For decades, the role of hotel general manager remained largely out of reach for women. Progress is real, but uneven: Women make up 58 percent of the global industry workforce yet hold only 30 percent of leadership roles, up from 23 percent in 2019. At the executive level, the gap widens further. Only one in four industry executives is a woman, and only 7 percent of CEOs are women, according to Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management 2025 Benchmarking Diversity report.
The imbalance is notable in an industry where leadership decisions impact both workplace culture and the guest experience. Women influence an estimated 82 percent of travel decisions, yet leadership remains disproportionately male.
Research also suggests that more diverse leadership teams can strengthen organizations. Studies across industries link leadership diversity with higher employee engagement and performance, and a 2023 study by McKinsey & Company found that companies where women hold more than 30 percent of executive roles are significantly more likely to outperform industry peers financially.
Few positions have more day-to-day influence than the general manager. GMs oversee hundreds of employees across departments, from rooms and food and beverage to sales and operations, while mentoring the next generation of leaders. “The world needs diversity, and great companies are built by bringing in a variety of perspectives,” says Kempinski Hotels CEO Barbara Muckermann. “We must cultivate the leaders of tomorrow.”
In 2025, Afar highlighted women CEOs shaping hospitality at the highest levels. This year, we turn our attention closer to the daily life of a hotel: the general managers guiding teams, shaping workplace culture, and building the pipeline for future leaders. Across continents, these seven women share how they rose through the ranks and how they’re redefining leadership in hospitality today.
Shernette Crichton, Half Moon, Jamaica
Half Moon’s Eclipse wing has 57 accommodations within four buildings.
Photo by Armando Rafael
Why we love her: For building a 30-year career—and a culture of mentorship—at one iconic resort
Shernette Crichton’s ascent to general manager at Half Moon has been decades in the making. Unlike many hotel leaders who move between properties to advance their careers, Crichton joined the storied Jamaican resort in 1990, straight out of college, as a management trainee—and never left. Over the next three decades, she rotated through nearly every department—housekeeping, kitchens, front office, bars, sales, and sustainability—learning firsthand how the resort operates. “When you’ve made beds and handled a tough check-in,” she says, “you lead with respect for every person on the team.”
After serving as hotel manager, and later as director of resort operations, Crichton took the reins in 2019, one of the few leaders globally to spend an entire career at a single property.
During that time, Half Moon expanded with the opening of the Eclipse wing; navigated the pandemic; and recovered from Hurricane Melissa, while continuing to invest in sustainability, staff development, and community partnerships. Crichton’s leadership philosophy is collaborative: “None of us is as strong as all of us.”
She has also introduced initiatives that reflect those values, including partnerships with local organizations that mentor young women interested in hospitality careers. “It’s not just about giving back,” she says. “It’s about opening doors so others can rise.”
As a Jamaican, Crichton sees tourism as central to the country’s future. “This industry supports families, communities, and the future of our country,” she says. Her career at Half Moon shows what long-term leadership, built on relationships with the local community, can mean for a hotel and the people who work there.
Philisiwe Gumede, the Oyster Box, Durban, South Africa
Philisiwe Gumede is the first Black woman to hold the general manager role of the Oyster Box in South Africa.
Courtesy of the Oyster Box, a Red Carnation Hotel
Why we love her: For leading a legacy hotel into a more inclusive future
When Philisiwe Gumede became general manager of South Africa’s Oyster Box, she stepped into a property steeped in history. Set along the Umhlanga Rocks coastline near Durban, the oceanfront hotel has symbolized classic seaside elegance since it opened in 1954. Under Gumede—the first Black woman to lead the iconic hotel—the hotel is evolving for a new era.
Gumede grew up in Umlazi, watching her mother break barriers during apartheid by becoming the first woman in their community to own and drive a car. That early example shaped her understanding of determination and independence. “She taught me that dignity, resilience, and self-belief are the foundation of true strength,” Gumede says.
Her path into the industry began unexpectedly. After plans for a career in aviation fell through, she enrolled at the International Hotel School in Natal Province in 1997 and soon discovered a passion for the industry.
The world needs diversity, and great companies are built by bringing in a variety of perspectives,” says Kempinski Hotels CEO Barbara Muckermann. “We must cultivate the leaders of tomorrow.
Over the next 25 years, Gumede rose steadily through the ranks, often navigating leadership spaces where few women—especially Black women—held senior roles. “Representation matters,” she says. “When I walk into a room, I’m changing what leadership looks like.”
She now leads the first hotel in Durban to earn the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa’s “5 Star Premium” status. At the Oyster Box, she has introduced strategic planning workshops for senior leaders, strengthened regional tourism partnerships, and launched a food-waste repurposing program that supports local farmers while reducing the hotel’s environmental impact.
Gumede’s leadership style focuses on understanding and supporting her team. She has also introduced wellness initiatives that encourage staff to prioritize their own well-being.
Early in her tenure, guests sometimes assumed she wasn’t the general manager. “Authenticity speaks louder than assumptions,” she says. “Now, my track record is my introduction.”
As one of the few Black female general managers at a legacy property in South Africa, Gumede sees the role as both responsibility and opportunity. “We are rewriting the rules,” she says. “When women lead, organizations become more human—and more profitable.”
Dee Patel, the Hermitage Hotel
The Hermitage Hotel lobby exudes history.
Photo by Brandon Barré/ForrestPerkins
Why we love her: For stewarding Nashville’s historic Hermitage Hotel into its next chapter
Dee Patel didn’t begin her career at Nashville’s Hermitage Hotel in a boardroom. She started in operations, in what’s called the rooms division; it handles all aspects of the guest experience from reservations to housekeeping. Over two decades, she became the first female managing director—the title used for the general manager role—in the property’s 115-year history.
Her connection to the hotel began early. As a 21-year-old visiting the Hermitage for the first time, she recalls watching artisans carefully restore the gilded ceiling. “I felt like a kid in a candy store,” she says. That sense of wonder now informs her stewardship of Tennessee’s only hotel designated a National Historic Landmark.
Over two decades, Dee Patel became the first female managing director in the Hermitage Hotel’s 115-year history.
Under Patel’s leadership, the Hermitage completed a major reimagining in 2022, refreshing the Beaux-Arts landmark while highlighting its original architecture. She has helped shift the hotel toward a more relaxed, contemporary Southern sensibility. That change is visible in staff wardrobes designed by Nashville native Reese Witherspoon’s brand, Draper James, and in two new dining destinations by Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
“Today’s luxury is really about storytelling and connection to the past,” Patel says. “The previous version had a sense of formality that could feel intimidating. This version was meant to feel calmer and more welcoming while still honoring the property’s history.”
Patel’s influence extends beyond the hotel. Active in the Nashville community, she serves on numerous civic boards and has helped raise more than $1.1 million for the Land Trust for Tennessee. She also helped spearhead the effort to secure National Historic Landmark status for the Hermitage in 2020, timed to coincide with the centennial of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.
For Patel, leadership comes down to consistency and values. “Integrity, consistency, and accountability matter far more than any title,” she says. “People remember how you handle pressure, how you treat others when no one is watching, and whether your actions match your values.”
Myriam Kournaf-Lambert, Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nice, France
Hôtel du Couvent general manager Myriam Kournaf Lambert grew up in a hotelier family in Marrakech.
Courtesy of Hôtel du Couvent
Why we love her: For bringing global leadership experience to a 400-year-old sanctuary
For Myriam Kournaf-Lambert, hospitality has long been part of family life. Raised in a hotelier family at the legendary La Mamounia in Marrakech, she grew up immersed in the rhythms of the industry before confirming her path during an internship at the Four Seasons Atlanta.
“Hospitality is difficult to walk away from,” she says. As a child she once imagined becoming a law professor, but ultimately returned to the hotel business “because it’s a passion.”
Her ascent through the industry was swift. By her early 30s she was general manager of the Hôtel Beau Rivage in Nice. She later led the Hôtel Montalembert in Paris and served as managing director of the Coppola Family Hideaways, a collection of lodges in Central America and Italy owned by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Over the years she has worked across rooms, sales and marketing, and food and beverage—experience she credits with giving her the operational depth required to run complex properties.
Her latest chapter is the Hôtel du Couvent in Nice, which opened in 2024 after a major restoration transformed a 17th-century convent into a hotel. Working with French owner Valéry Grego, Kournaf-Lambert has helped create an experience centered on local partnerships and meaningful connections to the hotel’s history.
Throughout her career, she has also seen the industry change. Early on, she often encountered skepticism from guests who doubted that a woman in her early 30s could manage a luxury hotel. Today, she believes leadership depends less on hierarchy than on participation and humility.
As a mother, she has sought ways to make hospitality careers more sustainable for families. At Hôtel du Couvent, that philosophy includes childcare during school breaks for staff, along with thoughtful amenities for traveling families, such as changing tables stocked with diapers, child-size sleeping bags, and kid-friendly baking classes. “Mothers need space to spend time with their kids and to get a better balance between work and family,” she says.
Veronica Marquina, Awasi Mendoza, Argentina
Awasi Mendoza is composed of 17 villas.
Courtesy of Awasi Mendoza
Why we love her: For blending intuitive hospitality with operational rigor as Awasi Mendoza enters a new chapter
Veronica Marquina’s path to hospitality was unconventional. At 23, while running a small catering business, she stepped into an assistant management role at a newly opened hotel and quickly found her footing in the industry. Without formal hospitality training, she built her career through hands-on experience, guided by what she describes as “hard work, accountability, and humility.”
When Awasi acquired the Mendoza property formerly known as Cavas Wine Lodge in 2025, Marquina faced a delicate challenge. “My challenge was to introduce more structured systems and professional leadership while keeping the warmth and character of the place,” she says.
Under her leadership, the lodge is entering a new phase. Infrastructure upgrades are underway to support Awasi’s signature private-guide model, alongside new guest experiences, including an open-fire cooking space and an expanded spa, all designed to celebrate Mendoza’s culture of gathering around food and wine.
Marquina describes her approach to service as intuitive and attentive to detail. Remembering a child’s name or a guest’s favorite story, she says, helps create the sense of personal connection that defines the Awasi experience.
Even so, she is candid about the challenges women continue to face in hospitality leadership, particularly when balancing demanding careers with family life. “There’s still significant work to be done,” she says. “We need systems that allow women to build long careers in this industry.”
Ni Ketut Puspa Anggareni, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, Indonesia
Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, is an Afar 2023 Best New Hotels winner.
Courtesy of Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape
Why we love her: For bringing Balinese perspective to one of the island’s most distinctive resorts
Ni Ketut Puspa Anggareni grew up in Desa Selat, a village in eastern Bali where daily life follows the rhythms of agriculture and ceremony. That upbringing, she says, informed the way she thinks about service and community.
More than two decades ago, she began her career as a guest service agent. “I didn’t enter hospitality with a big career strategy,” she says. “I was curious and enjoyed speaking with guests from around the world. Every conversation felt like traveling without a passport.”
Like many industry leaders, Puspa rose through the rooms division, gaining experience in everything from handling late-night complaints to managing complex budgets and forecasting. Along the way she often found herself the only woman in the room, navigating environments where her authority was not always immediately recognized as a young Balinese professional.
Before taking the helm at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, she helped lead the opening of Capella Ubud’s tented camp as director of rooms, an experience that prepared her to guide another distinctive resort concept.
At Buahan, which won an Afar Best New Hotels award in 2023 and is known for its “no walls, no doors” design overlooking the jungle north of Ubud, Puspa emphasizes a style of hospitality centered around attentiveness and respect for place. “Working the front desk shaped me,” she says. “It taught me how important it is to understand how guests feel when something goes wrong.”
“In Bali, service is cultural—it’s about care,” she says. “I’ve seen guests arrive exhausted and leave more grounded. Even after two decades, that human exchange still excites me.”
Marina Krasnobrizhaya, the St. Regis Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Marina Krasnobrizhaya is Marriott International’s first female general manager in Saudi Arabia.
Courtesy of St. Regis Riyadh
Why we love her: For leading through a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia’s hospitality evolution
Marina Krasnobrizhaya’s appointment as Marriott International’s first female general manager in Saudi Arabia marks a notable moment for both the company and the kingdom’s hospitality sector. For the 17-year industry veteran, the role also carries a significant responsibility as Saudi Arabia rapidly expands its tourism sector.
A longtime Marriott leader, Krasnobrizhaya began her career as a front desk agent at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow in her native Russia, mastering the operations of the rooms division—what she calls the “soul of a hotel.” She later moved into leadership roles at such iconic properties as the Park Tower Knightsbridge in London and Hotel Arts Barcelona.
“The rooms division is where every arrival is anticipated with care, every departure is handled with grace, and every detail—seen and unseen—defines the guest’s experience,” she says.
Now at the helm of the St. Regis Riyadh, Krasnobrizhaya is guiding the hotel during a period of rapid transformation in Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector under Vision 2030, the national strategy aimed at diversifying the economy beyond oil and expanding tourism.
Her approach builds on St. Regis’s tradition of tailored service, while strengthening the brand’s signature butler program to create a more intuitive guest experience.
Krasnobrizhaya is guiding the St. Regis Riyadh during a period of rapid transformation in Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector.
“When the announcement was made that I would become Marriott International’s first female general manager in Saudi Arabia, I was deeply touched by the number of women who reached out to share their encouragement,” she recalls. “Their support reinforced that leadership is about representation and possibility.”
Within the hotel, Krasnobrizhaya has also prioritized mentorship, creating opportunities for junior staff to shadow senior managers and gain operational experience.
Rather than designing programs specifically for women, she favors what she calls a “human-centered” approach that encourages ambition while allowing space for balance. By fostering an environment where, as she puts it, “authority does not need to be loud,” she hopes to help develop the next generation of hospitality leaders in the kingdom.
Related: The Hotel Industry Has Traditionally Been a Man’s World. These 6 Women Leaders Are Shaking It Up.
