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It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Advocates for You
Why sponsorship, not only mentorship, is helping women in hospitality open doors, gain visibility and advance their careers.
One of the most influential people in my career was Jerry Merkin, founder and publisher of Hotel Business. Jerry taught me everything about the hotel industry, but more importantly, he taught me the value of relationships. He introduced me to everyone he knew, encouraged me to build my own network and showed me why listening is sometimes more important than speaking.
Looking back, I realize Jerry was more than a mentor. He was a sponsor. He didn't only offer advice. He opened doors, made introductions and used his influence to help me succeed.
That distinction between mentorship and sponsorship was at the heart of my conversations with female hospitality executives at the 31st annual Lodging Conference in Phoenix.
Women are often encouraged to find mentors, build their networks and make their accomplishments visible. But career advancement isn't always determined by what happens in the room. Sometimes it's determined by what someone says about you when you're not there. That's where sponsorship comes in.
As hertelier explored in an earlier article, Mentorship vs. Sponsorship: How to Do Both Better, leadership coach Jo Miller describes a sponsor as someone willing to use their influence to advance another person's career, advocating for them behind closed doors. Unlike mentorship, sponsorship isn't simply about sharing knowledge or offering advice. It's about taking action. And as the hospitality executives I spoke with demonstrate, those actions can change careers.
“I have been incredibly fortunate throughout my career to have several people who did more than offer advice, they trusted me with opportunities, advocated for me, and encouraged me to stretch professionally. Those experiences taught me that while mentorship is valuable, sponsorship can be transformative,” said Christie Patterson, Vice President of Development at InterMountain Management.
For Patterson, one of those sponsors was Eric Jacobs, then Chief Development Officer for Marriott International's MSB Brands. Rather than limiting his involvement to career advice, Jacobs gave her opportunities to take on new challenges, demonstrate her capabilities and gain visibility.
Nancy Johns, SVP of Commercial Strategy at Spire Hospitality, credits several influential women with helping shape her professional journey, including Margie Sitton at Starwood; Melissa Maher, Tracy Mercer and Tara Stangle at Expedia; PJ Snowden at Pyramid Hotel Group; and Dawn Gallagher at Crescent Hotels & Resorts.
Johns recalled how Snowden brought her in to lead Pyramid's eCommerce team, while Gallagher advocated for her promotion to senior vice president during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing the work her team had done on behalf of hotel owners during an exceptionally challenging period.
“That is what sponsorship looks like, and it changed the direction of my career,” Johns said.
Their experiences illustrate what makes sponsorship so powerful. A sponsor doesn't simply recognize talent. They are willing to put their own credibility behind someone, whether recommending them for a promotion, assigning a high-profile project or introducing them to people who can influence their career.
At Concord Hospitality Enterprises, Helene Okabe, Senior Vice President of Business Development, credits CEO Mark Laport, COO Will Loughran, CFO Julie Richter and Chief People & Culture Officer Debra Punke with supporting her progression from Director of Sales & Marketing at a Renaissance hotel to her current senior leadership position. Their willingness to challenge her and trust her with new responsibilities helped create a pathway for advancement over time.
Importantly, effective sponsors can be both men and women. What matters is having leaders who recognize potential and are willing to act on it.
Sometimes Sponsorship Starts Small
Tammy Bateman-Nilsen, Senior Vice President at HREC, entered hospitality at a time when there were fewer women in leadership positions. Her most influential mentors were men, and she recalled having to work harder to establish herself professionally.
Those experiences helped shape her commitment to supporting other women and ensuring they have access to opportunities that may not have been as readily available earlier in her career.
Interestingly, Bateman-Nilsen experienced sponsorship at The Lodging Conference itself. When several colleagues encouraged me to include her in this article rather than themselves, she recognized the gesture as a meaningful example of advocating for someone else.
It was a small but telling reminder that sponsorship doesn't always involve a promotion or formal leadership opportunity. Sometimes it begins with recommending someone for recognition, making an introduction or ensuring their work receives attention.
That same spirit of paying it forward emerged throughout my conversations.
Patterson makes a point of introducing talented women to others in the industry, helping them gain visibility and encouraging them to pursue opportunities that may initially feel beyond their comfort zones.
Johns has mentored women both informally and through programs such as HSMAI Rising Leaders. She also views industry events, including Women Leading Travel, as opportunities to connect with emerging professionals and help ensure their accomplishments are recognized.
For Bateman-Nilsen, paying it forward includes supporting Sally Cremer, a former HREC analyst who had long expressed an interest in becoming a hotel broker in Florida. Cremer has since advanced to Vice President at HREC's Tampa office, where she specializes in hospitality acquisitions and dispositions. Bateman-Nilsen has supported her career journey by sharing her experience, industry relationships and guidance as Cremer navigated the transition.
“It's not just about offering advice or encouragement. It's about creating opportunities, advocating for one another, and being genuinely invested in each other's success,” Bateman-Nilsen said.
Anna Peretz, Director of Architecture, Design and Construction at Sonesta, also sees supporting the next generation as an important responsibility.
“Aliya Khan has been my longtime mentor and a trusted voice in my career. She has helped me navigate important decisions, offering thoughtful guidance, perspective, and support,” Peretz said.
Khan's example has influenced how Peretz supports junior designers and students, encouraging them to understand not only the creative aspects of hospitality design but also the business considerations that influence hotel ownership, operations and long-term performance.
“To me, mentorship and sponsorship are closely connected, but sponsorship requires taking that additional step to advocate for someone's potential,” Peretz said.
Making Sponsorship Intentional
While individual relationships remain important, some hospitality companies are finding ways to make sponsorship a more intentional part of leadership development.
At Concord, Okabe co-chairs the company's Emerging Leaders program, a selective yearlong initiative that pairs high-potential managers with senior corporate leaders. According to Okabe, this year's cohort includes 20 participants selected from a competitive pool.
The program goes beyond traditional mentoring by asking participants to identify specific development goals, including executive presence, communicating with ownership, building professional networks and gaining visibility. Senior leaders then help create opportunities to support those goals.
Concord has also expanded the curriculum to include financial acumen and artificial intelligence, recognizing that preparing future leaders requires both professional relationships and the business skills necessary to advance.
Okabe, who also co-founded Concord's women's initiative in 2020, sees these efforts as an opportunity to bring greater visibility to talented women throughout the organization.
Making sponsorship part of leadership development helps ensure that advancement isn't dependent solely on informal relationships or chance encounters. It also challenges leaders to think more intentionally about whose names they put forward for promotions, challenging assignments and industry recognition.
For women looking to advance, building relationships with potential sponsors starts with doing excellent work, making accomplishments visible and being clear about career goals. But sponsorship is a two-way responsibility. As hertelier has previously explored, you can't simply appoint someone your sponsor. Leaders must be willing to step forward, recognize talent and use their influence to create opportunities for others.
As I reflect on the lessons Jerry taught me, I am reminded that relationships are among the most valuable assets we build throughout our careers. What I understand now is that their greatest value isn't simply who we know, but what we're willing to do for others.
Mentorship helps people grow. Sponsorship helps them move forward. And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for another woman is say her name in a room she's not yet in.
