LAS VEGAS—At the Best Western Women in Leadership Forum, Dorothy Dowling, SVP and chief marketing officer at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, interviewed outgoing President and CEO David Kong about his career with the company and his own efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion.
As one of the only people of color to lead a major American-based hotel company, Kong said he knows “firsthand” what inequality feels like. “I've made it my life's goal to help women and minority groups,” he said. To that end, he plays “an active role” in the American Hotel & Lodging Association and AH&LA Foundation's work in DEI and regularly talks with other CEOs about the challenges companies face in improving diversity. “A lot of times, helping people solve a problem is helping them become aware of what the problem is,” he said. “That's the very first step.”
Unconscious bias can make this especially challenging, he acknowledged, and people may not want to learn about inequality. “That kind of conversation is extremely difficult to have,” Kong said. “You might even be resentful of the conversation.” That resentment will make future conversations challenging and hinder progress. “It’s extremely difficult because if a person is not receptive to this kind of conversation, it would be counterproductive to have it.”
Fortunately, Kong noted that many major hospitality CEOs are aware of the challenges and have implemented diversity departments in their companies. “They seem receptive to it,” he said.
The next step is preparing women and members of minority groups to take on leadership positions, he said. “It’s not like we don't have opportunities, it's not like we don't want to offer them to all these groups—it’s that they are not ready.” This has led to missed opportunities for increased equity and diversity, he said, noting that a white man was recently hired for a position at Best Western because none of the women or people of color who applied were qualified to do the job. A good foundation is necessary for a good career, he added, and training in multiple skillsets can prepare a worker for a wider range of roles in the industry.