DENVER, March 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In recognition of International Women’s Day, RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) an innovative hotel company focuses on the franchising, management and ownership of upscale, midscale and economy hotels, is celebrating the Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL) group, a program developed to foster a culture of inclusiveness and mentorship for women who work at the Company. The program is a testament to RLH Corporation’s commitment to the professional development and growth of female leaders within the organization.
According to research commissioned by the American Hospitality & Lodging Association, more than half of all hotel employees are women, more than 80 percent of family travel decisions are made by women and more than 70 percent of university hospitality students are female. Despite those statistics, there are very few females in influential roles across the industry. RLH Corporation is committed to leading the charge to change the status quo.
The WILL program is open to all women within the organization and is designed to empower participants, mentor female employees to grow in a supportive sub-environment of the organization, support building a foundation of responsibility, exemplify a commitment to place women in a position to take on further key leadership roles and allow women to share what they learn in workshops and pay it forward.
“A driver of WILL is to continue to be progressive in workplace opportunities for women and our entire organization,” said RLH Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Mount. “WILL will benefit the entire organization, from the corporate office to the property level, as well as how our brands resonate with the diverse traveler population.”
“The program is based on the vision of our CEO, Greg Mount, to foster leadership among women in the organization,” says RLH Corporation Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy Amanda Marcello, who is leading the program. “RLH Corporation desires an outlet for women throughout the organization to discuss various personal development initiatives, from leadership to communication to fostering strong peer-to-peer relationships throughout the organization, to foster mentorship connections and collaboration.”
Participants explore a collection of personal growth topics using TED Talks and articles as learning materials. Group participants are encouraged to choose a short-term goal each month based on the topic, journal, and share their results. Participants are encouraged to share their learning and growth with their teams.
Developing programs like WILL are consistent with the idea of empowering all employees, not just women. In 2018, California became the first state to pass a law requiring publicly held corporations to have at least one woman on their board of directors. RLH Corporation already surpasses that quota with Ms. Amy Humphreys and Ms. Bonny Simi serving as directors.
“RLHC is certainly an empowering company for women and I would add also for all employees,” Humphreys says. “I wouldn’t limit the impact just to women. If you consider what RLHC represents and the culture that its leadership is building, the organization is very progressive and empowering. RLHC is seeking individuals who want to make a meaningful difference and who are passionate about their careers.”
Simi believes diversity only makes the company stronger. “When you think about travel, the majority of people who book are women,” she says. “So, it is very important for a company to have a strong match to the customer base. It just helps make better decisions to have different perspectives and different backgrounds at the table. Diversity brings stronger decisions out of a range of experiences, opinions and ideas.”
Empowering women, fostering peer-to-peer relationships and developing new leaders at the corporate level are all significant steps in making RLHC an even more progressive and close-knit company. These steps will make the company stronger in the future.
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About RLH Corporation
Red Lion Hotels Corporation is an innovative hotel company doing business as RLH Corporation and focuses on the franchising, management and ownership of upscale, midscale and economy hotels. The company focuses on maximizing return on invested capital for hotel owners across North America through relevant brands, industry-leading technology and forward-thinking services. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.rlhco.com.
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