YOUNG HÔTELIÈRES INSIGHTS | A HoteliersGuild/EHL/Institut Paul Bocuse & IUAS Initiative

INTRODUCING

Of Swiss and German nationality, Sofia Strahl is a final year student at EHL who will graduate in June 2022. With internship experiences at the 5 Star Hotel Il Sereno on Lake Como, and Client Manager Assistant Role in the Branding Agency, Landor & Fitch, Sofia has a keen interest in a hospitality graduate position linked to business development / sustainability and, or sales. Sofia is fluent in German, English and French.

She is passionate about design and creative brands, sustainability, running and outdoor sports such as hiking, skiing and bouldering. Sofia can be reached at sofia.strahl@ehl.ch. Sofia Strahl has written this article under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim who c o - c h a i r s t h e L e a d i n g H o te l i è r e s Chapter of HoteliersGuild.

Hospitality: Will there be a realignment after the big resignation?

Sofia Strahl, EHL Only recently, I discussed with a friend the future of the hospitality industry and its appeal to both future guests and employees. In my friend's opinion, the hotel industry will disappear in a few years and be replaced by more innovative business models that better address the needs of modern travellers and employees. I disagreed with him, being a passionate hospitality student. Yet, there seems to be some truth in what he said, especially considering the current labor shortage with many employees being unsatisfied with how businesses are run today. This example shows how non-hospitality students and potential guests may perceive our industry. Hoteliers realise the evolving needs too. But more often than not, it is challenging for hotels—as an industry rooted in traditions and known for its standards—to adapt to today's fast-paced world. Who better to understand the modern traveler's needs than the younger generation itself, or in other words: your future employees?

Many hospitality leaders have already recognized the importance of the next generation in the workplace. In fact, often during speeches from today's leaders, the young women in the audience are addressed as the future leaders of tomorrow. It is said that women will affect the change needed in our industry. Usually, my first reaction is a rush of adrenaline, excitement about the endless opportunities, but soon followed by a feeling of insecurity and pressure: "How should I do all this?"; "What if I want to have kids, can I do that too?"; or simply "Can there be a better work-life balance?"

There is this frustration that comes with thinking about the hierarchical and rigid structures of many hotel businesses. And this is equally applicable to young men too. Many of my fellow students and I are ambitious and motivated to enter the hospitality industry, but creativeness and change is only possible in an open-minded environment. Against a backdrop of the current labor shortage crisis where fewer and fewer of my fellow students are seeking careers, it is about time to start understanding your future employees.

How can you reconnect with your current and future employees and meet their needs? The modern employee’s needs probably do not differ much from your customers' needs.

Flexibility, a sense of purpose, and work-life balance are key factors. According to the Castell Project "Women in Hospitality" (AHLA Foundation) that assessed leadership traits, women tend to score slightly lower on confidence and higher on humility. In the workplace, this is expressed through empathy, valuing other’s contributions and listening carefully to all team members. These behaviours are sought for as they demonstrate appreciation and recognition of the employee; however, actions must follow these words. This research shows well the importance of great leadership. Too often, fellow students have told me stories about their internships where promises were not kept, time wasted, and coordination

absent. Many of them were demotivated by those experiences and decided not to return to hospitality. Another factor found to enable change was diversity in teams. More diverse teams were found to innovate more radically and anticipate better changes in consumers' needs.

Again, something much needed in the hospitality industry.

Some hotel companies are already making changes to refocus on their employees’ needs.

Below are a few examples that have recently inspired me.

▪ Inverting the hierarchy pyramid putting line staff at the top. They are guest-facing and thus know firsthand the evolving needs of guests (Michael Levie, founder of CitizenM).

▪ Enhancing work-life balance by implementing the 4-day work week (25hours Hotels).

▪ IDEA (Identify, Diversity, Equity, Action) program includes discussion groups, a festival on diversity, and lectures in colleges on hospitality topics (Red Carnation Hotels).

▪ Working hours for mothers that are adapted to school schedules and offer more flexibility (Staycity Group).

▪ A short stay where I encountered many happy employees who explained the employer’s importance for the region. The hotel is heavily involved in its local community (Hotel Hof Weissbad, CH).

These examples explain why I am motivated and excited to enter our industry. Change clearly is possible, and surely there is more to come. The many passionate, driven, and exciting people I have met in hospitality will drive that change. And when company culture and structures evolve, they will realign again with employee needs. Recognition, learning and development opportunities, healthy work hours, and fair salaries will foster a happy, creative, and innovative workforce. A happier and more diverse workforce will understand the needs of future guests and markets. They will ensure the hospitality industry's future success. In conclusion, we should remember Richard Branson's quote that has shaped many businesses – both in hospitality and beyond: "If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your guests."

MAKING - A - C H A N G E

YoungHôtelièresInsights aims to develop the professional visibility of our young female talent in a network of established hoteliers and hôteliéres.

EHL’s Women in Leadership, IUAS University of Applied Sciences, and Institut Paul Bocuse share a commitment to promote our top female students in the hospitality industry. Together with HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelierès Chapter, we created YoungHôtelièresInsights (YHI), a space dedicated for aspiring female hospitality leaders where they can contribute to our industry with their reflections, ideas, trends and hot topics as viewed by their generation. A compilation of these inputs will be featured in the HoteliersGuild ForumOfDialogue magazines and LookBooks with the aim to develop the professional visibility of our young female talent in a network of established hoteliers and hôteliéres .

EHL’s Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim and Founder of Women In Leadership says: “We focus on female students and from time to time male students here is a thought, we could for example limit to 10-20% of male contribution, and content could be in lines of male championing women (in line with one of our pillars) like f o r e xa m p l e h o w they see the contribution of their female peers; this might be eye opening for the established hoteliers reading such a piece and realising why there might be a need for them to change too. From my perspective making the “YoungHotelièresInsights” primary female is not being exclusive but rather in line with the mission of HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelières chapter. In addition there is a need to be inclusive when a group is a minority which in this case is women in leadership positions. While everyone needs to be promoted is these hard times, the system is heavily biased against women which is the exact reason why less than 5 percent of the top leadership functions across business and politics worldwide are occupied by women, and hence the raison être for HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelières chapter”

The authors are our top female students interested in a career in the hospitality industry. Should you be in search for talent in the following areas (interest of the students) please contact us and we will forward you their respective ▪ ▪

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So a Strahl, GPA 5,41- interested in business development, sustainability, sales Mary Barnett, GPA 5,25- interested in F&B Sara Moukhtarzadeh, GPA 5,5- in technology, luxury

MAKING - A - C H A N G E

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