Life and Travel From Some Amazing Women

It’s a steamy morning at the Mayakoba resort on the Riviera Maya of Mexico. Suzanne Cohen, VP of Luxury Brands for the Americas at Marriott International, has completed a presentation on brand approach at the ILTM Americas conference — an annual collection of luxurious tour advisors and industry experts. It’s a glamorous placing, for positive, but Cohen has only flown in for a series of meetings. Before this, she went to Los Cabos to do a domain inspection on the soon-to-open Solaz, a luxury collection resort. Later that day, she’ll be off again to test out Marriott houses in different parts of the vicinity.

It’s just a slice of lifestyle for a lady whose position at the area’s largest organization includes influencing the guest experience in specific approaches. In her function, Cohen works on advertising for seven luxury brands and spearheads corporate projects, worldwide partnerships, and software improvement like “What She Said,” an event series that she created for W Hotels. “What She Said” is a month-to-month networking possibility that brings collectively dynamic women like fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg for career, touraboutscareersnstourssides all that, Cohen is a mom who cares deeply about helping other girls get ahead in the male-ruled hospitality enterprise.

Here, we communicate to Cohen approximately what it is like to be a female exec inside the resort space, get her to percentage some of her favorite advice from inspiring women who’ve spoken at W Hotels events, and find out if it’s simply OK to take the shampoo from the room.

Laura Begley Bloom: Tell me about your career trajectory.

Suzanne Cohen: I’ve labored for Marriott and Starwood for 14 years. I began doing a lot of operations and advertising at Starwood, which specializes in luxury manufacturers. Before that, I labored in advertising and the non-profit area. I became very prompted through my projects and started to travel more as my kids got older. My husband pivoted to a position that worried less about the tour so that I could preserve the journey and grow my profession. I love what I do. I travel every week, meet a lot of humans, and affect our visitor’s stories.

Begley Bloom: Tell me what programs you implemented at W Hotels to achieve your goals.

Cohen: Many successful girls stay at W Hotels. They like the hotel’s layout and aesthetic, except for our services and amenities. These ladies are developing their careers and becoming a hit increasingly. They chose to live at a W. We wanted to provide a lower back to our visitors in addition to the network, so we evolved programming with a heartbeat in the back of it that includes their hobbies in style, music, technology, and way of life. That becomes the idea behind our “What She Said” speaker collection. It’s an intimate moderated forum for learning, notion, and interchange of thoughts. It allows girls to get into the community and listen to influential ladies talk about their trips.

Most of our visitors are constant tourists seeking to proportion stories and examine from each different. They are seeking useful tips: What are your tour must-haves, how do you maintain your stable work and family lifestyles, and how do you maintain it all together? The audience participates, and we report it to podcasts so our community can enjoy them.

Begley Bloom: Tell me about the “Power Trip” collection you created in partnership with Marie Claire and Jet Blue.

Cohen: We want to create a new space for leading influential girls from unique fields to engage with the community. In partnership with Marie Claire, we chartered a Jet Blue plane with an all-woman crew to fly prominent leaders and influencers to San Francisco for a 36-hour networking extravaganza with one hundred West Coast-based ladies. They were able to begin networking on the plane. In San Francisco, they stayed at the W Hotel, where we hosted various shows and panel discussions. We love these invitation-most effective events. The essential part of it is networking. Women like to proportion, alternate memories, and advantage insights from different like-minded women on the way to control their careers and circle of relatives’ existence efficaciously.

Begley Bloom: Are your inns designed to encourage interaction among guests?

Cohen: Yes. Travelers are certainly curious and love to meet humans. Travel provides opportunities to meet human beings you don’t recognize. Our accommodations offer social areas to foster conversations. Our lobbies are designed to be comfortable with sitting and running areas. Hotel bars are meeting places where you can let your guard down a touch. Women vacationers like to be close to other human beings.

Begley Bloom: Have you seen a boom in women touring? How do their desires fluctuate?

Cohen: Research tells us that more women millionaires are on the horizon than guys. While it’s crucial for lodges to create attractive reports for each sex, ladies travelers have specific wishes. Details are critical. Women tend to love experiences that are particular and cultural. People also are working in another way. Many humans paintings from the bed, now not desks, so consolation is a massive component. Women want extra care and offerings to make their lives smoother. We deal with one’s desires by designing rooms with cloth cabinet closets, higher lights, and butler offerings. Our guests want high-end amenity products. Quality hair care merchandise is especially vital. They need to enchant each sex.

Begley Bloom: Talk to me about being a role version for your kids.

Cohen: Working moms who tour continually have guilt. I show that I can find paintings tough; nonetheless, I should be actively concerned. Work is critical. It’s suitable for them to peer me fol, lowing my expert dreams and doing something I am with which captivated witgley Bloom: What about other girls within the workplace?

Cohen: Women with infants usually ask me how I do everything. I relate to younger managers and help them navigate being a perfect mom and having a career. It is inspiring for them to lookat girls in government roles. I encourage them not to surrender their goals. I’m a working mom who leads essential initiatives. However, I am nonetheless an individual who chats about my family life. I remind them it gets simpler as they and their kids age. And with increasing government-stage opportunities for girls at Marriott, they can continue advancing their careers. I do my first-rate to be supportive, obvious, and human.

Begley Bloom: What is your biggest piece of professional recommendation?

Cohen: You must love what you do. You may be away from home loads. You may make a buddy, a circle of relatives, and social sacrifices. Always be passionate, or you’ll resent it. Have fun. There may be difficult days. However, it must continually feel exciting. To get in advance, be a good person and deal with all people in any respect tiers with respect.