Hospitality — especially in the world of luxury hotels — can be a transformational experience. But for many women who dream of owning a hotel, it is just that: a dream. Breaking into the industry is tough, so much so that men outnumber women eight to one, according to Hospitality Investor. Why? As a result of its history as a longstanding boys’ club of who knows who and who has the money to own one.
Photography provided by Jnane Tamsna
But that’s all changing. The number of female owners bringing fresh, new concepts to the luxury hotel game is growing. Case in point: 11 of the top 50 luxury resorts around the world are now women-led or -owned — more than double from 2023, per hertelier, an online media platform aiming to inspire women in hospitality. Here, we learn the stories of three seasoned pros and how they’re raising the bar in luxury hospitality.
The growing statistics are encouraging to resort owner Meryanne Loum-Martin, one of three hoteliers that we chatted with. With no mentor or connections to speak of, she got into the hospitality world completely by accident, creating an impeccably stylish, award-winning resort that began with an old family villa. “I had no clue about the hotel business,” says the elegant doyenne of the nine-acre Marrakesh boutique resort Jnane Tamsna. “My concept of luxury is access to a personal and refined lifestyle.”
Photography provided by Jnane Tamsna
The former Parisian lawyer traveled to Moscow and London as a child, living in cities where her father — an international attorney — served as a Senegalese Ambassador. Loum-Martin’s passion for discovery and authenticity drew her to Morocco, where the blend of minarets and Moorish-tiled courtyards appealed to her sense of design.
There, she created an exotic paradise in the Palmeraie District of Marrakesh, boasting 24 rooms; acres of palm trees; five swimming pools; a well-curated library filled with books where guests can share drinks and ideas; and a dining program featuring Middle Eastern culinary delights dreamt up by an esteemed chef (his chocolate cake is legendary). The resort attracts ultra-chic guests: Naomi Watts celebrated a birthday there, and Tom Cruise secured a stay after four failed attempts.
Photography provided by Spice Island Beach Resort
Jnane Tamsna has been awarded honors in the coveted Michelin Guide, but Loum-Martin says it’s not about securing accolades. “For me, a luxurious space is where you feel happy and enchanted — where you feel connected to a sense of cultural heritage,” she explains. “A place that has the character of the stylish generations before.”
Janelle Hopkin of the legendary Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada, knows a thing or two about bringing to life a space that embodies the generations that came before her. Hopkin inherited both the hotel and her business savvy from her father, Sir Royston, a knighted businessman who lived and worked in his parents’ B & B as a boy. Building on her father’s example, she studied hospitality management at prestigious European hotels and worked at Spice Island, learning the ropes of both room and food service. Hopkin became president of the hotel in 2015, and since then, she has imprinted her own idea of luxury on the family’s elite resort: turning the island’s 21 miles of rainforests and organic spice farms into environmental and gastronomical classrooms and a sensuous spa for guests. The resort is the essence of Grenadian opulence for well-heeled wanderers who want to reconnect with nature and take in the island’s green mountains and pink beaches.
Photography provided by Spice Island Beach Resort
Hopkin says that about a third of Spice Island guests return, oftentimes with their families to rejuvenate their minds and bodies. “Young affluent travelers want to understand the culture of a location and to have more immersive experiences rather than just taking in the sun, sea and sand,” Hopkin explains. “We can truly deliver a genuine sense of place that reflects our Grenadian roots and culture in a luxury setting.”
“True luxury today must also be responsible,” says Lucie Weill, owner of Lily of the Valley Hotel in France. Undeniably, the demand for luxury experiences combining technology and mind-body awareness will only grow as Gen Z and Alpha become poised to dominate travel, according to Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report. Lily of the Valley, designed by Philippe Starck and located along the Mediterranean Sea, offers a blend of the latest tech and self-transformation. Each nature-inspired suite comes with an iPad charging on a nightstand carved from a tree, which can be used to plan nourishing meals with the spa’s chef and nutritionist. Digital detox therapy masks for destressing are stationed in every suite’s bathroom.
Photography by November Studio
There’s personalized skin care developed by a French biologist and physiotherapist, and advanced spa treatments like cryotherapy to relieve joint and muscle pain. Weill, a former marketing executive at Givenchy, insists that the next decade of luxury hospitality is all about health and longevity. “Guests no longer see wellness as a trend,” she says. “We’ve made wellness our core identity.”
“I don’t necessarily subscribe to women’s leadership being any different from male leadership,” says Hopkin. “Perhaps, from a female perspective, I can tap into my unique experiences and ways in which I can create better experiences for women.”
Photography by November Studio
Female leaders are revolutionizing the luxury hotel business because of several unique factors: an increase in top C-Suite hospitality jobs, better access to investors, greater openness to change while balancing risk and an empathy that zeroes in on a one-of-a-kind guest experience, according to a Penn State University report.
Still, there are wide disparities in the path of women who dream of owning a resort. Closing the gap means shifting what’s important in hotel leadership and how those values are developed by females in the industry. “What is asked for today is a lot of creativity,” says Loum-Martin. “And women have a lot.”
