“Be where you are,” Joelle Park from BWH Hotels

Meet Joelle Park, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for BWH Hotels, where she oversees global marketing, brand strategy, and communications, including oversight of the company’s award-winning loyalty programs and OTA strategy. With more than two decades in marketing, Joelle brings a wealth of experience, driving business results through innovative branding and an inspiring leadership style that helps cross-functional teams achieve shared goals. She has held various marketing leadership positions throughout her career, spanning brand management, portfolio strategy, customer experience, and product development.

Joelle has played an active role in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion through active participation in various employee resource groups and forums. She’s a recognized leader in the hospitality industry, having been named by Hotel Management as one of the 2024 Influential Women in Hospitality and by The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) as one of its Top 25 Extraordinary Minds.

Joelle sat down with Laura Fernandez, Sales VP, Travel & Tourism, to discuss her outlook on authentic leadership, highlight the importance of being present in the moment, and the power behind leaning on people you can trust. 

Be where you are.

Highlight: “Another thing that I’ve learned is the power of being fully present, especially in this world where there are so many distractions. I always have a notebook, and I write in every new notebook on the front page, ‘Be where you are.’ If I'm spending this time with you, then I am dedicated, all in on you. When I go to my next meeting or commitment, I want to be all in on them. Now, things come up, and sometimes we have to multitask. But when I reground in that concept, people are getting the best of me, and I'm able to leverage my skill set in the most robust way.” - Joelle Park 

Listen first.

Highlight: “I listen first, especially in a new role. I digest all of that information and strive to be a decisive leader grounded in what I've heard—data, experience—and then make decisions to help steer the team. You can do that when you are surrounded by a team of experts, which I am. And I saw leaders in particular in my career do that. I try to emulate that, asking my team what they think and observing first.”  - Joelle Park  

Lead authentically.

Highlight: “Lead authentically. You don't have to try to emulate somebody else. Take nuggets of truth and learning from everybody you work with, especically those that you admire. The confidence to be authentically who I am came later for me. I had to let go of the people pleasing and acknowledge that I can be this amalgamation of things I've learned, and put it out there. I can control the inputs, but I can't always control the outputs, so I'll do my best to bring my authentic leadership to each experience. Then, I have to see what happens from that.”  - Joelle Park 

Ask for help.

Highlight: “Don't be afraid to ask for help. Even something as simple as asking neighbors for help: ‘Hey, I ran out of sugar.’ Once you do that, guess what's going to happen? They're going to ask you the next time that they run out of something. And now you've opened the door to this community. That's a small little nugget outside of work, but the same thing applies at work. It's okay to ask for help. Showing vulnerability can be a powerful tool in making connections.”  - Joelle Park 

Stay open to opportunities.

Highlight: “Stay open to opportunities, even the unexpected ones. It's not always the next rung on the ladder or the direct line within your exact career path. It could be a hard left into something else and a door opens. This doesn't mean you jump through every door, but at least take a moment to discern whether it may or may not be the right thing. I consider my personal growth ambition, professional opportunity, and then ask ‘Where does my passion and skill set come together?’” - Joelle Park 

Look back, leap forward.

Highlight: “A mantra of mine is ‘Look back, and then leap forward,’ so you can see how there's a tie into history. Learning the history of a brand, or what makes it authentic, and then crafting the way forward, grounded in what the business needs are, where it's going, the strategic vision. That's how it all come together for me and led me to where I am now, leading portfolio marketing for BWH Hotels.”  - Joelle Park 

When you take a leap of faith, you’re going all in on yourself. And leaders like Joelle are setting the example for the women following in her footsteps. For more inspirational content from powerful women, check out the Pass the Mic page.