While women in the hospitality industry lag men in hotel company leadership roles, they don’t let the biases stop them.
Here is how five women across the industry have paved the way for themselves and are building a culture that supports their peers and younger generations looking to enter the business.
Crystal Beasley, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Davidson Hospitality
Davidson Hospitality Chief Administration Officer and General Counsel Crystal Beasley once worked at a law firm for which Davidson was a client.
Since her third day, she worked with Davidson as an outside attorney in a department that focused on multifamily and hospitality, the latter of which drew her in.
After about four years, Davidson Chairman and then-CEO John Belden asked Beasley if she'd like to work in-house at the third-party management company.
Given her knowledge she acquired on the job, she said she immediately fit when transitioning to becoming an employee at Davidson. She started as a junior level attorney and eventually moved into general counsel, risk management and human resources. She's now been with the company for 15 years.
Beasley currently leads teams that are almost all women, with five women and one man each in human resources as well as in the legal and risk department.
"The most challenging piece is going from managing yourself to managing other people and understanding how everyone needs different levels of support," she said.
She credits her ability to be involved in several different departments to the culture that Belden, CEO Thom Geshay and Chief Investment Officer Steve Margol have built at Davidson.
"When I see a gap somewhere, they're like, 'Hey, go for it. Figure it out and how we can make it better.' That has [allowed] me to grow into a C-suite level person," she added.
Beasley also credits the strong set of female friends who encourage each other along the way. They mentor each other on how to elevate their careers in male-dominated industries.
To help bring that same style of mentorship in-house at Davidson, Beasley in 2019 was among a team who formed WILD — Women in Leadership at Davidson. That idea came from attending an American Hotel & Lodging Association conference called ForWard, meant for women in hospitality.
"I attended that in 2019 and came back and said, 'We've got to start something at Davidson,'" she said. "A lot of what you hear in the world is women have lots of competence but not a lot of confidence. The theme behind WILD was how do we build that confidence in the workplace [and] personal space."
WILD meets monthly and is open to every woman in the corporate. During these meetings, women can take part in social and educational sessions, such as Excel training, public speaking practice or going over the basics of what a revenue manager does to help them understand where their role fits into the bigger picture.
Often employees can become pigeonholed into only understanding their piece of the world. Beasley said showing a clear career path for women is something the broader industry has failed at in the past.
"We've just assumed they're happy being a catering manager or they're happy as an assistant general manager. Understanding what the person really wants and building that plan for them to get there is the focus," she said, noting it also requires corporate leaders to take a chance on employees who might not have every skill set needed on paper.
Beasley said her advice for women is to feel confident.
"You have the skills. Make sure people know that you have those skills. Feel confident in letting your voice be heard and find a way to get a seat at the table," she said.
Michele Smith, Senior Vice President, Accounting and Analytics, Davidson Hospitality
While Michele Smith had originally planned to be an engineer, her education and career path took a different direction: hospitality.
After completing college, Smith landed a job with a large hotel company in its manager and development program, where she explored operations, accounting, and food and beverage.
Today, Smith is the senior vice president of accounting and analytics at Davidson Hospitality. She's been with the company for almost eight years.
Smith has played a pivotal role in transforming and realigning the company's accounting structure.
While more men are typically in accounting roles than women, she said at Davidson, she's never felt as if she was being looked over or was an outsider.
Accounting and finance departments often don't interact with other departments, she said. As a result, she encourages women in those roles to be engaged and have more discussions with their peers.
Of the women that Smith works with, she's seen many grow their voices. She has 12 women who directly report to her.
"Accounting people are stereotypically quiet, reserved people. Sometimes some of these individuals come in quiet, and I've seen them blossom and be more confident," she said.
The advice that Smith gives to everyone, not just women, is to be confident, not cocky.
"Know your job and don't be afraid to ask questions. Also, don't take yourself too serious; you have to be able to laugh at yourself," she said.
Audrey Oswell, Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, President and Managing Director, Atlantis Paradise Island
Audrey Oswell, who assumed the role of president and managing director of the Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas in 2017 after serving as the resort's chief operating officer and chief gaming officer from 2011-13, said she entered the hospitality industry — working at Caesars — at a time when few women were in senior management. She was, however, lucky to have supervisors who advocated for her growth.
Oswell is the first woman to serve as president and managing director at Atlantis.
"I'm fortunate to have started my career where I did and with people who were respectable, looked out for me and many of whom I am still in touch with decades later," she said.
There isn't any leadership position that doesn't include multiple challenges on a day-to-to basis, she said in an email interview.
"While these obstacles can certainly be complicated by gender, race religion or life choices, I have never allowed those factors to get in the way of what I was trying to accomplish," she said.
There were times in her career when there was inequity in compensation or she had concerns about people knowing her religion. As a result, she remained focused on goals instead of allowing others' intolerance deter her.
"I believe that females in leadership positions face greater challenges personally as they are often judged as choosing career over family, which is unfair," she added. "The fact that I don't have children leads many to jump to the conclusion that I chose career over family, which couldn't be further from the truth. It's unfortunate that women are frequently judged more harshly than their male counterparts.
"Add race or sexual orientation to the mix and imagine what people are confronted with. It is unfortunate, but at the end of the day, it makes one stronger and hopefully more considerate of others."
Oswell said her entire management team knows equality starts at the top, and it isn't something they compromise on.
"We know that having cultural, gender and age diversity on the Atlantis team results in a mix of backgrounds and experiences that make an organization successful," she said. "We value the ideas and opinions of every single team member, and there have been countless occasions when front-line team members have presented unique ways to improve guest experiences."
Christa Polinsky, Corporate Director of Sales, Multi-Unit, Indigo Road Hospitality Group
Christa Polinsky, corporate director of sales, multi-unit, for Indigo Road Hospitality Group, began her hospitality career in 1990 through an unplanned internship at a Marriott hotel in Hilton Head, South Carolina. When that internship ended, she continued working at the property for the next three years.
She credits the internship, which moved her from department to department to learn the importance of teamwork, as some of the best training she's ever received. Since her time in Hilton Head, she has held various hotel industry roles in other cities and properties before taking on her director role at Indigo Road, via a longstanding business relationship with Larry Spelts and Steve Palmer.
Though she had success in carving her career path, it wasn't always easy.
"There were many challenges along the way. The industry in the late '90s and early 2000s were dominated by men. Most of the time, I was typically one of the only female managers at the table and the youngest a lot of times. It took many years for those around me to listen to what I had to say or to take me seriously," she said in an email interview.
"Besides my wonderful family, Steve Palmer has been one of my biggest supporters during my professional career. He has believed in me even when I have not believed in myself. We may not always see eye to eye, but he has always given me the chance to carve my own way while gently guiding me along."
Generally speaking, Polinsky said companies should invest more in training and leadership programs for their up-and-coming female leaders.
"From working with your local clubs and finding conferences like FAB [a two-day educational and inspirational workshop for women in the hospitality industry] to empower your staff to attend gives those who would not normally be exposed to these engaging personalities a chance to see women lifting other women up," she added. "This type of camaraderie fuels me and fills my soul when I see any group of women leaning on each other."
Today, her immediate team at Indigo Road is all women, and the third-party management company has a strong presence of women in leadership roles.
"I think it speaks for itself that Indigo Road champions those who are qualified and not by gender," she said. "I love that I can be a role model for those other women in our company. My responsibility to them and other women in our industry is to always be available."
Polinsky's advice to other women in the industry is to know their worth.
"Don't be afraid to lend your voice to the discussion. You will be heard, and if you are not being heard, it is not the right place for you."
Ginny Morrison, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Spire Hospitality
Ginny Morrison's love of cooking started her career in hospitality during college and holding various line cook roles. Now she is vice president of sales and marketing at third-party hotel management company Spire Hospitality.
Morrison has been with Spire for two decades.
"My career path was driven by curiosity and always wanting more challenges," she said in an email interview. "I never waited for someone to give me an opportunity or promotion. From director of food and beverage to general manager to multi-property sales and marketing roles, I discussed my career path with my supervisors and was willing to be transferred to many different locations and take on more responsibility."
When Morrison first started in the hospitality industry, there were few women in leadership roles, but that has changed, she said.
"Our industry has focused on diversity and inclusion for many years, but it is more critical than ever in this competitive environment," she said. "There are more development programs and mentoring opportunities focused on women than ever before. Women have more opportunities than in any other time."
Morrison's immediate team includes five women and three men, she said, adding she feels a responsibility to mentor each one of them as well as younger generations. Along with mentoring her team, she's mentored through industry associations, colleges and high schools.
Her advice to other women in the industry is to speak up and ask questions about how to advance their career.
"There are so many opportunities in our industry today for hardworking, talented people," she said.