UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Hospitality Management has published the 2025 Representation in Hotel Leadership research report, examining the demographics of women and Black leaders in the hotel industry.
Key findings reveal a troubling stagnation in women’s representation in upper management roles, alongside a decrease in Black leadership from 2022 to 2025. Conversely, the corporate boards in the sector are showing signs of improvement in racial diversity.
A research team consisting of doctoral students supervised by Phil Jolly, associate professor of hospitality management, conducted an extensive review of publicly accessible data. Their analysis covered over 10,000 individuals across 1,439 companies and more than 5,500 attendees from hotel investment conferences.
“Our goal is to make sure that everyone with the talent and drive to lead has the opportunity to do so,” said Jolly. “By tracking these data on a regular basis, we can see where progress is being made, where it is slowing, and how the industry can keep opening doors for all capable leaders to rise.”
Key Findings
- Gender Representation: Women comprise nearly 59% of the hospitality workforce in 2024, yet they remain underrepresented in hotel leadership. At the director level, the gender ratio is nearly equal, but representation significantly declines at higher levels of management.
- C-Suite Roles: Women occupy about 25% of C-suite positions but are particularly underrepresented in investment, development, and technology sectors. At the partner or principal level, women constitute only 13% of leaders, with men outnumbering them almost seven to one.
- Black Leadership: Representation of Black leaders in director-to-CEO roles stands at 2.1%, slightly down from 2.2% in 2022, despite Black professionals making up 16.7% of the industry workforce. The data shows a drastic drop as seniority increases: there is one Black C-suite leader for every 68 executives and one Black CEO for every 102 executives.
- Board Composition: Women hold 28.4% of independent board positions, which is slightly below the Russell 3000 average (30.4%). Meanwhile, Black directors comprise 11.2% of board members, down from 12.6% in 2022, although this is close to the S&P 500 average of 12%.
- New Appointments: Remarkably, half of the newly appointed board directors were women, and there was an equal representation of Black individuals. However, with board turnover at only 5.4% annually from 2023 to 2025, the pace of diversification remains slow.
“These latest findings provide a clear baseline and underscore the importance of our ongoing work to ensure everyone has access to rewarding careers in hospitality,” stated Kevin Carey, president and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. He emphasized the commitment to opening doors and creating pathways to address industry needs.
The AHLA Foundation supported this report, continuing the partnership with the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Funding was also provided by the Walter J. Conti Visiting Professorship within the school.
For further insights into the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, inquiries can be directed to Donna Quadri-Felitti at dlq3@psu.edu.
About the AHLA Foundation
The AHLA Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, dedicated to enhancing the industry’s most valuable resource: its workforce. Through initiatives like FORWARD, the foundation aims to advance women in hospitality, fostering leadership development and community engagement.
