Does gender matter for hotel performance? Evidence from the Italian hospitality industry

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between gender and profitability in the Italian hospitality industry during the period 2008-2017. The study examines whether female executive managers have any significant effect on the performance of hotel firms. Gender differences result in female underperformance when performance is measured by firm size. Within a bivariate model, findings show few differences when growth and profitability are compared by gender. When a regression model is designed to control other performance determinants (demographic, financial, and family variables), women-managed hotels outperform those managed by men for hotel growth.