Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/280564
and community reinvestment. African-American travel, tourism and hospitality lead- ers fought hard for inclusion in the annual ERI. The power of the NAACP, many thought, would serve a greater good and shine a spotlight on an industry that so sorely needed corrective measures to solve endemic economic inequities. Inclusion in the ERI came in the midst of several highly- publicized discriminatory hotel practices in the 1990s, that resulted in several large settlements, including one against the Adam's Mark for $8 million. But that wasn't the only controversy of the time. Several Black-owned media outlets sought advertising from the major hotel brands, and as you might have guessed those ad dollars were not forthcoming despite the flow of African-American dollars into the hotels. Timing is every- thing and in this case it was perfect. Linda Haithcox, executive director, National Policy Alliance and one of the facilitators of the original report believes it was a highly effective tool that helped the lodg- ing industry make "incredible progress." Unfortunately, it wasn't maintained at the NAACP. While the methodology is too complex to discuss here, the initial ERI was fraught with problems as reported in previous issues of Black Meetings and Tourism. The most glaring was that of honest self-reporting. Many hotels sim- ply didn't report data. For those who took the time, it was often skewed or the sample sizes were so small it wasn't a true reflection of the obvious; African-Americans didn't have a seat at the table. Publicizing the many poor grades received by the lodg- ing industry, and there were plenty to go around, lasted for a news cycle or two and then swept into the trash bins of history until the following year. What good was it to have such a report if the purveyors lacked the capacity to foster change? After 2008, the ERI as it applied to the lodging industry disappeared for a few years. In 2012, The NAACP Opportunity and Diversity Report Card: The Hotel & Resort Industry was released. This report was a significant improvement over the ERI. While this new report still contains a few systemic flaws from the earlier ERI, these flaws were beyond the NAACP's ability to control. The strengths and weakness of the study were well documented in the report adding to its credibility. It is the most comprehensive report to date of diversity issues faced by the lodging and hospitality indus- try, and well worth the read. Many of the issues brought to light by the new NAACP report plague other sectors of the travel, tourism and hos- pitality industry starting with CVBs. For example, the NAACP report graded supplier diversity for the top five hotel brands in the United States as compared to their com- petitors across the industry regardless of brand size. Only one, Wyndham Hotel Group received an above average grade of a "B" when it comes to African-American suppli- er diversity. Unfortunately, the hospitality industry as a whole is still in red numbers when it comes to including African- Americans in the supplier chain meaning a "B" grade is not that impressive as measured against their competitors. When it came to a hotel's governing body – meaning Board of Directors, Marriott received an "A+" and Wyndham received an "A." But that doesn't begin to tell the story. When it came to "Top Management" and "Mid/Lower Management" all five hotel brand grades fell off a cliff in terms of diversity. In fact, the 2013 report looks much like the 1998 report in large measure because of a lack of sustained effort from all parties. Haithcox believes, without question a CVB report card could prove highly effective depending on "who is adminis- tering the report card and the national impact of that voice." Roy Jay, president of the National Association of African American Meeting Professionals, and one of the earlier supporters of the ERI believes in a CVB report card and thinks it should be treated like a credit score to be updated annually. Jay also believes state tourism boards should be includ- ed in any survey. Jay supports the idea of public pressure using traditional and social media and sending report cards directly to key players in the industry. Haithcox believes a CVB reporting systems is only effec- tive if the report and its authors offer solutions. "It's not enough just to create a report; you must be willing to sit down at the table and talk." Another challenge is CVB structure. Some CVBs are pri- vately run and others receive all or a portion of their funding from the public. For those in the public sector, you typically need to deal with a local elected official or two. How you deal with an elected leader could make all the difference as to whether you have an advocate or an adversary. Taking our foot off the gas pedal has plagued the African-American community for decades, which begs the question, what entity should create a CVB report and keep it updated. Funding and underwriting most certainly won't come from the industry. Haithcox suggests strategic alliances with policy-making organi- zations. It's certainly a tried and true approach that's proven effective. It's a way to get to local, state or national leaders to buy in without public humiliation. With that said, a little public media pressure at times is necessary whether that be in the form of a highly-publi- cized boycott, or a simple mention before all organizations, associations and meeting planners contemplating doing business with a destination. A well thought-out and managed CVB report card can prove highly effective and is long overdue. 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