On 23 June, Tania de Anta opened the 1st National Forum of Women in Hospitality at the CIO Mijas school with the talk «The future of hospitality is also written in the feminine». A first-person account of what was said, by her and by the other speakers, at a very full day.
01 — The setting
What the 1st National Forum of Women in Hospitality was
On Tuesday 23 June, the CIO Mijas training school hosted the 1st National Forum of Women in Hospitality: a day conceived as a space to reflect on the role of women in restaurants, hotel management, training, entrepreneurship and sector communication.
It was organised by the National Reference Centre (CRN) for Hospitality, under the motto «Inspiring leadership, driving talent, building the future».
02 — My talk
The future of hospitality is also written in the feminine
I opened the forum with the inaugural conference. I shared some of the arguments I have been making on this blog from the start, and which carry particular weight at a forum of women in the sector: the operator who survives the next three years is the one who understands that profitability means analysing, at the same time, what happens inside the business and what happens outside it, in the context and in the customer. Brand macroeconomics and microeconomics.
I argued for the need to analyse constantly how businesses evolve and what customers are asking for, in order to adapt to an increasingly competitive environment. The operational question is always the same: what could be improved, and where is the customer — what do they need, what makes them happy, and how do we give it to them. And now, the answer runs through AI.
Artificial intelligence should be understood as a support tool capable of optimising processes — never as a replacement for human judgement.
I insisted on what I repeat every time I have a microphone in front of me: AI does not work without human judgement. It is an ally for growing businesses and optimising procedures, but only if people learn to use it well. The tool is accessible to everyone. The judgement to steer it is not.
03 — The other voices
What leading figures in the sector said
Panel on female leadership
With Pepi Flores (Restaurante La Huerta), Elena Arias (Hard Rock Hotel Marbella), Marta Suárez (Bodegas Quitapenas), Sandra Mérida (Chef Republic) and Ingrid Mateo (Microambiental). Five very different careers with a single thread running through them: authenticity, persistence, empathy, charisma and passion as the marks of the kinds of leadership that are working.
They agreed on the importance of teamwork and on the need to overcome the stereotypes and biases that still exist in the sector.
Panel on talent, training and innovation
María Herrero (B Bou Iconic Hotels), Maite Geijo (wine sector), Vanesa Alarcón (Hotel Barceló) and Raquel Hidalgo herself (CRN for Hospitality). They spoke about entrepreneurship, digital communication, gastronomic tourism and new professional skills — and all of them insisted on the same thing: continuous training is what keeps a company’s ability to keep moving forward alive.
Hidalgo left two lines worth keeping. The first: we have to move from human resources to humans with resources. The second, on AI: it should be our ally so that we can spend more time on people. That second line sums up, more cleanly than many manuals, what we have been saying on this blog about judgement applied to technology.
Panel on training and employability
The round tables closed with the discussion devoted to new opportunities for women in hospitality, with Rocío Agudo (Leonardo Hotels), María José Reyes (Andalucía Nexus), Cristina Guerrero (training expert), Beatriz Zambruno (Team Feher) and Rosario Rodríguez (CRN for Hospitality). The big theme was the one everybody knows: how to attract and retain qualified professionals in a sector short of staff.
04 — What I took away
Stated reflections, the day after
What I confirmed: the sector is crying out for authentic leadership, not textbook caricatures and empty speeches. And this sector has first-rate leaders — highly trained professionals with spectacular careers, fresh ideas, business vision and a great deal of empathy. We are in very good hands.
What I take with me: a follow-up list with several of the professionals I met, confirmation that the argument for AI with judgement that I have been making connects with a sector that is asking for exactly that, and a reminder of how much it adds to listen to someone doing your same job from a different place. A day I am deeply grateful for, and one I would recommend to any hospitality professional with curiosity.
Special thanks are due to Raquel Hidalgo for promoting this brilliant initiative and organising it with such care and professionalism.
