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SVP at Marriott Global

Kristen Conry

Woman

of the

Month

FROM

A TEEN’S

POINT OF VIEW

By Miya Schaffner

Serves on the boards of Changing Worlds and 826 National, nonprofit organizations dedicated to youth arts and writing

Explanation of job as SVP at Marriott Global

“As a SVP at Marriott, I lead our global designs team here in the United States and Canada. We now have about thirty-seven brands that range from small limited hotels up to luxury level hotels. My team is a group of architects, interior designers, and project managers who guide the design process, protect the integrity of our brands, and partner with our outside owners and design consultants. My team is on the brand side, meaning we make sure the promises we’ve made to our guests and brands go through. At any given time, we have thousands of projects going on. Currently, in the United States and Canada we have about fifteen hundred new hotels in the pipeline, along with over one million rooms, so the team and I stay busy!”

As the leader of an immense team, how do you effectively manage so many people?

“It’s actually easy because of the really amazing people that work with me! I have fantastic leaders and champions for our brands. I’m so fortunate to have an awesome team work beside me, because I certainly can’t do it all by myself. Every studio has a leader and brand champions who are the go-to experts on these brands. It really comes down to being surrounded by really good people, and that is not unique to my world - anywhere you lead, you have got to have great leaders working alongside you.”
What do you look for in a leader?

“Someone who comes with a vision. That means someone who can inspire the team, bring a point of view, and drive us forward. I believe those people have an almost contagious charisma - not overly charismatic, but they have a real passion for what they do. The second thing I look for in a leader is diplomacy. A lot of what we do is navigate a number of different complexities and relationships in these deals to get the right outcomes and results. A big part of that is being able to forge strong relationships and work collaboratively. The third thing is solid people leadership. A leader needs to know not just the technical process, but also how to communicate that and teach it to others.”
What struggles have you encountered as a woman with a leadership position in hospitality?

“When I started at Marriott there really weren’t any other women at this level of leadership in the design world. When I first arrived my boss was a man, the people all reporting to me at the vice president level were all men, and my partners were all men. However, I don’t necessarily think of it as a struggle and my team has told me that it’s really meaningful for them to see a woman in this position. Marriott has a really strong culture of inclusion and support, which is something that we’ve continued to focus on. So I didn’t feel that being a woman was a struggle but I do think it was a course of progress and inspiration to others.”
Advice for younger female generations?

“As young women are thinking about what they want to pursue, I’d say follow your passion, or the things that you’re naturally drawn to. The things that don’t feel like a hassle to do is where you’ll find satisfaction. Focus on the importance of communication and storytelling because you can have a ton of amazing ideas, but if you can’t communicate them they won't go anywhere.”

Fun Facts

“I love running and cooking/baking. Fitness, wellness, and food are some of my favorite things. I also love decorating cakes, and it’s a fun challenge to find fun cake designs and then try to recreate them.”
Favorite Marriott hotel?

“We have so many amazing hotels, and there are so many I haven’t been to, but lately I’ve been to the Moxy in New York, where they have bunkbed rooms. It really brings youth and fun back, especially when traveling with kids. I love when we have unique room types that think about how people travel, so I always go back to the New York Moxy!”