Women in the current era are doing wonders and irrespective of the industries they are excelling at whatever they are working at. Not to mention the hospitality industry; women are responsible for driving this industry to a new height. What but exactly is the magic behind it? It’s their hospitable nature. Yes, women and their hospitable nature is the reason that acts as a catalyst in edifying the nightlight of the tourism and hospitality industry at a greater extent.
The hospitality industry is a broad, constantly evolving, fast-paced environment with generational differences and globalization. Hospitality leaders are therefore in the front row to face this dynamic environment. In addition, it is well known that hospitality is a hardworking and demanding industry that requires passion and motivation at each level of the organization. This is also the reason leaders play a key role to support, guide and challenge employees. Women leaders on the other hand are highly dedicated individuals, and this is one of the reasons that makes them the perfect candidate for each and every industry, including the hospitality industry. With this, the hospitality industry has come a long way from the time when it wasn’t an attractive proposition for women to now being one of the top five industries that see women workforce across levels. With more and more women stepping into the industry, taking firm steps towards successful careers and making their mark prominent, stories are bound to evolve. The hotel industry was expected to post robust growth of 7 percent to 9 percent in FY18-19, according to a report by CARE Ratings which further indicates how the sector is evolving and offering opportunities to women in India.
Names like Kanika Hasrat (General Manager, Vivanta New Delhi Dwarka, Taj City), Sheetal Iyer (General Manager, Holiday Inn Bengaluru Racecourse), Smita Rathod (Director Housekeeper, Accor Pullman Novotel), and many others who are also the winners of Hotelier India Awards 2019 are the perfect epitome of the fact that women are now driving the hospitality industry like a pro. These names and success stories of women in hospitality demonstrate that female leadership doesn’t just exist, but is growing.
What makes them so Suitable for the Industry?
Women across levels are now shaping up the hospitality industry with their hospitality instincts. Women leaders in this sector have created a more encouraging environment for other women and helped build a work-life balance. As per industry reports, their caring instinct and higher emotional quotient have led to greater motivation and better results within the team. Women seem to possess success factors in management, such as interpersonal skills, patience, pleasant behaviour, determination, and the capacity to recognize their mistakes, apologize and make things right. Furthermore, women trailblazers venture to revolutionize the management style and culture by providing a more accommodating and nurturing environment. Women leaders score higher on transformational leadership aspects and they are efficiently able to be corporate leaders, not only in the hospitality industry but in the global economy at large. They tend to listen to their co-workers, respect different points of view, and find solutions to given problems. Female managers support their staff in a closer way than male managers. Female general managers inculcate the value of cooperation and teamwork, delegate more and are more patient than male managers. Additionally, women demonstrate high performance on organizational work and problem-solving, financial, management and knowledge about the economy. With such positive changes, the future of women in the hospitality industry looks positive, but there is still a long way to go.
More Statistics
It is a simple fact that no technology or machine can on its own create a face to face experience that a human can. In the past 5-10 years, the hospitality industry has witnessed an increase in the women workforce across levels. As per a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel & tourism has almost twice as many female employers than the other sectors. Across the G20, women account on average for 46.4 percent of Travel Tourism’s employment compared with 43.3 percent employment in the economy as a whole. This points to the fact that the clout of women in the hospitality ecosystem is on the rise. While globally across industries women are moving up the ladder to leadership positions as also suggested by Catalyst research which highlights that in 2019, 29 percent of senior management roles were held by women, there is still a long way to go. Similarly, within the hospitality industry, there is a dire need for creating more opportunities for women. Furthermore, an encouraging ecosystem for women is required that doesn’t just make them join the workforce without any hesitation, but also allows them to see a bright future in the sector. The initiatives are already underway and a lot of companies are offering women a healthy, flexible and safe work environment to chase their dreams. So, if you are one of the aspirants who want to start your career in the hospitality sector, then there is a couple of things that you need to do - work smart, work hard and stay dedicated to your goals. This is what will take you a long way not just in the hospitality industry but in any career that a woman chooses to pursue.
