Inn

Peachtree Hotel to Open in Summer 2026 with 117 Extended-Stay Rooms

PEACHTREE GROUP HELD a “topping out” for its Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio, Texas, marking completion of the structural phase of the 10-story, 117-room hotel. The property, co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group, is scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division, the company said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India plane crash 2025
Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP

Air India reducing flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA WILL reduce international service on widebody aircraft by 15 percent through at least mid-July, according to media reports. The decision comes less than a week after the June 12 crash of an Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 246 but left one survivor among the passengers.

The airline said the reduced service due to the safety inspection of aircraft and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted operations, resulting in 83 flight cancellations over the past six days, according to ABC News. Passengers can either reschedule their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund.

Keep ReadingShow less
hihotels executive team honored for long-term service and loyalty in hospitality

Hihotels recognizes eight company leaders

EIGHT LEADERS OF hihotels by Hospitality International, Inc. are being recognized by the company for their combined 121 years of service. The company was established in 1982 as an alternative to other, established brands.

The honorees include Paul Vakharia, hihotels’ senior director of franchise development for the Northeast Region who has been with the company for 25 years. Chhaya Patel, franchise development coordinator, also has been with the company for 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less