Luxury hospitality continues to perform strongly across global markets. Demand is high, expectations are rising and performance metrics remain robust.
Yet many women leaders describe a more complicated reality behind those numbers.
A new study conducted by hertelier in partnership with Forbes Travel Guide suggests that while women are advancing in hospitality leadership, progress often depends on personal resilience rather than structural support.
The research surveyed 99 senior women leaders across Forbes Travel Guide’s global partner hotels worldwide and was unveiled at The Summit by Forbes Travel Guide in Monaco, where industry executives gathered to discuss the future of luxury hospitality.
The findings were presented by Emily Goldfischer, founder and editor-in-chief of hertelier, who also moderated a panel discussion examining what the results mean for the industry’s leadership pipeline.
The timing is notable as the hospitality industry approaches International Women’s Day on March 8 and Women’s History Month, when many companies are reflecting on leadership representation and career pathways.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents cited mindset and resilience as the primary drivers of their success, while 65 percent pointed to ambition and determination. When asked about barriers to advancement, however, the responses shifted toward structural challenges.
Forty percent cited gendered leadership expectations, 34 percent pointed to limited flexibility and 30 percent cited bias in promotion and hiring.
The contrast highlights a tension many leaders recognize: advancement is often personal, while the obstacles are systemic.
“Hospitality is a people-driven industry, and leadership models have to evolve in sync with changing expectations,” said Amanda Frasier, president of standards and ratings at Forbes Travel Guide.
Structural Friction in Leadership Pipelines
Presenting the research at The Summit, Goldfischer described what she called “structural friction” within hospitality leadership systems.
These include rigid scheduling expectations, assumptions about leadership availability and promotion structures that often favor traditional operational career paths. While many women have navigated these challenges successfully, the research suggests the industry cannot rely indefinitely on resilience alone.
When survey respondents were asked which leadership capabilities will matter most in the future, their answers pointed to a shift away from endurance as the defining leadership trait.
Strategic thinking ranked highest, followed by emotional intelligence, authentic communication and empathy—skills that reflect a more human-centered leadership model.
Panel Discussion Explores Leadership Pathways
Following the presentation of the research, Goldfischer led a panel discussion featuring Silvia Nauta, vice president at ATELIER CX; Marlene Poynder, managing director of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel; Franck Sibille, vice president at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts; and Charlotte Weatherall, general manager of Corinthia London.
One theme that emerged quickly was the need to legitimize non-linear leadership pathways.
“You can be a general manager if you come through finance, revenue management, sales and marketing or human resources,” Nauta said. “It doesn’t have to be this very structured track.”
Historically, hotel leadership pipelines have prioritized traditional operational routes, particularly rooms and food-and-beverage roles. Expanding recognition of commercial and strategic disciplines as pathways to general management could broaden leadership pipelines.
Poynder reinforced the importance of financial accountability for leaders seeking credibility with owners and investors.
“Never give up a P&L,” she said, noting that commercial leaders with financial ownership are increasingly well positioned to move into general management roles.
Rethinking Flexibility and Leadership Sustainability
Panelists also emphasized the growing importance of policy design in retaining talent.
Poynder highlighted Rosewood’s global policy offering 16 weeks of fully paid maternity or paternity leave for all parents, describing it as a strategic investment in leadership sustainability.
Weatherall challenged the long-standing narrative that senior hospitality roles require personal sacrifice.
Before accepting her general manager position, she recalled being warned that family life would inevitably suffer.
“I thought, like hell, I am going to do this job in a way where I am not sacrificing,” she said.
Panelists argued that hospitality companies will increasingly need to design leadership roles that allow professionals to integrate work and life responsibilities rather than treating flexibility as an exception.
Mentorship, Transparency and Leadership Culture
Mentorship and transparency also emerged as critical themes during the discussion.
Poynder encouraged leaders to move beyond what she described as “vanilla conversations” and offer more direct coaching earlier in careers. She also reflected on how a leadership course earlier in her career helped her stop internalizing workplace tension and instead focus on solving the problem in front of her.
That experience now shapes how she mentors younger women entering the industry.
Panelists also stressed the importance of transparency in promotion processes. When advancement criteria are unclear, leaders often rely on informal networks or assumptions about readiness—conditions that can unintentionally reinforce bias.
Clearer pathways and visible decision-making criteria were identified as practical steps organizations can take to strengthen meritocratic hiring.
Preparing the Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders
The conversation also turned toward generational change within the industry.
Sibille noted that while more women are reaching senior roles than in previous decades, hospitality must also consider how leadership structures appeal to younger professionals.
“We have a problem with Gen Z getting to top jobs if we don’t relax,” he said.
Earlier in his career, Sibille deliberately slowed his trajectory to prioritize time with his family, illustrating that leadership progression does not always have to follow a strictly linear pace.
Panelists suggested that engaging younger employees in shaping job design—and positioning technologies such as artificial intelligence as complementary to human service — could help strengthen hospitality’s future leadership pipeline.
Moving from Resilience to Intentional Leadership
The research suggests that hospitality’s progress in leadership diversity has often been powered by individual determination.
The next phase of progress, Goldfischer noted during the Summit discussion, will require something different: leadership systems intentionally designed to support sustainable careers.
That includes flexible career pathways, transparent promotion criteria, strong mentorship structures and policies that allow leaders to integrate professional ambition with personal life.
For an industry built on human connection, the opportunity now is to ensure leadership structures reflect those same values.
The full research report, The Leadership Reset, explores these findings and the leadership shifts hospitality companies may need to consider next.