- Hertelier: Women face challenges despite luxury hotel growth.
- Career advancement relies more on personal resilience than structural support.
- 80 percent of women leaders say mindset, resilience drive success.
WOMEN LEADERS FACE systemic challenges even as luxury hospitality thrives globally, according to a hertelier report. Career advancement often relies on personal resilience rather than structural support, the report said.
The study, “Why Hospitality Leadership Needs a Reset,” conducted by hertelier with Forbes Travel Guide, found that 80 percent of senior women leaders cited mindset and resilience as key to their success, while 65 percent pointed to ambition and determination. Although strategic thinking and emotional intelligence are becoming more important, endurance-based leadership is still overemphasized.
When asked about barriers, 40 percent reported gendered leadership expectations, 34 percent cited limited flexibility and 30 percent noted bias in promotion and hiring. The survey included 99 senior women leaders from Forbes Travel Guide’s global partner hotels and was presented at The Summit in Monaco.
“Hospitality is a people-driven industry and leadership models have to evolve in sync with changing expectations,” said Amanda Frasier, Forbes Travel Guide’s president of standards and ratings.
The research highlights what Emily Goldfischer, founder and editor-in-chief of hertelier, called “structural friction” in leadership pipelines. These include rigid schedules, assumptions about leader availability and promotion systems favoring traditional operational paths. While many women have navigated these challenges, the study suggests relying on individual resilience is unsustainable.
Leaders also said future capabilities should focus on strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, and empathy rather than endurance.
A panel discussion after the presentation explored non-linear leadership pathways and the need to recognize varied career trajectories.
“You can be a general manager if you come through finance, revenue management, sales and marketing or human resources. It doesn’t have to be this very structured track,” said Silvia Nauta, ATELIER CX vice president.
Historically, hotels prioritized operational routes like rooms and F&B but recognizing commercial and strategic roles could broaden leadership pipelines. Marlene Poynder, managing director of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, stressed financial accountability, noting that leaders with financial ownership are better positioned for general management.
The panel also addressed flexibility and leadership sustainability, emphasizing leadership roles that integrate work with personal life. Poynder highlighted Rosewood’s policy of 16 weeks paid maternity or paternity leave, calling it a “strategic investment in leadership sustainability.”
Panelists said hospitality companies must embed flexibility into leadership structures rather than treating it as an exception. Mentorship and transparency emerged as essential themes. Clear promotion criteria were identified as a step to reduce bias and support merit-based advancement.
Poynder also encouraged leaders to move beyond “vanilla conversations” and provide direct coaching early in careers, citing leadership courses that helped her focus on solving problems instead of internalizing tension.
Looking ahead, the panel explored generational change.
“We have a problem with Gen Z getting top jobs if we don’t relax,” said Franck Sibille, Hyatt Hotels Corp.’s vice president.
He said slower, intentional career paths and using technology to support human service were suggested to promote leadership progression and engage younger professionals.
The study underscores that the next phase of leadership diversity in hospitality must shift from individual resilience to designed systems. Flexible career paths, transparent promotion processes, mentorship and policies that balance work and personal life will be key to developing future leaders.
AAHOA’s Fourth Annual HerOwnership Conference, held Sept. 11–12 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, included a proclamation from Mayor Alan Perry declaring the dates as “AAHOA HerOwnership Days.”
