Here we are, in the first quarter of 2025. It has been a rough year, but we have almost made it through (just kidding). There have been debates that have been flashpoints in the first quarter of the year. One that continues to play out as we honor Women’s History Month is the topic of DEI.

In the past 60 days there has been heated debate on DEI’s merits: who benefits, where it came from and where businesses stand on their practices. Groups and organizations online keep track of companies that are keeping their diversity and inclusion practices, modifying them, or stepping away completely. For example, this photo from Yahoo Finance gives a snapshot of companies that have earned customers anger and have sparked boycotts and protests:

— Source: Yahoo Finance

Aside from Disney, do any of these brands make you immediately think of “hospitable” or “welcoming”?

This will sound crass, but one of the reasons I enjoy working in hospitality space is that it has mostly been excluded from the “group chat” In hotels/hospitality the goal is for all rooms to be filled, all guests to be welcomed, and (because I’m in Food and Beverage) I want all of my dining room seats filled and to be on a waitlist every night.

Most importantly, for those leaders who are reviewing their SALT (Satisfaction and Loyalty Tracking) and ITR (Intent to Recommend) scores; your hotel scores, bragging rights, and future bonuses are dependent on the mindset of “every guest, every time.” When you factor in the industry’s labor market, it is even more important that the industry can recruit/ develop talent. Ironically, the hotel industry has continued to highlight itself as a diverse, opportunity-rich place to work because of the lingering reputation that was not always the case. Hospitality used to be the person ridiculed in the group chat as the starving artist that didn’t have a real job but now when some of these issues pop up like the dustup over things like ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scores and Associate Resource Groups, the perception of the hotel industry is one of:

That’s something the hotel/hospitality industry has always done and has always been a part of their fabric; BECAUSE of its business. We’ll just leave them alone and let them keep doing what they’re doing.

To give another example: When Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta decided to open a Chick Fil-A location in its stadium. The brand awareness was so powerful and so well known that Mercedes Benz was mocked for adding one in the building because Everyone knows Chick Fil A is closed on Sundays. The brand ethos (and principles) was so prevalent that it was rebranded so they could open for the Superbowl.

Here’s how the Chick-fil-A inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium reinvented itself for the Super Bowl | 11alive.com

A component to consider why the DEI issue is causing so much discussion: there were companies who were not engaged in conversations until 2020, made changes and moves, and are now ending their programs and initiatives. This leaves supporters and critics question the motives and sincerity behind any actions, a dangerous place to be in because you take criticism from all angles.

However, the conversation in hospitality space does tend to look different: Here there is a continued focus on “are we walking the walk” when it comes to inclusion and diversity in the workforce. An industry that has been consistent in “talking the talk” compared to other industries, but still has spaces where improvement can be made, keeping the industry in the “group chat” of how we achieve progress. On some conversations hospitality will have to balance the same sentiments we’ve had in some group conversations:

#1: This is part of our DNA and is something we’ll continue to practice,

#2: We represent people who chose our industry because of #1,

#3: There are still areas where we could do better, and continue to work towards that in our own way,

And #4: This seems like a “y’all” issue, so we’ll just do our thing until the rest of you sort it out for yourselves.

Andrew Hopson