Working longer hours, volunteering for less glamorous projects and relocating cities have helped many women in hospitality rise through the ranks, but in some cases, there needs to be more support from companies, such as developing true succession planning and prioritizing promotions within the organization, female hospitality leaders say.

Some women may not apply or seek to be elected in some higher ranked positions due to a lack of confidence, too, said V Villas Phuket Resort Manager Pannaphat Lapa in part three of a Hotel News Now series on women in hospitality.

Part three of this series dives into how female leaders earned success by having the willingness to take on challenging and less desirable roles, while also prioritizing their personal lives. Read part one and part two here.

Inspired by her friend who worked at a notable hotel in Phuket, Thailand, Lapa decided to pursue a similar path and landed her first hospitality job at the Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket. Since then, the industry has opened many doors for Lapa. She describes the industry as "fast-growing, diverse and with many opportunities to grow."

She did all she could to progress through her dream job by volunteering to take on extra tasks, staying longer hours, being open to feedback and constantly learning new tasks.

"Everybody has a different path, but for me, because I loved what I did so much, I was willing to give my 100% and more," she added.

The responsibility Lapa holds for being a champion for other women on her team is one she treats with high importance, and she said the business will only thrive when guests and staff are both taken care of.

"It's not only always about making big gestures, but in daily acts of advocating for our female co-workers, like giving them the floor to speak during meetings, supporting their ideas and helping them bring those ideas to fruition," she said.

Lapa said it doesn't always have to be a formal top-down initiative. For her property, it's more about having a strong culture of organic mentorship and support, where everyone feels comfortable sharing and talking about their opinions and challenges without an official channel.

Industrywide, she's noticed fewer women actually apply or attempt to work toward being in certain executive positions.

"One of the reasons why women may not apply or seek to be elected in these types of positions is self-confidence. We have to properly address this and encourage women to pursue leadership roles. First and foremost, the industry needs to listen to women and what they need support in," she said.

Secondly, Lapa feels organizations must encourage women and provide them with room to grow. Mentoring programs, for example, have helped her learn from experienced leaders and build confidence. No matter how far one goes up in their career, a mentor is always needed. Lapa said she has two mentors — one within her organization and one outside of it.

Lapa's advice to women in the industry is to "control what you can control" and not view gender, nationality or age as an obstacle.

"You may not be able to change others, but what do you have control over? How can you structure your interaction?" she said. "You are a reflection of your own thoughts. However, if it becomes serious, I would suggest speaking up to someone who can provide the support and help to identify the issue."

Andrews embarked on her first hospitality job at a hotel in Manhattan where she worked the front desk. She describes her earlier years in the industry as a transformative period in which she embraced the willingness to step in and help out where needed, relocate cities and take on gigs that weren't deemed as "popular."

"I do think that part of my early career is very much related to my willingness to take on challenging and less desirable roles. And I think that's part of paying your dues in the hotel business, and that piece of it can be very challenging if you do already have a family. I was fortunate in that I was mobile, I was single, I was young and able to move and work overnight shifts. That's still a challenge to women in all industries," she said.

Eventually, she took a few years off after reaching higher roles and having children. After taking that time off, she had reservations that she wouldn't be able to "get back in the business at the same level of success" she had previously achieved.

"It's daunting to start a career in hospitality as a woman ... if I do well in this industry, will I be able to have a family? Will I be able to balance work and life?" she said.

Andrews credits her success of reentering the industry to the network of colleagues and friends she had built before taking time off. She said it's imperative to maintain those contacts.

A talking point that Andrews feels more company leaders need to stress is being transparent about other roles in peoples' lives, such as women often being the primary caregiver at home. Traditionally, women felt they needed to hide their personal life or the fact they might need to leave work early to attend a parent-teacher conference, for example.

"I find that to be very counterproductive," she said. "I don't want to apologize for that, and I don't want to hide that. I would like to think I allow the rest of my team [flexibility] as well."

Crescent Hotels and Resorts, which manages The Opus Westchester, has put many initiatives in place that focus on diversity, mentorship, courageous conversations and more, she said.

Andrews' overall advice for women in the industry is to get as much experience in various areas as possible, volunteer for projects that might not feel as glamorous and have confidence that it's possible to reach higher ranks.

Torres started her hospitality career with Hyatt Hotels Corp. in 2008, where she received many opportunities to move around to various properties and try different roles.

Torres feels she matches well with Hyatt, noting the company has embraced her from the very beginning.

While the industry has improved its gender diversity over the years, she said it still overall remains a challenge, most notably when it comes to women asking for promotions and raises.

"Has it affected me personally? I don't think so. I've really had a lot of great opportunities. And I think because of my character, I probably cut through a lot of the BS. Then again, at the same time, being Latina [it's not always easy]," she said.

Industrywide, Torres feels there should be more mentorship programs, and not just at the 100,000-foot level within the corporate headquarters but in each individual hotel because mentorship aids employee retention and growth.

As Torres leads her team, she said a high priority for her is providing a platform that lets team members feel comfortable enough to have a voice. She also makes a point of "sharing the stage" in group settings.

"Something I'm a huge proponent of is [asking team members], 'What do you think?' 'How can I support you in this vision?" she said. "Everybody brings something so unique to the table that only they can do."

One piece of advice that Torres passes along is to find someone who will always listen.

"If you're hitting too many roadblocks, certainly reconsider the organization that you work for. [And] I always say to document everything. If you've got something going on, having a document of notes and you being able to resort to that document goes a huge way, especially if the situation ends up in the court of law or you have to talk to HR," she said.

Dunlop first entered the hospitality industry when she attended a Swiss-affiliated hotel school in South Africa where she studied both management and operations. After graduating, her first internship took place in a kitchen.

"I quickly learned that this old school, male-dominated environment was not going to get me the leadership role I needed to be eligible for promotion to transfer or get the visa I needed," she said. "I ultimately ended up leaving the kitchen and started at front desk to be able to get a J-1 visa to get to the U.S."

Subsequently, Dunlop landed a role at the Drake Hotel, which had three females in leadership roles who all saw her potential. Dunlop proved her value through hard work, offering to work overtime and across departments, ultimately leading her to a director of revenue role.

"I'm indebted to the leadership at the Drake, the hotel where I 'grew up,' for shaping my career through many internal promotional opportunities," she said.

While Aparium doesn't have a formal employee support group for women, Dunlop said that her leadership team is 100% female. Additionally, its entire property-level sales and revenue-management leadership team is 90% female.

"Our teams are often incorporated in cross-discipline projects and focus groups, and [are] well-represented to ensure women always have a seat at the table," she said.

Dunlop often sees women staying stagnant in key "middle management" roles "as they are excellent at it and strong executors, however not given the opportunity to develop to the next level." The path to having more women in leadership can be achieved by placing immediate emphasis on developing true succession planning and prioritizing promotions from within.

Removing obstacles and being an advocate for her team, regardless of gender, title or position, ensures they can focus on fulfilling their roles and efforts to drive results, she said.

Dunlop also advises women to seek out a female mentor in the leadership role that they aspire to be in.

"Know your worth and self-advocate, have open discussions with your leader to understand what you need to work on to get to the next level, be vulnerable and receptive to feedback," she said. "While you may have to 'prove yourself' more than your male counterparts, stay focused and determined, hard work will drive results and in turn your success."

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