Stephanie Atkisson is vice president of sales, marketing and revenue for HP Hotels, a hotel management company with a portfolio of more than 40 hotels in 17 states. Atkisson  is also a Women Leading Travel & Hospitality member! In this member spotlight, we asked her a series of questions about her career, best practices for hiring, travel goals, and more so you can get to know her better.

  1. What do you love most about the industry?
    I love that every day is different in the hospitality industry. With every day comes something new and exciting to learn.
  2. What’s something the community may be surprised to learn about you? 
    My dream was never to be in the hospitality industry. When I graduated college, my goal was to work for an advertising agency. Life had other plans for me. My first job that I got when I moved to Charlotte, N.C. was a sales coordinator for Prime Hospitality. I never looked back. I found my home.
  3. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?
    Identifying the best management style to implement with different team members to effectively produce measurable results and retention.
  4. What’s the best way you motivate team members?
    I try to provide simple steps to take each day to work towards a larger goal. Along the way, it’s fun to celebrate all the small steps.
  5. What woman inspires you right now and why?
    Oprah Winfrey because of her courage to speak the truth.
  6. Where do you believe the future of the travel and hospitality industry is headed?
    Experiential, more than just a room. Travelers are looking for unique experiences and the hotels that come up with unique packages, offerings, events will get their business.
  7. What’s one thing you look for when interviewing a job candidate?
    Passion for hospitality. There are many things we can teach in the hospitality industry, but passion to provide true hospitality and service is something that comes from within.
  8. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?
    I’ve learned so much about myself. I left the hospitality industry for a moment and during that time, my passion for the hospitality industry became very clear to me. I learned that I belong in the hospitality industry and my goal is to do all that I can to make an impact in this industry.
  9. What’s your favorite podcast?
    To be honest, I don’t listen to podcasts.
  10. What values are most important to you as a leader?
    Honesty and integrity
  11. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
    I’m a mom of two amazing boys, Aaron, age 12, and Evan, age 10.
  12. Do you prefer to work in the office, at home, or hybrid?
    I prefer to work with hotel teams on-site. I love my office days to catch up, but my favorite days are spent with the hotel teams.
  13. Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to?
    Scottsdale, AZ
  14. What’s a top item on your bucket list?
    Visiting The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs and owning my own beach condo.
  15. What do you do to recharge?
    Spend time on the lake.
  16. What’s your biggest accomplishment?
    I feel very fortunate in the opportunities that have been provided to me, but my personal favorite accomplishment was to be nominated for The Lodging Industry’s Elite Awards “Female Executive of the Year.” In the end I didn’t win, but to be nominated among some of the most respected females in hospitality was a true honor.
  17. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
    Your voice matters!
  18. What gets you up in the morning?
    A new day to do something differently, focused on being better than the day before.
  19. What do you like most about being a member of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality?
    It’s great to hear other women’s perspectives, experiences and how they have overcome obstacles.

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