Hospitality Design - August 2020 - 15

perspectives business sense

Photo courtesy of SALAMANDER RESORT & SPA

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Eclipse at Half Moon, Salamander's new Jamaican
property designed by Hart Howerton

NEXT STEPS

Leaders weigh in on what a more equitable
hospitality industry will require

George Floyd's murder earlier this year has
irrevocably changed the way we see the world.
The video capturing the perpetuation of senseless
police brutality, viewed against the despairing
backdrop of COVID-19-a virus that has ravaged
communities of color in particular-forced many
white people to confront their own complicity
and biases and listen to communities of color
who have been on the front lines of combating
systemic racism for centuries. Even in the midst
of a raging pandemic, crowds worldwide took
to the streets, as Black Lives Matter protests
continue to underscore the necessity for long
overdue reform.
Companies large and small are vowing to
do better in the aftermath, but racism remains
deeply entrenched in American culture, politics,
and economics. Dismantling the status quo
will take significant time and effort and require
progressive and detailed plans of action. The
predominately white hospitality and design
industries have voiced commitment to making
permanent, positive changes, aware that the

only way toward an equitable future is through
listening, education, and overhauling outdated
hiring and promotion practices. Here, we delve
into some of the pledges to inclusivity already in
place, as well as paths to bring us closer to muchneeded parity.

Prioritize Diversity
Of the nearly 59,000 hotels across the U.S., less
than 1 percent are Black owned. It's a staggering
fact made only worse when considering that
Black travelers spend about $60 billion annually.
The National Association of Black Hotel
Owners, Operators, and Developers (NABHOOD)
was established in 2001 with a threefold mission:
increasing the number of Black people who own,
operate, manage, and develop hotels; promoting
more Black leaders to the executive level; and
championing a more diverse supply chain.
Andy Ingraham, NABHOOD's president
and CEO, says that while racism has been a
hot-button issue in the past, it hasn't penetrated
the leadership at major companies until now.
"Unless diversity has a commitment from the
CEO and the board of directors, then you're
never going to find more than lip service," he
says. If white leaders scan their offices and notice
only employees who look like them, Ingraham
points out that it is their responsibility to fix the

imbalance to more accurately reflect society at
large. That's why he's asking the hotel industry
to commit to interviewing at least one Black
candidate for every executive position that comes
available. This, he says, "gives [Black] employees
an opportunity to move up the corporate ladder."
NABHOOD recently completed a diversity
study with partners at Cornell University, the
University of Rhode Island, Georgia State
University, and Howard University, part of the
organization's proactive and pointed strategy
to give the industry a roadmap for developing a
more diverse workforce.
In Florida, for instance, there are more than
1,000 hotels in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale,
and West Palm Beach market, Ingraham notes,
yet there are only five Black GMs. "That's
deplorable," he adds. "That's something that
should never happen in such a great industry."
But hotel brands have made inroads in
recent years. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
(IHG) established its Diversity & Inclusion
Board in 2018, and its Black Employee Resource
Group (BERG) advocates for the interests and
development of Black colleagues. Hyatt has
likewise ramped up initiatives, including its
Global Inclusion & Diversity Council, co-chaired
by Hyatt president and CEO Mark Hoplamazian
and vice president of global diversity and

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