The HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières Chapter and EHL proudly present their 1st Industry Report
A landmark study which gathered data from our hospitality leaders worldwide is both, groundbreaking and eye-opening! And, most importantly, commitments to action are now expected from all of them!
“This is a groundbreaking and eye-opening piece of research made by the HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières Chapter. Every time managers are at a crossroads; they tend to decide from the gut, past experiences, or based on outdated policies. The times when this was a satisfactory form of decision making are gone. Here are ideas that will help leaders make informed decisions that can align their organisations with a higher purpose. A must-read for every (hospitality) Leader. This report inspires me to make my organisation a role model of inclusion and rethink how neo-luxury can make a difference in peoples lives.”
Philippe Clarinval, designated General Manager, Grand Hôtel Le Trois Rois, Basel, Switzerland
DRIVING FLEXIBLE WORKING STRUCTURES IN HOTELS
Industry network HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières and EHL release their first report on Flexibility and how it holds the key to Gender Diversity
In an industry where only 25.5% of executives are women, what can help accelerate gender equality and elevate more women into leadership roles in hospitality? This May, international industry collective, HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelières chapter and EHL release their first piece of academic research: Driving Flexible Working Structures in Hotels to examine the ways work and labour flexibility impact advancement, resilience and wellbeing.
Over 420 participants across 70 hotels contributed to this unique piece of research, which was compiled by Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim, EHL Hospitality Business School Professor and Co-Chair of LeadingHôtelières. Respondents per hotel included the General Manager, Head of HR and 3-5 employees – allowing the research to consider different perceptions based on role as well as gender, resulting in some fascinating findings.
This targeted study aimed to make informed conclusions to instigate practical change, covering themes including:
Work flexibility vs Labour flexibility – what are the challenges, consequences and organisational outcomes
Why flexibility is a (corporate) cultural issue
How flexibility leads to greater organisational resilience, innovation and job satisfaction
Can flexibility help solve the hospitality industry’s labour shortage crisis
Is flexibility just a ‘woman’s issue’
In addition to applying deep, academic rigour to the findings, LeadingHôtelières have made four key recommendations based on the study so that hotels can benefit in a practical way.
As Dr Kim concludes: “The pressure is on. Flexibility is here to stay, and organisations have the choice to embrace it or resist it. LeadingHôtelières encourages hotels to shift their mindset. Work flexibility will enable hotels to attract and retain talent, and enable women to pursue their careers and advance into leadership roles while having the choice to have a family too.”
Industry feedback on the report
“Our company was founded by my mother Beatrice Tollman almost 40 years ago, when she made a commitment to ensure women in our company would have equal opportunities to grow and progress as well as receive equal pay and feel safe and secure. Today we are proud that over 51% pf our teams are female with many holding senior roles within the company. As this is very close to our hearts, we were delighted to be a part of the study which highlights the need for and importance of an equal gender environment. “
Vicki Tollman, Director, Red Carnation Hotels
“The report is a scientific examination of work and labour flexibility in the hotel industry (the first of its kind, to my knowledge). I found it insightful that, contrary to common beliefs, flexibility is not solely a “women issue,” it is a standard expectation of the modern hospitality workforce, regardless of gender”
Ksenia Kirilova, Institut Paul Bocuse
“The global pandemic has reshuffled the cards on how individuals wish to spent their time at work; a clear shift is taking place towards greater self-determination where flexibility takes center stage. But what does it mean for the hospitality sector which is traditionally bound to schedules and shifts? An outstanding research conducted by EHL Hospitality Business School and the HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières on work and labor flexibility with clear practical recommendations for hospitality professionals”
Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand, International University, Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management
About Leading Hotelieres
Established in 2019 with the aim of increasing female leadership in the hospitality and travel sector, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, the HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières Chapter was founded by CEO and President of the luxury HoteliersGuild global community, Frank M Pfaller, with Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO at Preferred Hotel Group as Co-founder and Curator of the HoteliersGuild SIRIUS Awards. Considerate Group Founding Partner, Xenia zu Hohenlohe, led as Chairwoman for the inaugural year and the co-chair is Associate Professor of Management at the leading Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Dr Sowon Kim. International members include the second year Chairlady Brenda Collin, Exec. VP Europe, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Grand Hotel Tremezzo owner and CEO Valentina de Santis, leading sustainability architect Yasmine Mahmoudieh, Director of Red Carnation Hotels Vicki Tollman, Director of Spa at Four Seasons Hong Kong Dr Tania Bardhan, Dr. Renee Minnaar, Prof. Maribel Esparcia Perez, and Hospitality Consultancy WE(i) Think CEO, Celine Vadam.
For further information, please contact Aline Keuroghlian aline@masonrose.com
Endorsements and Calls for Action received from our global membership and supporters
LeadingHôtelières Co-founder and Hon. Ambassador
I am thrilled with the collaboration of EHL and the HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières chapter to publish the first joint report focusing on the impact of flexibility in the hospitality work place, best practices and how to it will benefit individual, organizations and future female hoteliers for years to come. Please take the time to read, enjoy this powerful report and I encourage our industry colleagues to implement its findings in their hotels.
Lindsey Ueberroth
Chief Executive Officer | Preferred Hotels & Resorts
HoteliersGuild’s Honorary Ambassador
The report is very interesting and reflects a crucial aspect of the hotel industry that the recent pandemic for Covid-19 has highlighted and accentuated.
Disparity is a cultural issue, thus our society should pay much more attention to it.
Hôtellerie is characterized by very different aspects where feminine attitudes such as attention to details, empathy, patience, collaboration make the different achieving the highest results.
Personally, I have always been committed to reserving an ample space for women. I want Starhotels to be the first Italian hotel company providing young women with the opportunity to express their potential accessing prominent roles with the same remuneration as male colleagues: indeed at the time being, we are developing our recently-launched program dedicated to female managers which entails a 3/5-years career path in different company branches for 10 women.
Equality should become the rule and not a permanent exception, which means that employees should be selected based on ability and talent rather than on gender.
As a consequence, leaders should act to close the gender wage gap.
Elisabetta Fabri
Dedicated HoteliersGuild member
This is a groundbreaking and eye-opening piece of research made by LeadingHotelières. Every time managers are at a crossroads; they tend to decide from the gut, past experiences, or based on outdated policies. The times when this was a satisfactory form of decision making are gone. Here are ideas that will help leaders make informed decisions that can align their organisations with a higher purpose.
A must-read for every (hospitality) Leader.
I think that the essence of the paper could be very useful to some of our colleagues. I also find it interesting to mention the diversity of thought. I have seen young women who have the same spirit as an old white male, and I've seen old white males who have the spirit of young people coming from ethnic minorities. Especially at boardroom and executive management levels, I think that diversity of thought must be looked at.
This report inspires me to make my organisation a role model of inclusion and rethink how neo-luxury can make a difference in peoples lives.
Yours sincerely,
Philippe Clarinval | Designated General Manager | Grand Hôtel Le Trois Rois, Basel
Esteemed Ambassadors & HoteliersGuild Hall of Famer
Our company, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection was founded by my mother Beatrice Tollman almost 40 years ago, but her career in hospitality began in the 1950s at a time when there were few women in business. At the age of 18 she was working with my father in South Africa and from the very start she was aware of the limited opportunities for women to progress in the hotel industry. As a woman in a predominantly a man’s world she would often feel disrespected and dismissed.
She made a commitment to ensure women in our company would have equal opportunities to grow and progress as well as receive equal pay and feel safe and secure. She made that happen and has always encouraged our female team members to be the best they can be.
Today we are proud that over 51% pf our teams are female with many holding senior roles within the company, and we consistently strive to provide the safest and most equal workplace possible. Our employee resource group includes a woman’s circle which offers support, guidance and assistance to ensure equal opportunities and treatment for the ladies of Red Carnation.
As this is very close to our hearts, we were delighted to be a part of the Leading Hôteliéres/EHL study, with many of our hotels participating. We are most grateful to Frank and his colleagues for their passion and dedication in highlighting the need for and importance of an equal gender environment.
My siblings and I are so proud to continue my mother’s legacy and uphold the values and precedent she began over 70 years ago.
Vicki and Beatrice Tollman | Director & Founder of RedCarnationHotels
Our HoteliersGuild Ambassador for Greater China
Thank you for sharing with me the report which is crucial in charting this very challenging post covid industry. Human capital remains the core representation on the existence of this industry. I do hope that more hotel companies are able to curate and modify work standards and practices to meet the needs of the new generation of young hoteliers. I think another great study in sequel to this report is to analyse and study how Covid has shaped the entrepreneurial mindset of employees in the industry. Rest assured Frank that I will be sharing the reports with my associates and the industry leaders in Hong Kong. In the meantime, I wish you and all your loved ones continued success in all that you do.
With my best personal wishes,
Joseph Chong | Regional VP Asia | The Peninsula Hotels
Academy member and Chair of the Wellbeing focus group
Thank you so much for sharing! The report is a scientific examination of work and labor flexibility in the hotel industry (the first of its kind, to my knowledge). I found it insightful that, contrary to common beliefs, flexibility is not solely a “women issue,” it is a standard expectation of the modern hospitality workforce, regardless of gender. I am happy to see that HoteliersGuild members can now benefit from this knowledge.
Prof. Dr. Ksenia Kirillova | Institut Paul Bocuse
Our Honorary Ambassador and dedicated supporter
The study by EHL and Hoteliers Guild focuses on one of the most important critical success factors in HR management in the hotel industry. For some time now, we have been recognizing an individualization in our society. This must be taken into account. Many people no longer want to be pressed into a rigid corset. Dealing with flexible work structures is overdue in our industry. If intelligent models are found here, this can make an important contribution to finding and retaining future new employees. I personally find the key findings and recommendations very valuable. They can be the basis for hoteliers to identify the next steps and implement the appropriate structures in the company
Congratulations and well done Chairlady Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Prof’ Dr Sowon Kim, Lindsey Ueberroth and the whole team who participated in this important research. You are all inspirational role models and you have done an amazing job & can be justifiably proud of what you have achieved. Our great industry faces many challenges and it’s vital that gender equality is achieved at executive level which will help inspire the next generation of hospitality leaders”
Harry Murray MBE | President, HOSPA
Our HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelière in Asia
As a relatively small entity, 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai harbors large ambitions when it comes to the welfare of people. We understand that excellence is always a work in progress and can not be mandated but needs instead to be nurtured. Due care, consideration and collaboration amongst the team is essential to providing the requisite care and consideration to guests. They go hand in hand and like kindness, you need to experience it in order to fully understand how to dispense it.
Our management team is 60% female, 40% male with 60% of us having children and almost all being intimately involved in the care of parents or siblings ( culturally common in Asia). As an urban resort, we are a rarity in offering staff accommodation and expanded this benefit to colleagues with small children during covid when hardships in hospitality were magnified.
Opening our minds to new approaches of work and play is an important part of our Welfare Committee's mandate and one we are very much open to learning and sharing best practices.
Thank you Frank and LeadingHôtelièrs for inspiring us to do more!
Anne Arrowsmith | General Manager | 137Pillars House
Chairman of The Hoteliersguild Academy of Hospitality Arts
The hospitality industry was among those hit hardest by the global pandemic, and it now faces difficult questions related to attracting and retaining talent. In a cutting-edge research conducted jointly by EHL Business School and Hoteliersguild LeadingHotelieres, the authors analyze the role of flexibility in the industry and offer their recommendations for managers to benefit from.
Prof. Dr. Henri Kuokkanen | Vice Dean - Institut Paul Bocuse
Focus Group leader of Hoteliersguild Academy of Hospitality Arts
The global pandemic has reshuffled the cards on how individuals wish to spent their time at work; a clear shift is taking place towards greater self-determination where flexibility takes center stage. But what does it mean for the hospitality sector which is traditionally bound to schedules and shifts? An outstanding research conducted by EHL Hospitality Business School and the HoteliersGuild LeadingHôtelières on work and labor flexibility with clear practical recommendations for hospitality professionals
Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand |www.iu.org
A Hon. Ambassador with HoteliersGuild
I am pleased to recommend to each hôtelière and hotelier to make it a duty to oneself to delve into the deeper meaning of this report’s findings.
We are leading businesses through several health, social or economic crises. We must therefore not fail to properly understand the threats to one of our most valuable assets, human beings. They are just as moved by social and environmental issues which are disrupting lives.
The findings and recommendations of this 2022 report, provides the grounds to analyse our current methods of human capital management and correct our course. More importantly, it is an objective, empirical-based line of reasoning to bring our HODs to realise that it makes business sense to have an unbiased, elevated sense of compassion, that transcends age, gender, culture, colour, creed, sex or any other such factors. Yet, we must remain conscious of our differences and value the uniqueness of each individual.
At The Lux Collective, a United Nations Global Compact Participant, we have enrolled in this year’s pilot test to be an early adopter of a new robust set of reporting guidelines. With an extensive list under the Labour Rights pillar and Human Rights, we intend to deepen our yearly assessment of team members engagement in relation to the HR procedures which require adjustments and deliver consistently on our Higher Purpose We Care About What Matters
Paul Jones CMG, FIH | CEO - The LuxCollective
A big supporter of our cause
Over the last few years, accelerated by the effects of the global pandemic, our people’s attitudes to their work and life balance have changed. For our industry to continue to be an agile, attractive, global sector to work in, we must adapt to that change, and that is where the vital research conducted by EHL Hospitality Business School and the HoteliersGuild, LeadingHôtelières can have a positive impact, leading our industry leaders, not just of today, but tomorrow as well, to embracing change and continuing the evolution of our great hospitality industry.
Robert Richardson FIH | Chief Executive | Institute of Hospitality
A committed colleague
I want to thank Hoteliers Guild and the EHL Hospitality Business School for the study on work flexibility that they have just released. This study will be of great help both for the hospitality practitioners and the academe.
I strongly believe in work flexibility above all nowadays, after the pandemic; this is the way to go if we want to attract the young generations. The way of working is in fact completely different from the past and employees look for an environment which enables them to combine family, free time and work.
I suggest all my colleagues carefully read this study and take actions accordingly!
Davide Bertilaccio | CEO | Villa d’Este Hotels
Our HoteliersGuild Ambassador for the Americas
My team and I at the International Hospitality Institute are excited about the study on work flexibility just released by the Hoteliers Guild and the EHL Hospitality Business School. This landmark study which gathered data from employees in over 70 hotels worldwide is timely in the post-pandemic hospitality industry. The study will benefit hospitality practitioners and the academe alike.
I encourage my fellow hospitality leaders worldwide to review and adopt some of the key recommendations from the study.
The closing message from the study is one that will resonate with many in our industry: “Work flexibility will enable hotels to attract and retain talent, in particular the younger generation, and enable women to pursue their careers and advance into leadership roles while having the choice to have a family too.”
Kudos to the Hoteliers Guild’s LeadingHôtelières chapter and the EHL Hospitality Business School for making such a significant contribution to the academic literature on hospitality. Thank you to my colleague, Frank M. Pfaller, Founder of Hoteliers Guild, for championing the project.
Dr. Jeffrey O |President & CEO | International Hospitality Institute
Academy member and YoungHôtelières Initiative partner
The study by EHL and Hoteliers Guild focuses on one of the most important critical success factors in HR management in the hotel industry. For some time now, we have been recognizing an individualization in our society. This must be taken into account. Many people no longer want to be pressed into a rigid corset. Dealing with flexible work structures is overdue in our industry. If intelligent models are found here, this can make an important contribution to finding and retaining future new employees. I personally find the key findings and recommendations very valuable. They can be the basis for hoteliers to identify the next steps and implement the appropriate structures in the company.
Prof. Dr. Burkhard von Freyberg | Munich University of Applied Sciences
