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By 2034, Hospitality's Workforce Will Look Nothing Like It Does Today. Kimberly Wilson Wetty Has a Plan.
- Maria Puma
- Apr 23
- 5 min read
Kimberly Wilson Wetty has a question for hospitality leaders: are you ready for the workforce that's coming? By 2034, 80% of employees in advanced economies will be Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha — and the companies that understand them, she says, will be "so much further ahead of the game than their competitors."
It's the kind of forward-looking challenge Kimberly is uniquely built to answer. She's spent a lifetime inside the luxury hospitality dynasty established by her mother, Valerie Wilson — but her authority on what's next comes from a career of forging her own path, asking her own questions, and learning when to trust the answers.
At first, she didn't quite grasp the world her mother opened up to her. "I didn't even realize how lucky I was. Traveling well, the access."
Until the trip that would “change me forever.”
Thanks to her mother, Kimberly’s family was among the first American visitors allowed to enter China. Kimberly was a short-haired girl, not quite matured into adolescence, when she was told, “It’s a good thing you’re a boy, or you would have been killed,” referring to China’s “one child rule” enforced at the time.
That moment “stuck with me, opening my mind and how I look at the world.”
Kimberly grew up in the family business “learning every role” and could have easily progressed right into a position at her mother’s company.
But the daughter of a trailblazer wanted to forge her own way.
At 24 years old, she was hired at CIGA hotels without anyone knowing who her mother was, and rose to a level of leadership. When the company was sold to ITT Sheraton, Kimberly was responsible for closing all marketing activity and for handing over the keys to the NYC office.
Looking to her next move, she began to develop a skill that would propel her career: Kimberly started to ask questions. If she were to join her mother and sister in the family business, what could she bring to the table?
Could she make her own mark?
She scheduled a formal meeting with her mother to present an idea: “What if I start a cruise division?” It would be a completely new offering, and there wasn’t even a budget for it, but trailblazers are persistent. VWT launched “Cruises of Value.”
Kimberly advanced from the cruise division, to leading the leisure division, to heading up branding and marketing. Alongside her mother and sister, they grew VWT into one of the most recognized and successful luxury travel businesses in the world.
Looking back, Kimberly is proud of the work. “It’s not what I did, but what we did.” And she recognizes how fortunate she was. “My mom let me try crazy ideas. Some successes. Some epic fails. It was ok to try new things and to fail.”
Kimberly called it her mother’s “greatest gift.”
When it came time to sell the business, of course it was a family decision. Kimberly stayed with VWT through its sale to FROSCH Travel and then to Chase Travel. But the trailblazer wondered if it was time to set off on her own.
“Every sign said it was the right time.”
Kimberly started her own consulting/thought-leadership business, Keep Wondering Why, a nod to her initials, but also to her lifelong skill of always starting with the right questions.
From her years at VWT, she “had to get answers a million times a day, at times rushed.” For most business leaders, the “instinct is to react.” But Kimberly learned the benefits of more purposeful questions, not just to find the quick answer, but the right one.
This is the inspiration behind Keep Wondering Why and the basis for her coaching.
Her consulting dexterity is uniquely cultivated to meet this moment, from trends in hospitality, luxury, and lifestyle, to the generational shift poised to take the business world by storm. Whether leadership development, speaking engagements, or workshops for management teams, she’ll keep asking the right questions to help business leaders navigate what’s next.
And What Is Next?
Kimberly sees impending generational shifts as one of the most critical issues facing the business world.
Sharing research presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, she cited, “By 2034, 80% of the workforce in advanced economies will comprise Millennials, Gen Z and the first Gen Alphas to become adults” (Truncale, 2025). Those organizations that understand and train for a diverse workforce will be “so much further ahead of the game than their competitors.”
But what should this new corporate climate look like?
From her years working alongside her mother, sister, and brother-in-law – and now the mother of two Gen Z children – Kimberly understands the nuances of generations. The answers need to address the unique differences of each.
Gen X is the “forgotten generation” but the most entrepreneurial, and the transfer of wealth coming to this generation is critical, especially for luxury. Industries need to be ready for the transfer from Boomer to Gen X/Millennial.
Regarding Gen Z, “there is a misconception that Gen Z doesn’t want to work.” They are the “crisis generation” from 9/11 to the ’08 recession, to Covid. “The key for them is culture building… They want to understand the why and the purpose of the work. Gen Z will work hard if they believe it aligns with their values.”
Woven into this shift is also the need for a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. When Kimberly was asked to speak on trans/non-binary travel trends at the ILTM North America, it became a defining moment for her, both as the proud mom of a trans/non-binary child, and as an advocate of the community.
Kimberly believes there is a great business advantage to “embracing” diversity and “shifting the perspective to positive.” She sees herself as an “Ambassador of Generational Brand Culture” who can help companies achieve “generational readiness.”
Her advice to business leaders: “We’ve got to pay attention to Gen Z and Alpha. They are our future. They think differently. They may not be the target audience right now, but they are current and future employees who will become your customers.”
How important is mentorship? “Wildly,” Kimberly answered without hesitation.
When Kimberly joined VWT, she was struck by the respect her mother commanded in the industry. “She never turned anyone away. In the travel space, they all remember the first time they met my mother.” Kimberly realized the key was how her mother treated people.
And she is determined to continue that legacy. “I love seeing the best come out in people.”
I ought to know. When I was starting my travel business, I asked Kimberly for a twenty minute informational interview to discuss my business plan. She gave me – a newcomer to the industry – over an hour. I walked out of that room armed with more knowledge than I had ever imagined, and the validation that I was on the right path.
She helped me forge my own trail.
What’s in the Future for Keep Wondering Why?
As an executive coach, speaker, author, consultant on generational readiness, and ally for women and the LGBTQ+ community, Kimberly’s wish is for her work to be impactful.
“If I could come up with something that becomes so helpful for other people – it’s the greatest legacy I could leave behind.”
But, she noted, “If I were going to take my own advice, I don’t have all the answers.”
She’ll keep asking the right questions until she does.
