Red Roof® Forum on Leadership for Women Entrepreneurs Helps Females Thrive in the Hospitality Industry

"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.

About Red Roof®

Red Roof is a leader in the economy lodging industry with franchised, corporate-managed, and corporate-owned properties, serving millions of guests each year. With coast-to-coast locations, Red Roof has 500 properties in the U.S. Red Roof is also expanding internationally to Brazil, Canada, Thailand and Japan. The primary goal at Red Roof is to provide customers a savings without sacrificing comfort. The brand has been investing significantly to renovate and upgrade hotels nationwide with sleek and modern NextGen® redesign elements. The Red Roof NextGen hotels feature updated, stylish and home-like interior and exterior designs that demonstrate the Red Roof dedication to providing customers with an affordable stay in a clean, comfortable and modern room. The company is rolling out Red Roof PLUS+®, an enhanced Upscale Economy® offering at a value price, committed to "Adding More Wow to Your Stay!®". Nice Place. Nice Price® is what every consumer can expect when they stay at any Red Roof location; and because the company has a single brand in their portfolio, Red Roof also offers franchisees One Brand. One Focus™. The Red Roof loyalty program, RediCard®, is the richest in the industry rewarding members with free nights with only 6,000 points, advance notice of special offers, and complimentary bottled water each day of their stay. Traveling with your pet? Don't forget that at Red Roof 'you stay happy, pets stay free' as one well-behaved pet is welcome per room, nationwide. The Columbus, Ohio based company has more than 4,500 employees. For more information or reservations, call 800.RED.ROOF (800.733.7663) or 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

SOURCE Red Roof

Related Links

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