LAS VEGAS—Just ahead of its 2021 North American Convention, Best Western Hotels & Resorts hosted its fourth annual Women in Leadership Forum, bringing in-person and virtual speakers together for a hybrid event at the MGM Grand resort to recognize the accomplishments of women in hospitality and find spaces for further growth.
Returning in-person after taking place online last year, this year’s event, sponsored by AAA, was a full day of presentations about the role of women in the overall workforce, with several sessions examining both overarching issues and personal solutions.
Women in the Workforce
Dorothy Dowling, SVP and chief marketing officer at Best Western Hotels & Resorts and founder of the forum, kicked off the event with some statistics from the most recent McKinsey and Lean In annual study on women in the workplace. Despite important gains, the report found, women are still underrepresented in the workforce, and burnout for women is on the rise at a much higher rate than men.
Worse yet, the so-called “broken rung” on the proverbial ladder—or the lack of promotions beyond entry-level work—prevents women from advancing into leadership positions. “For every 100 men that are promoted to that first level of management, only 86 women are promoted,” Dowling said. Companies frequently ignore the work women are doing, which furthers the issue of burnout. “This work is being delegated as ‘office housework,’—that is the word they used in their study—so it's not valued, it's not appreciated, which also sends a negative signal.”
Still, Dowling found some positive news in the study. Women managers are doing more to support their teams, she said, and women in senior leadership positions are twice as engaged with diversity, equity and inclusion leadership initiatives. “Women in general are much more focused on their team's well-being, making sure they're checking in and working to help them,” she said. Women are also doing more work as allies, representing other women in the room to improve visibility.
Onlys and Double Onlys
Dowling, like many professional women, has frequently been the only female at the table, and is aware of the challenges “onlys” can face as they blaze trails. “You're much more heavily scrutinized because you're carrying the weight of others on your shoulders,” she said.
The “double onlys”—women of color—face even more pressure when they are both the only females and the only non-white people in a leadership position. “They're more likely to encounter minor levels of aggression because there is this resentment that women are getting a little more attention,” Dowling said. “And this can be very intimidating for women of color, and for women in general, and this is why we're seeing women in record numbers leaving the workforce. It's a serious problem.”
Member Spotlight
Later in the day, three Best Western members discussed how they had survived the downturn of the last year and a half, and what lessons they have learned.
Vicki Massad, EVP at American Liberty Hospitality and a District V member, said she has been focused on her existing staff, helping them with whatever challenges they are facing so that they can do their jobs to the best of their abilities. “And it has served us well,” she said. In order to keep up with competing businesses that are also seeking workers, she said her hotels keep a current wage scale survey. “If you're going to get the people, you've got to pay at that rate,” she said. At the same time, she acknowledged that while she operates a range of brands, she cannot afford to raise her rates in all markets, which could mean working with a smaller staff.
District II member Kami Johnson, GM at the Best Western Plus Butte Plaza Inn in Montana, said that reduced staff numbers have helped her team members pick up new skills and new responsibilities. “They really enjoyed the extra learning opportunities all the way around,” she said. Some of her hotels in smaller communities were able to assist healthcare workers and other essential service providers when those workers didn't want to go home after COVID exposures. Hotels with restaurants attached helped feed workers at nearby hospitals.
SDP Hospitality Director Mina Dahya, a District VI member and governor, invested in technology to keep her team members communicating, even when she had to be remote. “I had deep conversations, one-on-one or in groups, and it was training, training, training on handling the challenges,” she recalled. She also began teaching yoga last year to help feel more grounded and to share that with others.