Leanne Harwood has arrived as the new president of the Accommodation Association after a thrilling journey that started behind a Queenstown bar and will soon see her running more than 150 hotels.
She now wants to take others on the same journey.
A whole-hearted advocate of everything the accommodation business offers, Ms Harwood is the first female president in the 54-year history of the association and says there has never been a better time for young people to forge a career in the industry.
She runs 110 hotels as IHG’s Managing Director for Japan, Australasia and the Pacific, with another 45 hotels opening within three years, and says there are two key parts to her presidency.
“The first is the advocacy for our industry when it comes to working with governments and ensuring that we have a voice,” Ms Harwood told Accom News.
“We need to make sure that we are well positioned with government bodies to ensure that we are thought of and supported. That is particularly important given everything that we’ve been through during COVID.
“The second part is to inspire people to come and work in our industry. It’s to build the reputation of the accommodation business and to provide a platform in training to bring in both the next generation of talent and the people returning to our industry so that we can build a workforce for the great demand ahead.”
Ms Harwood said her election as president was also a great boost for women in the industry, who had made huge advancements over the last few years.
“Not long after I started in accommodation, I was told that I wouldn’t be promoted to operational leadership because I would probably leave to have children,” Ms Harwood said.
“It’s staggering to think that those attitudes were still around then. Diversity and inclusion have been among the most profound changes in hospitality over the last 25 years.”
Ms Harwood said she had worked hard to drive change from the inside and had chosen to take on increasingly senior leadership roles.
“In doing so, I hope I’ve played a role in making it easier for future female leaders,” she said.
Ms Harwood, who describes herself as “a relentless globetrotter, avid reader and wannabe wine connoisseur”, said she was proud to become president at a “time of momentous challenge for the industry and change for the Accommodation Association.”
“We are moving into the key stages of the proposed merger with the Australian Hotels Association/Tourism Accommodation Association, and we need to ensure progress continues in the right direction to drive the best outcomes for our members,” she said.
She also paid tribute to the “significant contribution” of outgoing president Julian Clark.
The Accommodation Association was founded in 1967 and is the largest industry association, representing more than 3500 Australian accommodation providers.
Ms Harwood said she was “incredibly optimistic” about the future of the industry with COVID vaccination rates skyrocketing, the myriad of COVID safety measures now being taken in hotels, and the obvious pent-up demand for travel around the world.
“You just have to have to ask anyone who has been in lockdown for three months what is the first thing that they want to do when the lockdown is lifted,” Ms Harwood said, “and they will all tell you that after getting a haircut that they don’t have to do themselves, they are desperate to get out there and start exploring again.
“In Australia we are a country of travellers, a country of explorers. So many people just want to go travelling again to see new things and enjoy their holidays
“We’re seeing that already with bookings that have started to come through. Even if people are getting even a slight hint that the different states are getting ready to open, they are rushing to book into places where they can go away and have an experience that is not within the four walls in which they have been confined.”
Ms Harwood said with vacancy rates having at times plummeted to below 10 percent at some city properties in Australia, the rebound in the industry “brings a new set of challenges”.
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re going from very low occupancy rates to people wanting to fill our hotels and at the moment we still don’t have the staff to cope with that,” she said. “So, we are frantically going out there to hire people and getting others back into the industry.
“We’ve lost a lot of people because of lockdowns and now we’re going on a mass recruitment drive to try and get enough staff members to be able to service all of these guests.”
Ms Harwood recently told the ABC there was still a lot of confusion on how to deal with unvaccinated guests.
“We are a little bit nervous about having to have our young duty managers saying, ‘Excuse me please, can you show us your vaccination certificate,’ and ‘No you can’t come in if you’re not double vaccinated,'” Ms Harwood said.
“What happens when a six-foot burly guy refuses to show the young bartender or barista on duty their vaccination certificate?”
Read the full interview in our new print issue HERE:
Grantlee Kieza OAM has won three Queensland Media Awards, two Australian Sports Commission Awards and has been a finalist for the Walkley and News Awards and for the Harry Gordon Award for Australian sports journalist of the year. In 2019 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. You can find more of his work in our AccomNews & Resort News print magazines.
He has written 22 acclaimed books, including bestsellers Hudson Fysh, The Kelly Hunters, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash, Sons of the Southern Cross and Bert Hinkler.