Female Hotel Owners Network at Annual Industry Leadership Conference
The American Association of Hotel Owners held its fifth annual HerOwnership Conference in Nashville, bringing together women hotel owners and hospitality executives to discuss operational, financial, and strategic topics. Attendees participated in masterclasses covering financing, legal matters, bookkeeping, and portfolio growth, while also hearing from keynote speaker Simi Shah about personal branding and career development in hospitality. The event emphasized the value of peer connections and shared learning among female leaders in the lodging industry.
The HerOwnership Conference, now in its fifth iteration, addresses a recognized gap in professional development for women in hotel ownership. The two-day Nashville event combined structured learning opportunities—including sessions on legal compliance, capital acquisition, and financial management—with informal networking designed to foster peer mentorship. Keynote speaker Simi Shah, whose media platform amplifies underrepresented voices in business, connected her own trajectory through her family's hospitality background to themes of visibility and industry influence.
Leadership emphasized mentorship as a sustainability strategy for women's advancement in lodging. Directors noted that informal conversations between sessions often generated practical problem-solving, suggesting peer networks serve functions beyond formal instruction. The conference model balances skill-building in ownership fundamentals with relationship-building intended to create lasting professional support systems.
Women comprise a significant workforce segment in hospitality, yet ownership and executive leadership remain disproportionately male-dominated. Dedicated networking events may help address barriers to capital access, operational knowledge, and advancement visibility that women business owners historically face. By creating structured spaces for peer learning and mentorship, such conferences could incrementally increase retention of female leaders in hotel ownership and influence hiring practices across the industry. The emphasis on opening doors for emerging women entrepreneurs may contribute to more diverse leadership pipelines over time.