Elizabeth Ramírez: Opportunity Creator at Aimbridge LATAM
From reception to operations management of a hotel group: the operations director of Aimbridge LATAM is a figure that inspires us to choose and reach new goals
He was studying at Álvaro Obregón High School when he began working as a receptionist at the Hampton Inn & Suites Monterrey Norte Hotel. Despite her young age and the fact that it was her first work experience, her talent and initiative prompted her to climb through various hierarchical levels very quickly: reception supervisor, reception manager, accounts receivable, sales… practically, for all areas of the organization.
In general, general management positions are filled by people between the ages of 30 and 40. For Elizabeth Ramírez, the opportunity came much earlier. At the age of 23, she began an administration training and, at the age of 25, she managed to become the general manager of one of the hotels of the Prisma Hotel Group. A few years later, she managed another hotel brand within the same organization. She always took on bigger challenges, with hotels that had more complex market situations and more rooms.
The company grew and Elizabeth grew with them again. After acquiring several properties, she was invited to participate as a cluster manager with more than one property under her responsibility; Later, she was promoted to regional operations: now she was in the central offices and was in charge of integrating properties into the portfolio, standardizing processes and management models to what was already done within the company.
During her time in the position she was involved in openings, brand conversions for Hilton, Marriott, Wyndham and a few other independents. Today, she is director of operations and has run the company for four years.
A choice that changed his course.
It was always an option for her to study tourism. At first, she also considered the possibility of studying psychology and architecture: she was very interested in architectural design and the idea of restoring old houses, and even now.
She chose to pursue a technical degree in industrial design as a first approach to this type of art, but she ruled it out: “I loved design, but I wasn’t very good; I realized that my classmates had more ability than me ”, she confesses.
The clash of interests with her abilities and the desire to explore all that she could achieve and know thanks to tourism, made her decide on this area. She today has a degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Mexican Institute of Tourism.
“Tourism is a window to the world. It is what allows you to take a look at other cultures, people, ways of life and landscapes that you do not imagine exist.”
When she remembers the past, Elizabeth Ramírez reflects on her foray into the workplace at an early age. Her having worked while she was in high school allowed her to appreciate what life cost and the opportunities, she identified how competitive the world was, and she faced the challenges that were presented to her alone.
“Working at an early age allowed me to measure my strength, and I saw the need to develop skills that I didn’t know I had”
For those who come
The director of operations of Aimbridge LATAM feels honored and committed to occupy a position of high responsibility. She knows there are people watching her work who are betting that if she does her job well, maybe other women can do it too.
For this reason, she seeks to be a figure that inspires her and that allows them to access opportunities. He considers that there is still much to do: there are many years of lag in terms of gender equality and many challenges to face, but he is confident that the best thing to do is to start taking action, to demonstrate, with the hope of leaving the paths open so that more women achieve even more than she has achieved.
“The women who started this path before me sowed the seeds for us to have more opportunities, fairer and more equitable. I seek to do the same.”