PR&LA Winter 2018

4  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2018 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK “PRACTICAL, PROPER, AND PROFITABLE. These are the three P’s of diversity,” said Gerry Fernandez when we first met in the mid-90s. Gerry, an executive on loan from General Mills, was in the process of creating the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), partly in response to the NAACPs 1996 hospitality industry report card, which was a wakeup call for the industry. Bristol Hotels & Resorts, where I was then vice president of employee services and administration, immediately signed onto the effort. Our numbers were already well above industry with 27 percent of our management workforce made up of minorities, but as an organization that emphasized culture, we felt it was the right thing to do. Gerry taught us that the “right thing to do,” while noble and proper, was just one leg of the stool. Gerry also taught us that the motivation for change is not always about what’s right. Workforce was an issue for us then over 20 years ago and today it’s even more challenging. As Gerry pointed out, focusing on diversity initiatives was practical because it expanded the base of potential employees, by creating an environment where people of color and those with different lifestyle choices were made to feel comfortable as employees and managers. As Gerry and I developed our diversity initiative, he pointed out that it’s all well and good to embrace diversity because it’s right to treat people right and it’s practical to expand your workforce, but ultimately your board and shareholders will want to see the return on investment (ROI). That’s where the third P— profitable—comes into play. Conventions are the bread and butter of the hotel business. Gerry made us aware of many African-American based associations that hold conventions. As a hotel company embracing diversity initiatives, this expanded our convention- marketing base. In our work with Gerry and the MFHA, Bristol doubled down on its diversity initiatives. Did it pay off? I can’t say how much of a contributing factor it was, but Bristol became a billion-dollar company—the largest independent hotel management company in North America ultimately to be purchased by IHG in 2000. All along the way, diversity was in the forefront of our thinking. When Bristol rolled out its diversity training program titled “Diversity—Beyond Color,” the mission statement was: “Diversity is the commitment to developing an environment that brings together a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspective, values, and beliefs as assets to the organization. Diversity seeks to tap the full potential of all employees, in pursuit of company objectives, where employees may progress without regard to what should be irrelevant considerations such as race, gender, or other personal attributes.” Wise words, as I see it—even 20 years later. John Longstreet President & CEO “As a hotel company embracing diversity initiatives, this expanded our convention- marketing base.” John Longstreet