One of the biggest hurdles women face in the hospitality industry is the perception surrounding their ability to perform in senior leadership positions, according to Nicola Hochgruber, general manager of Novotel and Ibis Abu Dhabi Gate. She believes that to change this perception, AccorHotels does more than merely counter the narrative: it is committed to concrete objectives that foster equality while respecting local laws and customs.
“In May 2015, we joined the Impact 10x10x10 initiative of the HeForShe solidarity campaign, backed by United Nations (UN) Women. Our ambition is to ensure that actions to foster gender equality are driven by both women and men, thereby changing mentalities within the hotel industry,” she said.
AccorHotels is also a signatory to the UN Women and the UN Global Compact’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP). It is one of the few hotel companies actively campaigning for female empowerment worldwide across its network.
The Women at Accor Generation (WAAG) is a 10,000 member-strong global network that was launched to overcome gender stereotypes, promote gender equality, and offer support to women within the Accor group. Through WAAG, AccorHotels’ junior female managers are offered the support of a mentor, as well as being offered training, and an opportunity to share experiences. The mentor pairings offer added value for all, and include male mentors, according to WAAG.
With the growth of the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia, the industry is becoming an increasingly popular career option among Saudi nationals. Marriott International’s president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Alex Kyriakidis, said that interest in the hospitality sector among Saudi women is stronger than ever before.
In 2016, Marriott International launched Tahseen, an 18-month hospitality training programme in conjunction with Cornell University, to train the local population in the Middle East.
Kyriakidis explained: “When we announced Tahseen in 2016, and took it to the Saudi authorities, they said, ‘Can you make sure you reach out to us to encourage the thousands of women in the Kingdom who are jobless and would find an opportunity in your industry now, since it’s attractive?’”
“That signifies change, because three years ago, for a Saudi woman to work in hospitality was a big challenge for her family. Nowadays, we have evolved and can provide culturally sensitive job opportunities for women, generally in finance, human resources (HR), [or] marketing,” Kyriakidis said.
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