Meet Mr. April: Michael Frenkel, President, MFC PR

We’re celebrating Michael Frenkel as our Mr. April because he’s not only a sharp, strategic voice in hospitality communications—he’s also using that voice to push for real, lasting change. As co-founder of the Women’s Innovation Council alongside Georgine Muntz, CEO of Visual Matrix, Michael is helping to spotlight the gender gap in hospitality leadership and tech, and create space for collaboration, visibility, and action. He’s also not afraid to take a stand on tough issues, from AI bias to the urgent need for the industry to tackle human trafficking.

A natural storyteller with a sharp sense of purpose, Michael reminds us that being an ally isn’t just about showing up—it’s about speaking up.

We caught up with Michael on his recent visit to London to hear more about what drives his work, why communications is central to innovation, and how men in hospitality can be better allies to women—starting now.

You have such an impressive career in travel and hospitality — communications consultant, business advisor, incomparable connector. Tell us a little about your journey and what drew you to this industry in the first place?

It was happenstance, really. Coming out of college, I worked in public affairs/community relations and had the opportunity to found a civic advocacy organization for a group of business leaders in Hawaii (not a bad gig!).

One of the gentlemen I was working for happened to own one of Honolulu’s elite luxury resorts, then branded the Kahala Hilton, and he officed me part time out of the property.

I got to see a hotel from the inside – a place where people came to learn, do business, relax and which provided adventure and opportunity both for guests and employees.

In other words, I learned that a hotel can be much than a place to just sleep or meet – a community gathering point, a place for the exchange of ideas and perspectives.

It was love at first site.

Last year, you co-founded the Women’s Innovation Council with Georgine Muntz, CEO of Visual Matrix, what was the spark behind starting this initiative? Was there a particular moment when you said, 'We have to do this'?

The moment was when I realized, having represented dozens of hospitality technology companies and brands in the past dozen years, that Georgine was the first woman CEO in the industry I had ever worked with.

How could this be possible?

When I learned that she had started a similar group in another industry she worked in, we dug deeper into her experience and realized that there is an intimate connection between the spirit and ethos of collaboration that women leaders bring to the table – and the kinds of progress we need to achieve to better integrate technology solutions with one another, and solutions with hotels, in our industry.

In other words, there is a direct – though not always obvious - connection between collaboration and innovation.

The Council was born.

What are you most proud of when you look at what the Women's Innovation Council has accomplished so far?

Just raising awareness of the gaps and the needs have been huge. We’ve spoken at several industry conferences and events, and conversations about the goals of the Council never fail to ignite a spark – among women and men both.

So we’ve established the need for this kind of organization and count close to 100 executives worldwide as members. And we’re adding more members, and more insight, every week.

Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and impact decision-making at all levels of the industry.

michael frenkel — Michael at the recent Women's Innovation Council meeting in Fort Worth

The Council is all about collaboration, innovation, and promoting female leadership — three areas where hospitality and tech need more energy. Where do you think the industry is making real progress... and where is it still dragging its feet?

I think you can see the progress already on stage and major industry conferences and in boardrooms. Women have a voice that they did not have, 20 years ago or even 10.

But there’s lots more work to be done.

One of the things I’ve learned since we started the Council is the power of women’s role models and visible symbols of leadership in the industry for the next generation. Advancing the cause of women is a little like a self-learning machine – the more we do it, the more it learns and builds on itself.

Again progress is being made, but we’ve really just started addressing the inequities.

Pivoting to tech, you and Georgine have talked about the dangers of built-in bias with AI. How are you seeing the Council—and the industry more broadly—start to tackle this?

This is a huge issue and I thank our friend Anna Blue for first bringing it to the Council’s attention. The point is that if AI search is in some dimension an engine for gathering all the available knowledge on a topic and that knowledge was built with insufficient points of view from womens’ perspectives, there will be a built in bias – against women of course, but also against obtaining the full truth!

I wish I could say that it is being addressed, but everything is moving so fast in AI right now, it is hard to pin down where anything is at all, on any given day.

The best we can do for the moment, is keep it on the radar screen for discussion and action among leaders.

At your recent Council meeting, you announced that combating human trafficking would be a major focus for 2025. Why was it important for the Council to take a stand on this now?

There is no single other issue I can think of, that is both a critical business priority for hotels, and a purely humane objective that will make the world a better place and promote justice.

What could be more important than that?

You’re our Male Ally of the Month, but you’ve clearly been an ally for a long time. What advice would you give to other men in hospitality who want to be better allies to women but aren’t sure where to start?

Take a look around.

Women are more than 50% of the population worldwide, and even more than that in developed Western nations.

If you are not nurturing their potential and fully leveraging all the skills and creativity they bring to the table, how can you possibly say you are running your business at optimum levels?

Besides, it’s the right thing to do.

So take a careful look around Listen. And act.

Fast forward five years: what would be your dream headline about the impact of the Women’s Innovation Council on the hospitality industry?

The Women’s Innovation Council helped the hospitality industry collaborate more, grow faster and hare its immense wealth and potential for innovation across borders.

And – like Charlie Brown on the baseball field – we had some great conversations.

Finally, because we love a little inspiration—what’s a piece of advice you've carried with you through your career that you’d want women innovators (and frankly, everyone) to hear right now?

When you get down or discouraged, remember the words Winston Churchill spoke in 1943:

"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind. ... I do not believe that the future of the world is dark. I believe that the arc of history is upward, that Providence has a purpose and a plan, and that this purpose and plan are directed to the eventual success and happiness of (hu)mankind."

Wow, what an inspiring chat. Thank you, Michael!