Abstract

The case is about the diversity initiatives by Hilton Hotels, one of the world’s largest hotel companies. Hilton claimed to have a very sound diversity program and had won many accolades for its diversity initiatives. But, over the years, it faced a number of lawsuits and negative press regarding discrimination both from customers and employees. These raised serious questions about the practices the company followed. With the motto ‘We Are Hilton, We Are Hospitality’, all the team members played a pivotal role in shaping the workforce at Hilton Hotels. Its workforce comprised people from different cultures and backgrounds who came together to create the element of hospitality for its guests. Understanding the unique needs of the guests, owners, suppliers, and partners helped the hotel to gain a competitive advantage. The case describes how some employees felt privileged and valued to come and work with Hilton and how a section of employees felt undervalued. A few customers too had complaints about having been humiliated and their dignity violated.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• To examine what discrimination is and understand different types of discrimination.
• To understand the benefits organizations derive by practicing diversity.
• To understand the challenges in people accepting diversity.

Keywords

Hilton; Employee-centric HR practices; workforce diversity; discrimination; types of discrimination; diverse organization; customer discrimination; inclusive organization