How can corporations make travel more inclusive?

Travel can be an incredibly enriching experience. It can help us open our eyes, learn about new ideas and different cultures, rest and relax, reunite with friends and family, and facilitate effective business.?However, travel isn’t always an easy and inclusive experience. For many people, that experience can range from anything from difficult and stressful to outright dangerous.?

I wanted to take a deeper look at the barriers to inclusion and how hotels, airlines, car rental firms, and others in the travel and tourism sector can make the experience more inclusive.?This is a huge topic, and it would be impossible to cover every angle, perspective and lesson learned in a single article, so I’ve focused on a couple of key themes.?

Corporations in the industry can have a big impact on creating more inclusive travel experiences, and this in turn can positively affect their bottom line.?However, to do so, they first need to engage and learn from diverse perspectives to identify, understand, and ultimately mitigate the barriers and challenges that are within their control.?

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Identifying Barriers to Inclusion

This article was to some extent inspired by a recent meeting with the Chief Diversity Officer at 凯悦 who shared the fantastic progress the organization has made both in advancing DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) internally but also in creating a more inclusive experience for their guests.?It was impressive to hear how they have leveraged their Employee Resources Groups (ERGs), or as Hyatt calls them: Diversity Business Resource Groups, to provide insight and develop solutions.

As a gay man I’m all too familiar with some of the challenges to inclusion in travel and have often been in uncomfortable situations or even totally avoided visiting certain destinations.?However, I only bring one perspective and set of experiences that relate to my own identity.?

So, I decided to take a leaf out of Hyatt’s book and ask the members of EAB and Seramount 's ERGs about their experiences with inclusion in travel.?I was overwhelmed with responses and incredibly grateful for the number of colleagues that took the time to share deeply personal stories. I learned so much from their feedback, and it served as another great illustration of how ERGs can be a tremendous asset to help understand diverse experiences and drive business impact at any organization.?Here are just a handful of the insights I garnered through this exercise:

Airports can be a horrific experience

A concerning reoccurring theme experienced by so many of my colleagues (particularly People of Color, people with disabilities and neurodivergent individuals) was bias, discrimination or other non-inclusive experiences at airport security and border control.?A colleague with a disability spoke of preferring to drive or take 18-hour train rides to avoid TSA, where she was regularly subjected to abrasive body searches despite warning officers that she has a piece of surgical metal in her body.?There were countless accounts from People of Color of being singled out for invasive screenings. One colleague also described bracing herself every time for the “uncomfortable situation of the Black hair inspection” and another Egyptian-born respondent shared that she always feels the need to cover her tattoo when passing through security in the US due to the Arabic writing.

Certain destinations come with increased challenges

Many respondents expressed fears around traveling to certain countries and regions where the risk of discrimination is greater.?One gay colleague traveled with his husband to Rwanda where they made sure to remove their wedding rings, go through immigration separately, and introduce themselves as “friends” (which many others even said they did while traveling within the US). Other LGBTQ+ colleagues simply said they would never consider traveling to certain countries where same sex relationships are illegal or there are high levels of overt discrimination.

It's not just the LGBTQ+ community that faces these challenges when traveling to higher risk destinations.?Women also had significant concerns around safety in traveling to certain parts of the world where macho culture is rife.?A Jewish colleague described removing his Star of David necklace before traveling to Dubai.?People of Color also face heightened discrimination in certain parts of the world, or even certain parts of this country.?For example, as a Mexican, my husband has significant anxieties about traveling to certain rural places in the southern US and this was echoed by many in our ERGs.?The negative experiences my colleagues shared weren’t always overtly aggressive.?A Black colleague shared a story of her travels to Thailand where tourists from other Asian countries were fascinated with the color of her skin and attempted to secretly take pictures of her. This made her incredibly uncomfortable – an experience she described as “jarring”.

Corporations can’t necessarily directly solve for this first set of barriers to inclusion in travel where certain challenges are political, institutional, legal, or sociocultural. Corporations, for example, cannot decriminalize same sex relations in the Middle East.?They cannot eliminate deep rooted sexism from national cultures.?They can’t change airport security or immigration protocols.

However, the experiences my colleagues shared highlighted many other difficulties that ARE within corporations’ control:

Checking in for flights, hotels, trains, and car-hire can present challenges

Many LGBTQ+ colleagues expressed significant discomfort and anxiety about checking in at hotels with their partner.?Dismay was shared about hotel communications frequently directed to “Mr. & Mrs.”, or honeymoon destinations solely promoted with images of straight couples. One respondent shared the story of a trip with his husband to a luxury hotel in Lithuania where the receptionist insisted it was a mistake that they had booked a king bed and moved them to a room with two twins. ??Another colleague described feeling incredibly nervous about arriving with her partner to a small BnB in rural Virginia:?

“My nerves probably could have been saved by something as simple as a little Safe Space type icon on the website. Even if a nondiscrimination statement was included in the terms, you can never really tell if that's just boilerplate. A slightly more visible indicator tells me ‘Ah, they care enough about my comfort to choose to put this reassurance where I can see it’." ?

In terms of air travel, while there has arguably been significant progress in accessibility for some more visible disabilities (for example access to wheelchairs and in-terminal transfers), several respondents with ‘hidden disabilities’ (such as neurodivergent individuals) highlighted the stress, anxiety and sensory overload caused by boarding a plane.?Although some may qualify for pre-boarding, guidance is still somewhat vague, and fees are often charged.?One autistic colleague shared their experience of trying to request accommodations to board early at a busy airport:

“First, the reservation form online only asked if you needed physical assistance or a wheelchair. For everything else you need to call and wait on hold — a mentally draining process.?And then showing up at the airport they offered a wheelchair. Not to mention all the people you need to speak to. It was better dealing with the "regular boarding" than all of that. It negated the benefit of reducing my stimulus. There needs to be a way to do all of this without human interaction if desired (fill out the form, get a different boarding group, etc.)”

Companies need to create safe spaces for customers

Many women travelers also expressed security concerns around hotels, particularly when traveling alone.?I received feedback from several women about feeling extremely anxious upon entering a hotel room when the shower curtain was closed.?It turns out this was also a common sentiment that Hyatt identified through engaging with their women’s ERG (and they then acted on this to change protocols so that cleaning staff now leave the shower curtain open!).?

There were also many accounts of negative, non-inclusive interactions both with staff but also with other guests, passengers, and customers (where staff did nothing to intervene). One colleague shared her experiences of discrimination and harassment as the only Black guest at a resort in the Dominican Republic.

This is just a tiny sample of the feedback from my colleagues’ travel experiences, but the overwhelming message is that there is still so much more that corporations can do to make travel more inclusive and to do so they must find ways to learn from diverse perspectives.?It’s also arguable, that by building more inclusive experiences for their customers corporations can help potentially mitigate some of the political, institutional, legal, or socio-cultural barriers to inclusion in the environments in which they operate.?This was certainly my experience when I traveled to Morocco with my husband. We were apprehensive about visiting a country where same-sex relations were illegal.?However, the highly trained staff at the 四季酒店 really helped make us feel welcome and at least provide a safe space at the hotel in an otherwise somewhat hostile environment.?

So how can corporations work to make travel more inclusive?

1.??????Double down on DEI efforts to ensure their own organizations reflect the diversity of their customer base?

Developing and advancing DEI programs is already an imperative in travel and tourism, particularly given the perennial talent drought in the sector.? 万豪酒店 CEO, Anthony Capuano, recently cited the labor shortage as “the most significant challenge being faced by the hotel industry”. ?In this context, and with general population data showing that 50% of candidates won’t consider an organization with a bad employer brand and 67% of job seekers look at the diversity of the workforce, DEI simply can’t be ignored from a talent perspective

The good news is that most large corporations have already got the ball rolling.?The majority have now created DEI policies and set up dedicated DEI teams. Many have made bold pledges and commitments.?They have started standing up ERGs, incorporating DEI metrics into broader business goals, rolling out DEI training, and launching professional development initiatives for underrepresented talent.?Additionally, many are starting to benchmark against other companies, such as through Seramount’s Best Companies List .?There are many examples of great work going on internally at organizations across the industry.

For example, 洲际酒店集团 has assigned every member of their executive team a DEI-focused goal , committed to gender parity at group leadership levels and rolled out an inclusion training program across the organization, amongst other initiatives. ? SIXT has launched a particularly bold initiative with their “Female Career Tandem ”.?The initiative means that all employees, regardless of gender, are “accompanied in their professional and personal development by a female manager for over a year”.?

United Airlines has rolled out systemwide trainings and created a mutual mentoring program that pairs leaders across levels and cultures.?The airline also recently “updated appearance standards for uniformed, customer-facing employees to reflect a modernized look and more inclusive standards to better express individuality”, a development that we have now been seeing at many other organizations, such as 华特迪士尼公司 . ?“We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected?in the?stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney” (Disney Chairman, Josh D’Amaro ).?

Some organizations have also done great work in expanding the reach of their DEI programs to better account for external stakeholders.?? 希尔顿全球酒店集团 , for example, has developed a robust supplier diversity program and now has over 2500 diverse and women owned suppliers and total of more than $221M diverse supplier spend. In 2022, Marriott launched “Bridging the Gap ”, it’s multi-year $50 million hotel development program to “help propel historically underrepresented groups in the journey to hotel ownership”.

However, in most cases there is still much more work to be done.?Diversity on the frontline often isn’t reflected in leadership. ERGs are not being developed and leveraged to their full potential to both attract, engage and retain talent; but also impact other areas of the business (we often hear of them becoming little more than social clubs).?In many cases DEI is still not yet truly embraced and embedded in the organization and instead actions are still performative.??As corporations start to look externally and strive to create more inclusive customer experiences, they can’t afford to drop the ball on their own DEI efforts within their organization.

2.??????Learn about customer experiences from diverse perspectives

While to some extent simply having a more diverse workforce and an inclusive internal culture will contribute to a more inclusive experience for customers, even that alone is not enough to really move the needle.?Meaningful progress in creating inclusive customer experiences will not just happen organically.

When I started researching this article I came with my own experience and perspective as a white, gay man.?However, just in this brief exercise of garnering feedback from our ERGs I learned so much about others’ experiences.?For example, I didn’t understand many of the challenges that neurodivergent individuals faced when taking a flight, and I’d never considered that a closed shower curtain could be a source of anxiety for some women. At the same time, many of my colleagues had no idea that same-sex relations were still illegal in places like Dubai (something that was obvious to me as a gay man).

Many organizations have started taking different approaches to tapping into diverse perspectives and gain a better understanding of diverse travel experiences.?Some have created committees and councils, such as American Airlines which recently formed its Community Council made up of seven distinguished Black leaders. The council is intended to “provide the airline with critical objective insight, perspectives and support on the challenges Black customers face”.?This approach has already led to more Black representation in dining, in-flight products and entertainment.?

It's also very important to dig into the data where possible. For example, Airbnb has conducted an extensive audit of metrics like “booking success rate ” to better understand where both conscious and unconscious discrimination exists in customer experiences.?

However, one of the greatest opportunities for better understanding diverse experiences and perspectives is through engaging employees and activating ERGs .?Again, Hyatt is a fantastic example of a corporation doing just that.?Hyatt’s approach is that “each DBRG should be focusing on inclusionary goals and objectives that ultimately influence business results in the categories of workforce, workplace, and/or marketplace.”

Hyatt is by no means the only organization that has leveraged their ERGs in this way.?And as illustrated, ERGs aren’t the only source of diverse perspectives.?But regardless of the approach that corporations take to garner insight, what’s most important is what they do with it…

3.??????Translate insights into action to create more inclusive travel experiences

To turn those insights into more inclusive customer experiences, corporations need to listen and learn, and then act to implement change.?This involves commitment and participation not just from DEI leaders and ERGs, but from stakeholders across all business lines.?

?Airbnb, through Project Lighthouse , is possibly one of the best examples of a corporation in the sector that has taken concrete action to create more inclusive experiences for customers.?The company has created a resource center to help hosts learn how to foster belonging including tips for hosting guests with accessibility needs and advice for welcoming LGBTQ+ guests.?Also, Airbnb reports removing 1.3 million people from the platform for “declining to treat others without judgement or bias” – that’s a pretty bold demonstration of their commitment and values!?Finally, their humility in stating “there’s still a lot more work to be done” is realistic and commendable.?

Disney has made numerous changes thanks to feedback actively sought from ‘cast members’ around the world.?For example, in 2021 a number of rides with racist connotations were “rethemed”.?Disney has also made strong inroads in creating more inclusive experiences for neurodivergent individuals by partnering with firms specialized in neurodivergent accessibility to start providing break areas for overstimulation, companion bathrooms, and attraction details that gauge level of stimulation.?

Marketing and Communications departments also have a key role to play, both in promoting organizational progress in DEI, as well as being inclusive in the way they position their brands.?A highly visible commitment to DEI, such as through displaying awards or sponsoring charities and events can help reinforce a sense of inclusion and belonging, and inclusive imagery in advertising can arguably have an even broader impact on society at large.?For example, airlines like 汉莎航空 , Alaska Airlines , and avianca have started deploying a number of airplanes with special Pride livery to demonstrate their support of the LGBT+ community and rainbow flags are frequently seen at hotels and other establishments.?

Hilton is a particularly noteworthy example of a large corporation doubling down on inclusive marketing.?For instance, the company has consistently leveraged the insights of their Pride TMRG (Team Member Resource Group) both to help create “even more meaningful and inclusive travel experiences” and also develop much more inclusive marketing.?In general, Hilton has strived to leverage images of diverse guests stating, “we’re proud to depict and reflect our guest diversity in our advertising”. Perhaps one the most memorable examples is Hilton’s 2016 advertisement in Travel + Leisure featuring a gay couple at a Hilton property.?The ad inspired the wrath of right-wing hate group, The American Family Association but was incredibly meaningful for millions of members of the LGBTQ+ community.?

Delta Air Lines , in addition to ensuring the use of diverse imagery around race, gender, age, families, couples, abilities, and types of activities in its own advertising, is even going one step further.?Through their “Faces of Travel” initiative, the airline created a “collection of visual assets that showcases a diverse range of travelers in various destinations that breaks away from stereotypes”. They’ve made this available to Adobe Stock’s 3 million+ users at no cost.?

It’s also critical to ensure that communications channels are accessible.?For example, I recently met with a DEI leader at Choice Hotels International , who shared how the organization leveraged insight from members of their ENABLE ERG to improve website accessibility.?

All that being said, it’s important for marketing and comms to ensure that well-intentioned attempts to celebrate diversity and inclusion don’t cross certain lines and end up causing offence.?There are far too many examples of marketing missteps involving cultural appropriation or insensitive language or imagery.?There are subtle nuances, careful wording is important, and seeking out diverse perspectives can help avoid potentially damaging blunders.?

There is some great work going on in travel and tourism to advance DEI for the workforce, customers and other stakeholders.?However, truly inclusive experiences also involve more than just displaying rainbow flags or BLM stickers.?There’s still a LOT more to be done, and progress here hits the bottom line.?In the face of economic headwinds, it’s important to emphasize that staff turnover is costly, and inclusive travel experiences will directly impact revenues.?Now is not the time to pump the breaks on advancing DEI in travel and tourism – instead we should be doubling down on investments and efforts to create more inclusive experiences for all of our stakeholders.

While this article has focused on travel and tourism, so many of the lessons learned around the best approaches can also be translated to other industries, such as retail and hospitality.

Diverse people have diverse experiences and different customers face different obstacles, many of which we might not be aware of. It’s imperative that we find new ways to garner insight and learn from their perspectives, and then take bold action to create more inclusive experiences, safe in the knowledge that not only is this the right thing to do, but it’s also critical from a business standpoint.??