Allie Gill is the director of marketing for Uncommon Hospitality, a Maine-based, family-owned hotel management company dedicated to enriching the lives of guests and empowering people to reach their potential. Gill looks after the brand, voice and identity of each hotel in the Uncommon portfolio and creates strategic marketing plans to drive new guest acquisition, retention, engagement and lifetime value.

She is also a Women Leading Travel & Hospitality member! In this member spotlight, we asked her a series of questions so you can get to know her better.

  1. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
    I just finished “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara and pretty much underlined something on every page. His approach to hospitality is inspiring, especially his emphasis on creating a great culture for your team.
  2. What do you love most about the industry?
    I love being a part of creating experiences for people. It’s a big deal when someone chooses to come and stay at one of our hotels and we don’t take that lightly. And for many of our guests, it’s their first visit to Maine so it’s a lot of fun to be the tour guides to introduce them to this magical place.
  3. What is something the community may be surprised to learn about you?
    I attended four different high schools and three different colleges (and still graduated in the normal amount of time). I studied in the U.S., Italy and Australia and moving around a lot definitely helped push me out of my comfort zone and be more flexible.
  4. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?
    The best thing you can do as a leader is know yourself. And that’s actually pretty tough. I think a courageous leader is one that is intentional and aware. Aware of who they are, what their strengths are, what their blind spots are, what their biases are. And you have to be very aware of each member of your team — how they digest feedback and information, how they like to contribute, whether they feel seen, whether they feel like they belong as they are, what their potential is. It’s hard to find the time to focus on all these things but they’re so important.
  5. What’s the best way you motivate team members?
    I think it’s important to get to know everyone individually to understand what motivates them. And when you know how they like to be recognized then it’s important to be generous with letting them know they’re appreciated. Helping people work towards having autonomy and mastery in their job is also a powerful motivator.
  6. What woman inspires you right now and why?
    I just read a Q&A about Mandy Farmer, the CEO of Accent Inns, and I was really inspired by her approach to building culture. She’s really going the extra mile to look after her team and it seems to be creating an incredible atmosphere. I’m also constantly inspired by my mother and my grandmother, they spend so much of their time giving back to their community and helping others. Plus, they’re both a force to be reckoned with.
  7. Where do you believe the future of the industry is headed?
    Personalization is becoming more and more important, and I keep hearing the phrase hyper-personalization. People want to be seen, they want to feel welcomed. The more we can figure out how to do that along all stages of the customer journey, the better. I think wellness is going to continue to be a huge focus. We’re opening a wellness-themed boutique hotel in Portland this summer that’s really focused on both mind and body wellness and it’s allowed me to learn much more about how important it is to look after yourself and take time to rest and recharge. And I hope the industry is moving towards more women in leadership positions. Organizations like Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, Women in Travel Thrive and Accelerate are doing a great job, but there’s a lot of work to be done.
  8. What is one thing you look for when interviewing a potential candidate?
    Empathy, curiosity, passion. It’s usually pretty easy to see when someone has a genuine passion for the hospitality industry.
  9. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?
    That it’s OK to be vulnerable — even at work — and that sharing what’s going on in my life and allowing other people to help is way better than struggling in silence.
  10. What’s your favorite podcast?
    I’ve been listening to “My Favorite Murder” for years and years. Every morning I listen to “Up First” from NPR; occasionally I catch up on TravelBoom’s “Hotel Marketing Podcast” and I just found “Healthier Together”, which I’ve been loving.
  11. What values are most important to you as a leader?
    We just solidified our core values at Uncommon Hospitality, which I align with personally: Take good care, be intentional and embrace the journey.
  12. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
    That I take way too many photos every day, especially of food and drinks. I also take videos every day for my one second diary; I love capturing all the small moments of each day.
  13. Do you prefer to work in the office, at home, or hybrid?
    I enjoy a hybrid. I tend to spend a few days in the office, a few days at home and then at least one day a week I work from one of the hotels so I can see firsthand what’s happening on property.
  14. Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to?
    That’s a hard one. My husband and I got engaged in Salzburg so that city will always have a very special place in my heart. We also met while working in a Belgian beer café together in Australia so any place we can go to taste delicious or unique beers is a lot of fun.
  15. What is a top item on your bucket list?
    Fogo Island Inn, Nimmo Bay Resort and Satellite Island are high on my list at the moment. I love the journey of getting to remote and unique destinations.
  16. What do you do to recharge?
    I put on a great playlist, turn it way up and walk, run or sing in my car. Something about having the music up loud enough to drown out any thoughts is very calming.
  17. What is your biggest accomplishment?
    I’m really proud of my relationship with my husband. We’ve been together for over 10 years and have experienced a lot together. The last few years of struggling through infertility has only brought us closer. We’re a great team and good at communicating and I’m excited for what the future holds.
  18. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
    Ask a lot of questions, find great mentors, take courses, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and never stop learning.
  19. What gets you up in the morning?
    New adventures, new things to learn — and coffee.
  20. What do you like most about being a member of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality?
    I’ve been able to meet so many inspiring women through this organization. I’m still in the very early days of my career and it’s been a great resource to meet others.

If you would like to become a Women Leading Travel & Hospitality member or need additional information about our organization, click here.