LOS ANGELES — The hotel industry moves forward by two ways: following along a set path and by adapting to a disruption that throws the plan out the window.
During the “ForWard @ALIS: Breaking Boundaries” session at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, leaders in the hospitality space spoke about their perspectives on disruption and what role it plays within the traditional way of doing things.
“Disruption, to me, is really about demanding a solution that actually works, and so once we identify that something is not working, disruption becomes a requirement,” said Ashli Johnson, founder of Hospitality Hued, an organization aimed at supporting Black and Brown hoteliers.
In the context of the hotel industry, disruption is the impetus for change and doing things differently, said Rachel Humphrey, founder of the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance. When people come up with new ideas and are successful, that makes everyone evolve and get better. If they aren’t successful, that still makes everyone evaluate what they’re doing to see if they need to make a change.
Right now, there is an opportunity for underrepresented voices, particularly those of minorities and women, to be heard, said Jagruti Panwala, president and CEO of Wealth Protection Strategies. Having those perspectives helps set the stage for those who will eventually work in the industry.
“I think disruption is important because we increase opportunity, not just for us but for future generations,” she said.
Thomas Penny III, president of Donohoe Hospitality, said disruption for him came in the form of his daughter. When he tried to get her interested in a hospitality career, she researched a company and told him she wouldn’t want to work there. When he asked why, she said the company’s executive leadership page didn’t show any women.
“She said, ‘How can I spend 20 or 30 years with a company when I don't see any folks that share my gender represented within the executive leadership?’” Penny said.
This time, the disruption is about representation, allowing people to see themselves in the people at the highest levels of an organization, he said.
Penny said he has respect for legacies and traditions in the hotel industry, but when changes need to be made, he leans into them. When Penny works with younger and underrepresented hoteliers, he’s honest with them about what is required to be successful and to commit to what’s necessary.
Making changes and having more representation in the hotel industry isn’t an “either/or proposition,” he said. Rather, it’s an “and proposition.”
“Our industry is big enough for everybody, and we just need to add seats to the table,” he said. “No need to take seats away. We need to add seats to the table.”
Two things can be true at the same time, Johnson said. Hoteliers can hold traditions, history and contributions of the past in high regard. They can learn a lot from what has been built and has stood the test of time.
“I think it’s also not far-fetched to be able to acknowledge when that is no longer serving the greater good in our industry,” she said.
It’s also important for hoteliers to be welcoming to people coming to the hotel industry from other fields, Johnson said. They add a lot of value to the industry by offering a different perspective. She pointed to Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts hiring Keisha Smith, who has a non-hotel industry background, as its new chief people and culture officer.
“I think her different perspective is really going to be a value, not only to Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts but a value to us here in the industry, and sort of challenging the way in which we've approached things by frankly getting people comfortable with doing something a little different,” she said.
ForWard is an American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation initiative designed to “celebrate and elevate women in hospitality.”