WASHINGTON – The American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLAF) – a philanthropic organization that aims to elevate, educate and empower the hospitality workforce – today released the 2022 “Diversity of Hospitality Industry Public Boards” research report. Aiming to create an industry “as diverse as the guests we serve,” this research aligns with AHLA’s 5-year, $5 million commitment to advance DE&I across the hospitality arena.

The research findings represent data about hospitality industry public company boards after reviewing 30 companies and 262 board members. They reviewed 10-k filings on corporate brands of public hospitality companies based in the United States. Using a data range of six years to track progress, some of the key findings include:

  • Hospitality public company boards comprised 22.5% women in 2021. The Russell 3000 averaged 25.6 percent female board members in 2021 and will reach 27% in 2022.
  • 7.6 percent of hospitality public company board members in 2021 were African American, up from 6.3 percent in 2020 and equivalent to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
  • There are three Black board chairs, one of whom is female. Only two boards had no female representation.

Research was conducted by the Castell Project, an organization dedicated to advancing female leaders in hospitality. AHLA Foundation and Castell Project recently merged and together and share their same values of bringing diverse voices to the top.

“This research is crucial as part of the AHLA Foundation’s commitment to advancing diversity in hospitality,” said AHLAF Vice President of Workforce Development Sarah Cozewith. “As part of our merger, we are proud to welcome BUILD and ELEVATE into the AHLAF family. These programs are two shining examples that allow mid-level and senior-level female hoteliers to craft their skills and move into higher level hotel positions.”

“While there is still work to do, we are proud to see the industry making DE&I a priority and look forward to tracking continued progress in 2023 and beyond,” said Peggy Berg, founder of the Castell Project. “As we aim to advance female leaders in the hospitality industry, we continue to move in the right direction and are committed to hitting our goals.”

Click here to view the full report.

About the AHLA Foundation

AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, works to support the hotel and lodging industry's greatest asset – our people. By connecting employees, employers, and their communities, we seek to continuously nurture a culture of professional growth and belonging. When the people who work in our industry thrive, the industry thrives along with them. The Foundation is funded by grants and charitable contributions from generous individuals and organizations who want to support individuals seeking opportunities to thrive in the hotel and lodging industry. Learn more at www.ahlafoundation.org.