As part of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality’s 2024 Top Women in Travel & Hospitality report, which features in-depth interviews with leading female executives from across the industry, we asked honorees several questions, including “How do you define and communicate your long-term vision for both your personal leadership journey and the success of your organization?” Here are a few of their responses:

“Success requires teamwork, and teamwork requires trust. At the end of the day, you need to have a solid foundation of trust in your organization to achieve optimal results. Passion is equally indispensable. Pursuing what you’re truly passionate about intertwines your professional and personal successes. Collaborating with individuals who share this passion creates a powerful force, making it significantly easier to articulate and communicate a long-term vision. By remaining true to the broader goals and core values of an organization, leaders can foster a unified approach which resonates with and inspires those responsible for executing ambitious strategies.” –Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO, Orient Express, Chief Strategy Officer, Accor Group

“I’m a big believer in the importance of articulating a clear and compelling vision. This involves defining the strategic objectives and core values that will guide the efforts, alongside my leadership team. Communication is key, and I strive to ensure that our collective vision is not only understood but also embraced by the entire brand. Then, I use every avenue — team meetings, town halls, one-on-one discussions — to reinforce a sense of shared purpose and direction to ensure we’re staying aligned and on-track. This is a team sport, and doing it together is what makes all the difference.” –Laura Hodges Bethge, President, Celebrity Cruises

“The long-term vision of my personal leadership involves setting clear direction, guiding others, and fostering an environment of growth and adaptability to achieve sustained success over time. During my career, my leadership style has evolved into what I describe as a ‘guide’ philosophy. This style emphasizes supporting team members rather than dictating tasks. I’ve found that this approach nurtures confidence, promotes a collaborative environment, and creates a sense of shared responsibility within the team. As a guide leader, I focus on helping the team navigate challenges, develop skills and achieve success rather than simply giving directions. On occasion, the journey to success is a straight line from point A to point B, however, in most cases success is a path that includes peaks, valleys, twists and turns. My contribution to this success and long-term vision is to simply guide the team to summit success together.” –Beth Butzlaff, Senior Vice President, Partner Relations, Ensemble

“I’m a people-centric leader and always look to identify people’s potential and grow them. I’m also a strategic leader who sets a long-term vision and a road map to achieve our goals. I have an amazing leadership team with diverse perspectives and it’s super important to me to involve
them in the long-term strategy for our company. I hold multiple planning sessions each year so we can outline our key priorities, evolve initiatives as needed, and execute. Communication is key and having the entire team rallied behind one set of goals leads to success. We hold quarterly town halls and I send monthly emails to my team to keep everyone up-to-date and to reinforce our vision.” –Andrea DeMarco, President, Regent Seven Seas Cruises

“My vision for my leadership journey revolves around leading by example. I believe in demonstrating a positive attitude, showing a willingness and commitment to undertake challenging tasks, and being dedicated to fostering an environment of encouragement to empower and
inspire others. Regarding the success of the organization, my vision centers on creating a culture of inclusiveness, where open dialogue and input are actively encouraged, and members view the organization as a platform created for collective success based on collaborative effort.” –Nia Gilliam, Pilot, United Airlines, Co-Founder, Sisters of the Skies

To hear more from these women leaders (as well as other honorees) on additional important topics related to both leadership and the travel and hospitality industry, download the full report, 2024 Top Women in Travel and Hospitality.