Trailblazers in hospitality: Career advancement experiences of women of Color executives in the lodging sector

This study explored the career advancement experiences of 20 Women of Color (WOC) executives in the lodging sector. The interviews with the participants revealed that they had challenging experiences and succeeded by focusing on learning all aspects of the business while receiving support from their family and professional networks. Recommendations for practice highlight the programs and strategies human resource development professionals could employ to improve the work culture and create a workplace that enables WOC to advance to executive positions. Future research could explore how WOC executives cultivate their professional networks and how different generations of WOC experience career advancement.