20 Questions With Jessica Bratrud, Regional Director, Birch Lake Hospitality

Jessica Bratrud is the regional director of Birch Lake Hospitality. She’s also a Women Leading Travel & Hospitality member! In this member spotlight, we asked Jessica a series of questions about both her professional role and personal life, including the woman who inspires her, her leadership style, her advice for the next generation of female leaders, and much more.

1. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
   “The Mountain is You” by Brianna Wiest. It challenged me to examine the ways we unintentionally hold ourselves back. The insights have influenced how I lead, especially when developing others. Growth requires clarity, and this book helped sharpen mine.
2. What do you love most about the travel and hospitality industry?
   The hospitality industry demands boldness. Every day is an opportunity to drive impact in real time. At Birch Lake Hospitality, I lead with both structure and instinct. I love the challenge of improving operations while building cultures that people want to be part of. This industry rewards resilience, quick thinking and authentic leadership, and I thrive in that environment.
3. What is something the community may be surprised to learn about you?
   I still get in the trenches with my team. Despite overseeing multiple properties and handling high-level strategy, I believe no role is beneath a strong leader. From front desk coverage to housekeeping audits, I stay connected to the operation because that’s how I lead effectively.
4. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?
   Carrying the weight of every outcome. Being the decision-maker means owning results even when variables are beyond your control. It also means leading through ambiguity while keeping your team focused and aligned. It’s not easy, but that level of responsibility has shaped my strongest leadership moments.
5. What are your non-negotiables when it comes to work-life balance?
   Protecting my energy. I lead at a high level, so I prioritize recovery just as much as performance. That means no distractions during family time, no skipping my morning planning routine, and setting boundaries that allow me to show up as my best self, not just a busy one.
6. What woman inspires you right now and why?
   Indra Nooyi. Her leadership at PepsiCo was a masterclass in balancing strategic growth with emotional intelligence. She made bold decisions, challenged norms, and never lost sight of her people. I admire how she navigated complexity with clarity and proved that you can lead with strength and still be deeply human.
7. What is one industry trend you’re closely tracking and why?
   The rise of independent third-party hotel management. Birch Lake Hospitality is already leaning into this shift. More owners are seeking partners who can deliver results without layers of red tape. We bring a high-performance model that balances agility with operational discipline. That’s the future — and we’re positioned to lead in that space.
8. What is one thing you look for when interviewing a job candidate?
   Composure, self-awareness, and a clear sense of ownership. You can train technical skills, but you cannot train hunger or accountability. I hire people who are ready to grow, take initiative, and add value on day one.
9. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?
   I’ve outgrown comfort. This past year has shown me that I operate best when I’m building, scaling, or solving problems others shy away from. I don’t need stability to succeed — I need purpose and progress.
10. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
    Do not play small just because others are uncomfortable with your power. That advice helped me stop dimming my own light in spaces that needed more of it.
11. What values are most important to you as a leader?
    Integrity, decisiveness and consistency. My team knows I will always be direct, always follow through, and always lead by example. Those values create clarity, which creates results.
12. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
    I build leaders. I don’t just manage teams or run properties, I develop people. Whether I’m turning around performance or scaling a market, my focus is always on creating long-term success through talent and culture.
13. What’s a tip you have for productively leading a hybrid team?
    Establish a rhythm and communicate relentlessly. I use weekly scorecards, structured check-ins, and clear expectations. When your team knows the goal and how their role contributes to it, they perform at a higher level — regardless of location.
14. Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to? Why?
    Mexico. It’s the one place where I fully disconnect and recharge. I step away from the emails, the dashboards, the back-to-back meetings, and reconnect with myself. That time away allows me to come back sharper, calmer and more effective. Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s part of how I lead well.
15. What is the top item on your bucket list?
    To break the glass ceiling by rising to the top of a male-dominated industry — and bringing other women with me. I’m currently the only woman in the company, and I don’t take that lightly. My goal is to lead Birch Lake Hospitality into becoming one of the most respected hotel management companies in the Midwest, led with purpose, performance and a new standard of leadership. I want to prove that you don’t have to look, lead or sound like everyone else in the room to own the room.
16. What do you do to recharge?
    I prioritize quiet time — planning, journaling, or simply being outside. It allows me to reset and come back with sharper perspective. I also lean into connection, whether that’s time with my husband or moments of stillness with my (very large) dog.
17. What is your biggest accomplishment?
    Leading Birch Lake Hospitality through multi-property transformations while increasing guest satisfaction, NOI, and retention. We’ve built sustainable systems and empowered local teams — results that speak for themselves.
18. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
    Stop waiting to be invited. Take up space. Ask for more. Be assertive, not apologetic. You’re not too ambitious or too intense — you’re exactly what leadership needs right now.
19. What gets you up in the morning?
    The drive to improve. Whether it’s refining a process, developing a manager, or winning back market share, I wake up ready to create meaningful change.
20. What do you like most about being a member of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality?
    This membership gives me something I rarely find in our industry — a space where powerful, capable women show up not to compete, but to connect, share, and elevate each other. The virtual events are packed with real-world insights I can immediately bring back to my team. The member content challenges me to think more strategically. And the community reminds me that I’m not the only one navigating the pressure of leadership in a male-dominated space. We’re rewriting the playbook together, and I’m proud to be part of it.