Hotel Operations

🏨 Angie Gadwood, inspired by a college job, has been in the hospitality industry since. Mentored by Joy Reighard, Gadwood learned the significance of understanding every hotel role for advancement. Though over 60% of the hospitality workforce is female, only 10% hold leadership positions. Companies and organizations, including Wyndham, are creating programs to improve this disparity. Gadwood visited mentor Reighard, now 93 and retired, in Vegas last year.

📱 Abdul Baaghil, co-founder of Harvest Cotton Tail, shared insights on recharging in a podcast episode released on March 7, 2025. The episode was supported by Sojern, a marketing platform for hotels. Music for the show was produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound. The episode encourages hospitality brands to turn ideas into action for business and client benefit.

👨 "Hotel Guest Loyalty: 8 Easy Tips to Boost Retention" offers strategies to increase customer retention in the hotel industry, suggesting personalized experiences and immediate feedback as key methods. Authored by Vanshikha Dhar and published on the Hotelogix Blog on March 7, 2025, the article includes a cover image and is accessible at blog.hotelogix.com, with related assets and stylesheets linked. The article highlights the importance of guest satisfaction in ensuring repeat visits.

👨 Sara Masterson, with a history degree, chose a career in hospitality inspired by the dynamic nature of the industry and its reliance on travel and tourism. Mentored by her father and Lisa Wohlleib, a resort COO, Masterson emphasizes the importance of relationships and giving people opportunities. She notes that hospitality offers career growth to anyone willing to work hard, with over 90% of leaders starting in entry-level roles. Despite women being over 50% of the workforce, they only hold about 25% of senior leadership positions, though recent trends show progress with more women in C-suite roles and as owners/investors.

🏨 Rosanna Maietta, with a career starting in marketing and communications, rose to lead the AHLA Foundation and now heads AHLA. She credits her immigrant parents and supportive leaders for teaching valuable lessons in hard work, perseverance, and people-first mindset. Emphasizing hospitality's inclusivity, Maietta notes the commitment to diversity, with over two million employed in the sector. Since the inaugural ForWard conference in 2018, she has observed increasing female leadership, supported by AHLA Foundation's programs like BUILD and ELEVATE.

📘 EVP of My Place Hotels highlights the importance of a robust franchisor–franchisee relationship for success. Best practices include clear communication, mutual respect, consistent brand standards, comprehensive training, and recognizing success. Key strategies involve bringing partners to Aberdeen, South Dakota headquarters, aligning expectations, regular check-ins, respecting local market expertise, maintaining brand integrity with flexibility, thorough onboarding, ongoing support, and honoring franchisee achievements. These principles foster trust, loyalty, and mutual growth, essential for sustained collaborative success.

📓 Top hotel management books recommended for hoteliers aiming to enhance hospitality skills and business strategies. Article published on February 27, 2025, listing essential reads for transforming customer service and revenue management in the hospitality industry. Written by Akanksha Mohapatra and shared on Hotelogix Blog.

🏨 RevOptimum, with 30 years of experience, helps hotels avoid common revenue management mistakes such as static pricing, ignoring market data, mismatched OTA rates, and underutilizing upselling. They advise using dynamic pricing, market analysis, channel optimization, and data analytics to maximize revenue. Solutions include leveraging tools like RMS, CloudBeds PMS, rate shopping software, and upselling programs, while balancing OTA and direct bookings, adjusting LOS restrictions, and data-driven forecasting. Contact RevOptimum for expert revenue management solutions.

🏨 In Washington, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Hireology survey reveals 65% of hotels still face staff shortages, despite higher pay and benefits. Pre-pandemic staffing levels are nearly 10% higher than current figures. Staff shortages decreased from 76% in May 2024 to 65% by year-end, with 9% of hotels "severely understaffed." Hotels aim to fill an average of 6-7 positions, struggling most with housekeeping (38%) and front desk (26%) roles. Key retention strategies include raising wages (47%), flexible hours (20%), and hotel discounts (13%).

🏨 Nearly two-thirds (65%) of U.S. hotels report staffing shortages despite wage increases and new incentives, per an AHLA and Hireology survey. Hotel employment remains 10% below pre-pandemic levels. Staffing shortages dropped from 76% in May 2024 to 65% by year-end. "Severely understaffed" hotels decreased from 13% to 9%. Over 70% of hotels have vacancies, averaging six to seven unfilled positions, with housekeeping roles (38%) being the hardest to staff. To attract staff, 47% of hotels raised pay, while others offer flexible scheduling (20%) and hotel discounts (13%). The survey collected responses from 282 hoteliers between December 6, 2024, and January 3, 2025.