Wellness is not a luxury to Jenesis LaForcarde. It’s an imperative. “Because I’m so busy and I work in the corporate world, I understand how important it is,” she says. “Self-care for me means trying things I haven’t done before.” Whenever she is traveling, LaForcarde builds in the time to explore a wide breadth of hospitality environments. But no matter where she goes to reset, one thing stands out: “I am always the only woman of color,” she says. “I would go to these wellness resorts and would be the only Black woman there.”
Because of this lack of representation in the wellness space, the 28 year old was inspired to conceive the Jenesis House, a wellness concept centered around minority women. LaForcarde touts the Prescott, Arizona-based project, which is in its funding phase, as a new standard in self-care by emphasizing inclusivity. Yet, despite inspirational figures like Salamander Hotels & Resorts founder and CEO Sheila Johnson to emulate, LaForcarde finds herself in a small pond of Black women aspiring to be independent hotel owners. “It’s such a small community,” she points out. “We all know each other.”
A rendering of the Jenesis House in Prescott, Arizona from Jenesis LaForcarde
Recent initiatives like AvroKO’s Hospitable Bridge aim to amplify diverse voices in hospitality. Launched last year, the program from the New York-based design firm is dedicated to supporting female founders of color who are working toward positive change in hospitality. Hospitable Bridge’s pre-seed investment ranges between $15,000 and $50,000. Among the inaugural benefactors is Kiki Monique, founder of Think Forward Society. “I launched Think Forward Society as a company focused on DEI training for the hospitality industry,” she says. “The program with Hospitable Bridge allowed [us] to expand beyond our initial aim to add new mediums that could further the company’s mission and goals.” According to Monique, the seed money has served to further legitimize Think Forward Society, adding “necessary back-office requirements of setting up a business, including building our website, crafting a digital presence, and developing our DEI resources and other brand content,” she says.
In addition to empowerment, an earnest investment in diversity from hospitality brands serves to honor—and take advantage of—the significant contributions Black travelers have made and continue to make to the industry. At the close of the 20th century, Black Americans spent nearly $30 billion on global and domestic leisure travel. By 2019, their contributions to the industry exceeded $109 billion, according to MMGY Global. “Brands can begin to respect the influence the Black community has on trends and pop culture and the spending power of the Black dollar,” Monique says. “[They should] not only leverage this influence but pay it forward with consistent investments in Black businesses and startups.”
Clockwise from top left: Kendra Plummer, Elise Capital; Damon Lawrence, Homage Hospitality; Jenesis LaForcarde, Jenesis House; Angela Clarke, Marriott; Aaron Anderson, the 26 Co.; Kiki Monique, Think Forward Society; Tracy Prigmore, TLTsolutions + She Has a Deal; and Andy Ingraham, NABHOOD
Racial barriers have spurred Kendra Plummer, founder of investment firm Elise Capital, to become her own biggest advocate in an industry where Black Americans are outnumbered. “We’re not just a minority in this industry but underrepresented, meaning there are other minorities doing well in this industry,” she says. Today, more than 60 percent of hotels in the U.S. are owned by members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), which raises questions about why Black Americans still find themselves underrepresented in an industry where other minorities have thrived.
From funding issues to educational gaps, eight hoteliers, investors, and hospitality leaders unpack the resources available, the support still needed, and what the next generation of Black hoteliers and investors can expect.
Money Moves
The Jenesis House line of lifestyle goods is a tool that further promotes LaForcarde’s emerging brand while providing funding to help realize her dream. “The first time you talk to somebody, they’re not going to give you $10,000. You have to be consistent,” she says. “People of color, especially because there aren’t many of us, are trying to get into this industry, and we really need financial support.”
LaForcarde notes the learning curve of building relationships with banks as particularly fraught. Despite having the money to close on a property, the bank can pull out at any time. “A lot of things aren’t in your hands and that’s why having investors and partners is so important, especially for people of color who are trying to break the glass ceiling and change the narrative. If we don’t have monetary support, banks are not going to look at us, or even call us back.”
Even hospitality veterans insist funding is as glaring a problem as ever. “Access to capital is the number one issue African Americans are having,” says Andy Ingraham, president, CEO, and founder of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers (NABHOOD). “The issue is not that African Americans aren’t interested in the hotel business. The problem is they’d never been exposed to the ownership side of it.”
The lobby bar at Marriott’s Moxy Oakland Downtown, designed by C McKEOUGH unLTD.
Without proper guidance, ownership can be a trial by fire. Just ask TLTsolutions founder Tracy Prigmore, who pursued commercial real estate while working as a healthcare executive. Gleaning information wherever she could—conferences, online resources—Prigmore’s first hospitality property, a Comfort Inn & Suites, went under contract in 2008. But when she was denied a Small Business Administration loan, Prigmore was uncertain of what to do next. “I didn’t have a mentor to ask, ‘What do I do?’ I was naïve,” she says. Prigmore turned to information sessions from major hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott for help, but there was a limit to the aid available. “I heard they wanted to get more women and people of color into ownership,” Prigmore recalls. “They tell you about all their brands and they may have one person talk about financing, but how do you connect the dots?”
Prigmore now does her part to support Black women as the founder of She Has a Deal, an organization that empowers clients with a roadmap to becoming hotel owners. “She Has a Deal came about because of the challenges I faced, and I could see how I could actually elevate women in the space,” she says. “I’ve been to many conferences. There are panel discussions and great networking, but there’s not really [a step-by-step guide].” Prigmore curated a self-study curriculum, as well as a lineup of industry luminaries who share wisdom along the way. “I take these complex issues and put them into a framework that’s digestible,” she adds.
Community Building
Damon Lawrence, founder of Homage Hospitality, “didn’t know this was going to be a career path until after I was already out of school,” he says. “Once I figured out hospitality was my route, there were a few people—not as many as I would’ve liked—who were helpful and allowed me to dream big.”
With Homage, Lawrence is focused on celebrating Black history and catering to Black travelers. Take the Hotel Gordon in Albany, Georgia, Lawrence’s second hospitality project since launching the four-room Moor in New Orleans in 2018, which he has since sold. Expected to open later this year, the hotel will be housed within an early-20th-century structure near Albany State University, one of the largest HBCUs in the country, and feature a design by Chicago firm Curioso that draws on the setting’s legacy as a civil rights epicenter.
A rendering of Homage Hospitality’s Hotel Gordon, set to open in Albany, Georgia this year with a design by Curioso
“Real estate takes a long time [to build a] solid track record,” he says. Indeed, a track record is a pivotal asset when wooing investors, which is yet another challenge when building a portfolio takes time. Especially for newcomers, connections are key. “What’s helped tremendously is being connected to as many people as possible who are doing what you’re trying to do,” Lawrence adds. “Those introductions go a long way.”
Companies like the 26 Co. are trying to revolutionize and demystify the sector through a range of management, analytical, and optimization services that maximize asset value and facilitate more fluid dynamics between all parties in hotel development. “When we created the 26 Co., the first thing in mind was community—having people to talk to, resources to access, and knowing that you can reach out to your peers,” says cofounder Aaron Anderson, who notes that coming into his own Black hospitality circle is a newfound benefit. “All the people I talk to daily, I met in the last two years.” While building a community may be essential, “there is not a sense of commitment to real equity,” Ingraham says. “Since Black Lives Matter, you’re seeing some movement—but obviously not enough.”
To Plummer, equity can be dispensed through advocacy, especially for those who feel direct support eludes them due to limited representation. “This is all relationship-based. People have better relationships with those who they can relate to,” she says. “If we had more people creating different types of thinktanks or programs that lend that support—even if it’s just vouching for a person—that could make a huge difference.”
“It’s not just good for your spirit,” Monique says, “it’s good for business.” She points to data gleaned from Bank of America Private Bank Research, which found diverse businesses to be five times more profitable on the national average.
Trusted Advisors
Opportunity can be a significant blind spot for Black hoteliers, and a lack of awareness about career tracks and community makes the journey more complicated. Marriott International is among some of the major companies working to enhance equity for Black hospitality students. In early 2021, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation provided Howard University in Washington, DC with a $20 million endowment to launch the Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at the historically Black college, which is dedicated to helping the industry build leadership talent in hospitality.
This kind of program would have been beneficial to a Howard alum like Lawrence. “I didn’t know much about the industry, especially from an ownership side,” he says. “I knew the ins and outs of operations, but I knew nothing about capital and buying a property.”
Lawrence and Anderson both got their start in onsite operations but were eager to take on more. Despite higher-ups taking notice and encouraging them, “I was so fearful because there was no one who looked like me,” Anderson says. “I was scared to mess up.”
The Lodge at Sonoma Resorts’ lobby reinforces the surrounding nature with earth tones and floor-to-ceiling windows
Representation is just as important as community building. “Diversity begins at the top,” Ingraham says. “Just as they ensure their vision to make money is instilled in everybody down to the front desk clerk, the same commitment has to be made to giving opportunity to more diversity in our industry—and therefore making it a better industry.”
NABHOOD has established its Roadmap for Diversity in partnership with Cornell University to create a guide for building more opportunities and executive leadership positions in hospitality for people of color. The platform also showcases diverse talent, making it easier for brands to connect with individuals. “It’s the number one issue we hear about. If a brand is looking to find a diverse candidate, we are going to direct them to where they can look,” he says.
Like NABHOOD, organizations like AAHOA and lodging giants like Marriott, Hilton, and Host operate their own internal databases of diverse suppliers to reaffirm their commitment to collaborating with diverse businesses. In addition to social programming like networking and mentorship opportunities, Angela Clarke, vice president of global procurement for Marriott, also highlights internal initiatives that work to expand diversity. “We have a Committee for Excellence, which is a subset of our board of directors, and they focus exclusively on setting goals for and tracking diversity and progress,” she adds. “We are always looking at ways to maintain the momentum and ensure that diversity isn’t a buzzword, that we’re continuing to provide opportunities for women and people of diverse backgrounds. It really does start at the top.”
Future Generations
Even with a mounting trove of tools for leaders and newcomers to wield, LaForcarde says the time is now for investors to walk the walk when it comes to assisting the next generation of Black hoteliers. “It’s easy to get people to hear your story and tell you to keep going,” she says. “The hardest part is getting that money transferred to your bank account.”
The lounge at the Moxy Oakland Downtown leads to a stage with ampitheater-style seating
Like LaForcarde, Ingraham reflects on standing out alongside his peers through a lens that incentivized him to become an agent of change. “I remember my first time going to ALIS [the Americas Lodging Investment Summit],” he says. “There were 2,000 people, but maybe five Black people. A Wall Street Journal reporter asked me if I felt lonely. I said, ‘No, because people were [kind] and inviting.’”
Plummer welcomes the attention as an underrepresented presence to command a conversation. “There are times you’re going to be the only one that looks like you in a room,” she says. “That’s not discouraging to me because I have a passion for this, and I know I do belong here and have a purpose in what I’m doing.”
Monique agrees that a strong sense of self is the most underutilized—and underestimated—tool hospitality novices have at their disposal. “Be yourself. Don’t assimilate,” she says. “Your uniqueness is part of your value.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s April 2022 issue.
