08 March 2022

Leading the Way: Hotel owners & GMs share their stories for International Women’s Day

Professionally, 2022 is a year of recovery and new beginnings for many, and for women in particular, the stakes are higher. The disruption caused by the global pandemic had a disproportionate impact as greater numbers of women, compared to men, were suddenly forced out of the workforce all over the world.*

And while the hospitality industry is seeing hiring return and leadership opportunities for women ticking higher – there is much more work to be done. It’s why IHG Hotels & Resorts continues making it a priority to create more opportunities for women in leadership.

“IHG is a sponsor of Tracy Prigmore’s coveted She Has a Deal program and will participate in the annual hotel investment competition again this coming April 2022 in the Washington D.C. area,” says Julienne Smith, Senior Vice President, Development for IHG Hotels & Resorts. “As a hotel owner herself, Tracy launched She Has a Deal to encourage women to become commercial real estate owners and developers by connecting them with mentors, investment resources, and education. Tracy’s purpose to help break barriers and create opportunities for both investors and women aspiring to be hotel owners, is aligned with IHG’s commitment to grow our presence of underrepresented ownership groups within our franchise community.”

In addition to IHG’s participation in She Has a Deal, Smith says the company also works with Castell Project, which helps women gain more seats in leadership. “Castell Project has brought executives and rising leaders together in forums that have helped us all grow in our awareness and drive to evolve into a more diverse and ultimately stronger industry. IHG’s participation in Castell’s event and forums, like Castell@College, which exposes college age women to leadership and career opportunities within the hotel industry, have been valuable growth opportunities for all involved.”

As we continue to strengthen our commitments to creating more opportunities for all people in the hospitality industry – there are women across our hotels today running the show. They are owners, general managers, sales directors, chefs, and more. Each day they work to bring our core values – including True Hospitality for Good – to life for our guests.

Here are just a few of the stories these inspiring colleagues shared with us:

Anna Dowling, Area GM Oman and General Manager of InterContinental Muscat

“Academics was never my strong suit growing up,” says Dowling candidly. “But when I started working as a server in a local hotel – I loved it! I could already see the potential of joining the hospitality industry.”

After completing a training program, Dowling moved through the business, working several operational roles.

At 28 years old, she achieved her goal – and secured her first job as a hotel GM. She spent the next two decades working in GM roles hotels across London before deciding at the age of 51 that she was ready to go global. She moved to Bahrain, then Oman – where she’s currently area general manager for six hotels and the general manager of InterContinental Muscat.

“I feel very fortunate that, during my career, I wasn’t discriminated against because I was a woman,” she says. “I worked with great mentors and leaders who helped me develop and grow. I have so many happy memories of my time working in hotels and have made lasting friendships.”

As an industry veteran, Dowling says the most important ingredients for success are balance and passion.

“Life is short and there is no rewind button, so it is tremendously important that your career is something you feel passionate, motivated, and inspired by – because you are giving so much of your life to it.”

Patria Puyat, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Vientiane

When she was seven years old, Patria Puyat stayed at an InterContinental property in Manila. She was so fascinated by the hotel that she decided she wanted to work there. Years later, after completing her hospitality education in Switzerland, she landed her first job there.

Most recently, Puyat spent 10 years working at hotels in the Middle East, and now she is the general manager of the Crowne Plaza Vientiane in Laos.

“Whether it was bias because I was a woman or because I’m Filipino – I learned that I had to practice the utmost resilience,” says Puyat. “I worked doubly hard and always brought my A-game. Was it hard? Certainly, but it was also character building.”

Puyat says all the challenges she faced were worth it because today, she is a successful leader in the industry.

“One of my most vivid memories is from 2018 when I stood in front of 700 people to welcome them to the newly opened Holiday Inn in Dubai City as the first Filipina manager in the Middle East,” she says.

“To this day, I can remember the sight, sounds, smell, and feeling in my heart like it was yesterday. You never know how many glass ceilings you can break as a woman, so, whatever your ambitions are – go for it.”

Laetitia Elmaleh, General Manager of Kimpton St. Honoré

After 20 years of working in hospitality, Laetitia Elmaleh says her favorite day was when she joined the IHG family.

“One week after I started work, I joined a meeting of other GMs, and half of them were women,” says Elmaleh. “This is the perfect hospitality company for women.”

Elmaleh is now the manager of the recently opened Kimpton St. Honoré in Paris, but she started her hospitality career in sales and marketing working with renowned French chef Alain Ducasse. She always knew, however, that she wanted to be the general manager of a hotel.

“I’m lucky that it hasn’t been much of challenge for me to be a woman in this industry,” says Elmaleh. “I always had managers and mentors who believed in me.” She also says being a woman has some advantages.

“I think women are often more sensitive and detail-oriented, which allows us to have an approach to management that people resonate with.”

Gaby Terrazas, Owner of three IHG-branded hotels and General Manager of Holiday Inn & Suites Chihuahua

“I was raised in hospitality,” says Gaby Terrazas, who wears more than one leadership hat with IHG as both an owner and general manager. “My father opened his first hotel when I was two years old, and I grew up watching, learning, and eventually going into hotels myself.”

Currently the GM and owner of Holiday Inn & Suites Chihuahua, Terrazas Group also owns Holiday Inn Express Chihuahua and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chihuahua Juventud. She also serves as vice-chair on IHG’s Owner Association regional committee in Mexico.

“The biggest challenge is balancing work and motherhood,” says Terrazas, a mom to seven-year-old triplets. “But I love working in the hotel industry. Hospitality is all about the people – from guests who have become long-time friends to the many valuable colleagues I never would have met otherwise.”

Jessica Redinger, General Manager of voco Johannesburg Rosebank

Jessica Redinger is the general manager of the newly opened voco Johannesburg Rosebank in South Africa. It’s her first general manager role – and she calls it a dream come true.

Like Dowling, Redinger too got her start as a hotel server and realized that not only was she good with people – she had a knack for anticipating their needs. She was offered a hospitality management scholarship and grabbed the chance.

“It took a lot of hard work and determination to get where I am,” she says. “I am extremely proud of myself for this achievement and will remember the date February 1, 2022 – the date voco Johannesburg opened – for a long time.”

In addition to being persistent – Redinger says women in the industry need to be vocal about what they want. “Even though we have come a long way – there is still a notion that women are more family-oriented than career-driven. I had to make my career dreams and vision known to become a general manager.”

Madelijn Vervoord, Area GM Southern France and Mediterranean, as well as General Manager of InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu

Madelijn Vervoord began her IHG career in 2002 at InterContinental Paris – Le Grand. In 2012 she landed her first role as general manager at InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu. Madelijn is now general manager of InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu, as well as area GM for Southern France and the Mediterranean.

“Guests are always pleasantly surprised to find a woman heading the hotel,” says Vervoord. “The best part of my career has been the two hotels I helped open – it’s stressful and demanding but it’s also the most thrilling and fulfilling – I loved seeing spaces come to life.”

Vervoord, like all our leaders, is enthusiastic and passionate about hospitality – despite the challenges she’s faced. In fact, she has an interesting take on what’s been some of the toughest moments over the years.

“I remember there was a head chef who didn’t want to work with women, another time a manager that didn’t want women on his team, but I think most of the challenges I faced – I created myself by not taking the next step forward or not believe I was ready. I’m grateful to have had a boss for many years who did a great job in pushing me and being convinced of my potential even when I wasn’t.”

Shazma Charania, President of ZS Holdings which operates seven IHG-branded hotels in Canada

For Shazma Charania, running hotels is a family business and a privilege she doesn’t take lightly, a lesson she learned early on in her career.

"When I was 16 years old, I worked banquets at one of my family's properties in Edmonton, Alberta – it was a Holiday Inn. I showed up late to work and almost got fired by the manager," recalls Charania. "He told me it didn't matter who my parents were, and if I did it again, I would lose my job."

Today, Charania owns and operates seven IHG-branded properties from its Essentials and Suites collections, including Holiday Inn and Suites Red Deer South and Staybridge Suites Red Deer-North.

"I was 22 years old when I sat down with my parents and shared my vision for the business," says Charania. "I wanted to take the strong foundation and principles they built the business on and modernize it. I wanted to grow our company and wasn't scared of hard work." In that spirit, Charania joined the business by taking a role as an assistant guest services manager at a hotel – instead of taking a seat at her family's head office. "I wanted to learn the ins and outs of hotel operations," says Charania. "I worked my way up and even did the graveyard shift at one point about five years into my career when labor was hard to find, and my husband Jamil would be my security guard on the weekends. It took me 12 years to grow into my role today as president."

Through her hard work, Charania says that she was able to dispel perceptions people had of her as "just the owner's daughter," but the assumptions made because she is a woman persist. "When I attend an event or conference with my husband, some people assume he is the company successor instead of me. He is the first to correct this, but it's a good lesson in not paying too much attention to other people's perceptions about yourself."

Inspired by the people who keep the cogs of hospitality's wheel churning, Charania says spending her time helping guests have great experiences, as well as supporting her employees, is what drives her.

"We are on a journey, and there is no end to growth. Be kind to yourself, be kind to one another, and help elevate the women around you."

Nicole Hendrix, General Manager of voco Times Square South

Whether it’s through example or mentorship, great leaders give rise to other great leaders. Just ask Nicole Hendrix, the general manager at the newly opened voco Times Square South in New York City.

“I’m proud to say that a lot of the benefits I’ve had along the way have come from working with some of the most fabulous leaders in hospitality that saw my potential and cleared my path for advancement in operational roles within the industry,” says Hendrix who got her start in the F&B space.

Citing the pandemic as the biggest challenge professionally, Hendrix says the opportunity before her now – bringing a new hotel to life in the Big Apple ranks as a top career moment. “Great hotel leaders helped open doors for me and now I’m able to work alongside a talented team to build back hotels. We [the industry] are resilient and stronger than ever,” says Hendrix.

* SOURCE: McKinsey

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About IHG®

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has nearly 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 325,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally.

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