Hosting its first Forum on Leadership for Women Entrepreneurs in November, Red Roof sought to empower and energize and to move the needle forward for their female entrepreneurs and staff with a line-up of training sessions, discussions and talks to teach, inform and uplift. Breaking down barriers and influencing change, Red Roof is leading the way in the hospitality industry, opening doors for their female owners, investors, executives and staff with a series of initiatives that have resonated across the brand.
“At Red Roof, women have always played a major role. We believe women owners and general managers are vital to our brand’s success and the overall health of the hospitality industry,” says Marina MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer, Red Roof and the Forum’s organizer. “Red Roof has found that successful women thrive in the workplace when they have supportive spouses, support from senior leadership, mentoring, education, and training. We are proud to say these women are gaining strength in numbers through opportunities to own and manage hotels across the chain-scale segment.”
Currently, 20% of Red Roof franchise owners are women and 6 out of 12 Red Roof Franchise Operations executives are women. Within their corporate offices, 75% of Red Roof’s corporate office promotions within the last two years were women while 50% of honorees and winners of their internal Circle of Excellence Award were women. In addition, about 50% of Red Roof’s top 10 corporate properties are managed by women and 6 out of Red Roof’s top 7 performing PLUS+ locations are managed by women.
The number of women in managerial positions at Red Roof is ahead of the national average: for instance, women drive 85% of consumer spending in the U.S. and 75% of final travel decisions are made by women,[1] however, for the travel industry as a whole in the U.S., 70% of employees are women but women hold less than 40% of all managerial positions[2] and just 14% of hospitality and leisure companies are operated by female CEOs.[3]
The obstacles women encounter in getting ahead in the travel industry are similar to those they face in broader industries. According to McKinsey[4], the three largest barriers are balancing family and work commitments, navigating workplace politics, and lack of development pathways.
The Red Roof Forum on Leadership for Women Entrepreneurs was developed to help women hospitality professionals tackle these issues as well as equip them with the fundamentals in driving top-line revenue, mentoring and growing employees. These women are highly proficient in the back office and operations; they know how to make a profit, but are eager to know more.
Red Roof shared tools to help women manage their hotel business more effectively and to rise in the ranks. They also counseled them on how to grow their business with acquisitions and investments. The company provided guidance on the marketplace challenges of increased competition, the growth of third party booking channels and the increased expectations of guests.
The Forum served as a platform for women to learn, grow and evolve. The brand plans to replicate the Forum next year. For more information on Red Roof franchise and career opportunities, visit www.redroof.com.
[1] Unleashing the Power of the Purse, Gallup, 2014
[2] International Perspectives on Women and Work in Hotels, Catering & Tourism, 2013
[3] Diversity Drives Diversity: From the Boardroom to the C-Suite, EY, 2013
[4] Women in the Workplace, McKinsey, 2016
