A lawyer, a revenue manager and a business executive juggle today’s full range of hospitality operations, but what unites these three women is their passion for hospitality and their shared belief that the industry was meant to be their home.

Japan Hotel REIT Investment Corp.'s Ayako Sasaki, Kerten Hospitality's Marloes Knippenberg and Accor's Rhonda Hare spoke to Hotel News Now about how they became part of the hotel industry, the daily innovation they exercise that keeps them energized — despite the COVID-19 pandemic's dramatic effect on hospitality — and the roots and communities they have helped create.

Sasaki said what spurs her is working in liaison with hotel staff, even if her role in asset management is owner-related, specialized and not guest-facing.

“I feel satisfied with what I do as a hotel asset manager, but especially I feel that way when I work closely with our hotel staff. In the most memorable project, I had my desk at the hotel next to the general manager and drove many projects with hotel staff,” she said.

Sasaki said such an approach not only helps the success of a hotel but makes everyone involved own that success.

“With going through challenges and making achievements, we got to know and trust each other," she said. "That made a good loop, and luckily the hotel performance improved quickly. What we did was to create a good team … and I think that is the best and shortest way to success, and what is more I really enjoyed it."

Sasaki said her career is defined by her curiosity and willingness to learn and act.

“We should always try to broaden our knowledge about not only management and our industry itself, but also things outside our world such as innovations in other industries," she said. "I believe we can get a hint from them to make our businesses better, and we should not forget to implement them to our business if it’s applicable."

Even during the pandemic, she's still looking for what she can learn from other industries.

“I think there are many [such examples], so be more flexible,” she said.

Knippenberg is the driver of a Dublin-based business that has global and industry reach across such products as hotels, branded residences, serviced apartments, collaborative hubs, serviced offices, co-working spaces and F&B concepts.

“And any other hospitality spinoff,” she said.
Her company's Cloud 7 hotel brand debuted in the Middle East during the pandemic, with the Ayla Aqaba, Jordan, asset opening three days ahead of schedule. This project is indicative of what has always sparked her interest in the industry, she said.

“I realized the incredible passion and dedication of our team was never-ending, and everyone did their utmost best on the ground multitasking. All of us becoming one team with the owners,” she said.

The brand has five additional openings in 2021.

Difficult times reveal the best in people, Knippenberg said.

“For a long time, we have been talking about the true sense of lifestyle, building ecosystems, building locations with a meaning, localizing, multi-tasking and owner relationships, which of course are only possible when they are two-way, but I would say, looking back to last year, this was one of the most learning-filled, tough, interesting, rewarding and incredible experiences,” she said.

She said the last 14 or so months have shown her more about the importance of sustainable success, that it derives from collaborating with visionary owners, having the most dedicated team on the ground, applying innovation every step of the way and approaching every project component with resilience.

Hare said she realized the industry and her career would be inextricably linked more than 20 years ago when she helped in the redevelopment of the Westin Sydney, using her tangible skills leading to the opening of a building with a story and legacy.

“I started to understand the difference between being a lawyer and being a trusted adviser. … The scope of work was tied to various operational matters that had to be put in place to ready the hotel for opening, so the lawyers and the business were working closely together," Hare said. "There is always great pride in seeing how the work we do behind the scenes as lawyers helps bring a project to fruition and seeing how the different business units come together.”

Since that hotel opened, Hare has been part of numerous hotel projects, all of which have affected her career, including her first negotiations in China.

“[That] gave me early exposure to the rich cultures of Asia, opportunities for travel and amazing experiences that working in the hospitality industry bring,” she said.

Her career has been marked by those she has worked with.

“The best advice I was given was to remember that this is a small industry and that there are lots of interconnecting relationships," Hare said. "What I have realized is that many people working in the industry care a great deal about the tourism sector and the people in it. … We are so privileged to work in this industry, even when times are tough, so do what you can do to support someone else, because when you need it, it’s very likely that someone in the industry will be there for you."

One key message Hare learned is to be adventurous and open to new opportunities. That led her to work in Abu Dhabi and now in Singapore.

“As a lawyer, I am not always the ‘bravest’ person, but whenever I second-guess myself, I remember the advice and support I have been given and that encourages me to take the chance and explore new opportunities," she said. “I have developed a huge passion for travel and I have already been to more than 70 countries, with an ever-growing bucket-list of others to explore."

All three women are members of Women in Hotels Global, a project launched during the pandemic by Lissa Engle, managing director of hospitality investment firm Berkeley Capital.

Knippenberg said the initiative, referred to as WiH Global, is another example of what a few people can do to support other women in the industry.

She said the organization aims “to target best-in-class from top down through a mutual support system. This network has been growing organically and attracting like-minded women from the industry to support the younger generation.”

Knippenberg said she is on the jury of the Student Hospitality Challenge, which in cooperation with the Hotelschool The Hague in The Netherlands “gathers [students from] 20-plus top-tier hospitality schools from around the globe to compete in contributing to sustainability through innovation."

She said taking part in such organization helps both the next generation, but also herself, permitting teamwork across generations, mindsets and geographies to deliver positive results. Only in that way can the industry arrive at a smarter future in which talk turns into action.

“To the new generation, I always say own your space, be good in something, shine and really deliver. … All of this made me realize probably again why I am doing what I am doing,” she said.