Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts Celebrates Women in Hospitality

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, currently operating five resorts in the Maldives, is celebrating all women in the hospitality industry this International Women’s Day on March 8, 2020.

Currently, three of the five resorts are run by female General Managers, with many additional management positions also filled by women in the corporate and resort teams. General Managers are tasked with empowering all employees and ensuring their professional development, whether male or female.

Monica Suri, General Manager of VARU by Atmosphere, (opened in October 2019), provides regular feedback and catch up sessions to all female staff, with the aim to help encourage women to climb the career ladder by setting personalised professional goals.

Ms. Suri also uses this open platform to enable women to highlight any issues and encourages an open debate on the issues surrounding women in the workplace. She says: “After a long sabbatical, I felt in a position to return to the professional world and could only have done so with the support of my family and friends. I advise my female colleagues that the best place to start is to believe in themselves and set goals – then anything is possible.”

Lisa Gerosa, Resort Manager at OZEN by Atmosphere at Maadhoo, has set up the monthly women’s forum “La Femme,” which promotes the professional development of female employees and ongoing communication between colleagues. Specific topics include free breast cancer screening offered to all female employees by the resort doctor, along with projects such as supporting local children’s homes and mental health workshops. 

Ms. Gerosa says: “We have regular Skype conference calls with female executives across all resorts, to exchange and look for ideas and ways to contribute to female empowerment within the company. These can range from one-to-one sessions with staff, to addressing female-specific professional issues, such as ensuring a good work-life balance.”

Maria Luisa Lalli, General Manager at OBLU Helengeli oversees a project involving local Maldivian women and guests at the resort. Each week, women from the local islands can visit and sell authentic, handmade items. Not only does this activity help boost women’s incomes, but also gives them more independence and confidence.

Ms. Lalli says: “Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts takes care of its female – and of course male – staff in a variety of areas. We are like one big family and ensure the company’s core philosophy, The Joy of Giving, is always adhered to. For women in leadership roles, it’s crucial that the core values of the company are coming from the top and filtered down. Success in the hospitality industry is about mutual respect, ongoing support and trust. This is what we are striving for every day and long may it continue.”

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts has consistently appointed female leaders in various management positions, across both the corporate and resort teams since the company’s inception in 2013.