What initially inspired you to get into the hospitality business?
As a residential broker of high-profile and luxury properties, I met a client who had started a hotel management company, and they were working with a large fund to acquire hotels. It started there, I sold them the St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio, and it was one of the most exciting transactions I had brokered at the time.
Who were some of your mentors or role models, male or female, and what were their most valuable lessons?
Dorraine Lallani, who works with Westmont [Hospitality Group], initially inspired me to continue in hotel brokerage by attending the ALIS conference, the NYU conference, the Lodging Conference, the Hunter Conference, and other hotel investment conferences to stay up to date and become more connected to the industry. Early on, I realized that this was a white male-dominated industry, and there is a lack of women in high-level positions, as well as an overall lack of diversity.
Today, there seems to be better representation of women and a slight increase in diversity. In my initial role as a hotel broker, I would step out of my comfort zone and ask if I could sell owners their properties, as I had developed a client list of buyers and did the work of putting deals together. The lessons I learned are, “Never ever, ever give up” and if someone says “no”, it means next. Additional lessons are to always ask for a referral and send personal notes or items of value to make sure that you will be remembered.
Can you share a few of your career highlights?
My first transaction of selling The St. Anthony in San Antonio, along with transacting properties for John Q Hammons, are some of my most meaningful highlights. My greatest work and my deepest passion is to see more diversity in hotel ownership and hotel investment—this is my work as the chief executive officer of the Latino Hotel Association.
My goal is also to bring understanding of the investment side of our industry to Hispanics/Latinos. They are a key part of the labor force in hospitality, and this is the time to advance those who desire to understand and have the capacity to look at the industry as investors.
In your opinion, how did the lodging industry perform in 2025 in terms of getting women into leadership positions?
I believe that there have been some advancements, but I see a significant lack of women in the C-suite. I also see a lack of diverse women in the industry.
What’s your outlook for 2026 and beyond with regard to diversity and inclusion within hospitality?
My outlook is that there will always be a lack of diversity and inclusion in our industry, which is why it’s crucial that associations and organizations like ours bring light to the opportunities at all levels of hotel investment.
