📝 usncan Note: Frances Kiradjian’s Influence On The Travel Industry Knows No Limits
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Frances Kiradjian has long been an advocate for women in hospitality.
BLLA
When it comes to the travel industry, Frances Kiradjian has “been there, done that” numerous times over. She has pioneered several groundbreaking initiatives including the systemic change of the way people traveled, eventually leading to the contemporary boutique movement.
As one of the one most influential leaders in innovating the travel and hospitality industries for nearly four decades, her experience spans from hotel booking technology, to third party travel programs to radical and advanced marketing strategies. In addition to this, she’s been a tireless advocate for the advancement of women in the hospitality industry.
Kiradjian started her career handling some of the country’s largest companies for CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel) such as Disney and Toyota. From there she created a hotel marketing program called CCRA and sold it 15 years later to create the BLLA (Boutique Lifestyle Lodging Association) which launched in 2009. It recently changed to Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association to support the growth of the boutique community into other verticals such as boutique restaurants/bars/retail/ coffee houses/galleries.
Kiradjian recently discussed her illustrious career including her integral role in the contemporary boutique movement.
Globally, women make up over half of the hospitality workforce.
TIEWN
What prompted your interest in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality has always been more than an industry to me. It’s a human connector. From the very beginning, I was fascinated by how travel transforms people, creates memories and connects cultures. On my initial international flight many years ago, my brother assured me that traveling provides unparalleled opportunities to encounter diverse cultures and environments. Best advice ever. Through my travels, I saw boutique hotels in particular as cultural storytellers, offering authenticity in a world leaning toward sameness. It just wasn’t ‘me.’
It’s also an industry where women have historically carried enormous influence. Globally, women make up over half of the hospitality workforce (51–58%), one of the highest representations of women in any sector. Yet even early in my career, it was clear that while women powered the guest experience and decision-making, they weren’t represented equally at the top. That realization became a lifelong driver: to help elevate independent hospitality and ensure women’s influence translated into leadership. I also felt a sense of responsibility to our industry, as there weren’t many supporting the progression of women’s careers. You can see more about this sentiment in my blog article.
Boutique hotels are a force in the hospitality economy.
getty
Explain your integral role in the contemporary boutique movement.
Sixteen years ago, when I launched BLLA, the term “boutique” was dismissed by many as a trend. I knew it was a movement and we were perfectly situated and supported to lead this movement. We built BLLA as the voice and global association for this sector, legitimizing boutique hotels as a force in the hospitality economy. Today, boutique hotels are recognized as innovators, shaping culture and guest expectations worldwide. They are the leaders.
As part of this work, I’ve also advocated for diversity in leadership, particularly on BLLA Conference stages, because authenticity and creativity thrive when a broader range of voices are at the table. Yet the numbers reveal the work still ahead: only about 22% of C-suite roles in hospitality are held by women, and just one in 31 CEOs is female. At BLLA, we’ve proven that when women lead hotels, authenticity, emotional resonance, and financial performance all strengthen—core principles of the boutique movement.
TIEWN gives senior women executives a trusted global network.
TIEWN
What led to the founding of TIEWN—the Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network?
I founded TIEWN because I saw a profound gap. Women make up the majority of hospitality employees and are the driving force behind travel decisions—82% of travel planning and purchases are made by women—but they’ve historically been underrepresented in boardrooms and C-suites. At the same time, there wasn’t a global organization to lead this movement.
TIEWN was created to close that gap, giving senior women executives a trusted global network where they could share knowledge, mentor one another and advocate collectively. While women hold about 30% of executive roles in hospitality, only 7% of CEO and chair positions are female. That disparity is not sustainable for an industry so heavily powered by women, both on the frontlines and as consumers. TIEWN is about ensuring that those shaping travel and hospitality decisions are equally shaping their leadership.
Women now hold about one in four C-suite roles.
AHLA
What is the outlook for women in the hospitality industry?
The outlook is promising, but it requires structural commitment. On the consumer side, women dominate—more than 8 in 10 travel decisions are made by women, and in many families, it is women who drive hotel and airline bookings. On the leadership side, progress is being made and women now hold about one in four C-suite roles in hospitality, up from just one in six a few years ago. Still, only 23% of board seats in top hospitality companies are held by women, and the pipeline to CEO remains thin.
Encouragingly, alliances are accelerating visibility and advancement. Combined with the work of TIEWN and BLLA, I believe the next decade will see women not only increasing their presence but also fundamentally reshaping what leadership looks like in travel and hospitality. Women aren’t just asking for seats at the table anymore—they’re building new tables and inviting others in.
By the Numbers: Women in Hospitality & Travel
- 51–58% → Women’s share of the global hospitality workforce
- 22% → Women in C-suite hospitality roles
- 7% → Women in CEO or chair positions in hospitality
- 23% → Women’s board representation in leading hospitality companies
- 82% → Travel decisions made by women
- 1 in 4 → Share of female C-suite leaders in hospitality today (up from 1 in 6)
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