Tolani is known for his tremendous passion for his work for women’s sexual harassment, wage equality for women, second-chance-prison reform, and LGBTQ rights in the workplace.
Life puts you just where you need to be. For some, the hospitality industry is a lifelong goal, a way to follow in the footsteps of a family member who came before. For others, it’s a completely unexpected path. Sunil Tolani, founder and CEO of Prince Organization, falls into the latter group. “I never thought I’d be in the hospitality business, but in hindsight, many helpful experiences along the way and advice from my uncle Mr. Ashok Israni of Pacifica Host Hotels helped me get into hotels back in 2007,” said Tolani.
Before the start of the first summer in the #MeToo era, families were having frank discussions with their teenagers as they began thinking about applying for summer jobs and the pitfalls and risk of harassment in the hospitality industry, one of the nation’s largest employers of teenagers and, for one in three Americans, their first job.
Deisy Shore, a front office manager with Prince who is now in her thirties, hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be sexually harassed when she was only a sixteen-year-old server. She says guests would proposition her, write on pieces of paper their phone numbers and hotel room numbers, and invite her to their rooms. A couple of managers who wished not to give their names said during her younger years she was training at the register at a fast-food restaurant, her managers used to brush up behind her and touch her bottom several times and masturbated in front of her in the employee break room. Another said her first job was a very hostile work environment, where she felt sexualized, objectified, and unsafe and that “it will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Prince Organization regularly updates their sexual-harassment awareness training, diversity and inclusiveness being strongly committed to promoting positive workplaces where every person is safe and can grow. Employee’s welfare is their top priority where staff is family and respect, appreciation and team playing is their core tenets.
“We have a ZERO tolerance policy,” said Ms. Clark, one of the senior managers. “We make them feel safer and let them know that we highly value respect among employees and want them to find an Eden with us. We encourage young women to find their voice early on and not be afraid to speak in support of or in opposition to ideas. As we celebrate PRIDE throughout the month of June, it’s important for us to stay focused on our unified strategy and work harder than ever towards creating and maintaining equity. “Awareness, education, and ally engagement remain key to working and creating equity together, for us actually doing the work 365 days a year,” said another manager.
The company has embraced the cause of gay and transgender rights. Tolani said, “I will forever try to prove myself worthy, doing my best and doing the right thing.”
Tolani is driving his business to create a lot of social change for its work with wage equality for women and giving second chances, sex trafficking, domestic violence, racism, and more.
“I want to support people of the same sex, and they must have the right to marry the love of their life and to know their family is honored like a real family, Ultimately, I think Prince Hotels wants to do what is right for LGBTQ employees,” he said. “No one should have to live in fear that they’ll get fired from a job because of who they are or who they love.”
Neelam Tolani said, “Sunil is a perfect example of what a man should be. He is supportive, encouraging and super loving. Our sons and Prince Organization associates have an amazing role model. He endeavors to teach our children to be leaders, not lemmings.”
Mr. and Mrs. Tolani, the owners and operators of top-quality franchised hotel brands across the Americas, consider their hotel visits a special occasion. They are glad to see thousands of inspiring team members, reflecting an abundance of soul. This passion is the bond that unites them all, as they are working with their teams for service excellence delivering the most basics of life’s need—shelter and sustenance. This is much more than a job—it’s life’s true calling. The company helps inspire women to pursue their highest visions involving leadership, impact and influence.
Tolani said, “I would encourage all women to be bold, be strong, and be heard. America is not safe unless it protects and guards zealously the rights of minorities.”
“Our mission and vision are to make Prince Organization the best-in-class hospitality company for LGBT+ employees and communities so that everyone can find ways to truly thrive,” she added.
“We do not just give a job. We importantly give a place to belong,” added Neelam Tolani. Diversity has been a priority for them since their founding in 2007. “We are committed to creating workplaces that afford lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees the opportunity to earn a living, excel in their professions, and provide for their families free from fear of unequal treatment from day one. Every day in our hotels, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our employees, guests and communities we serve.”
As National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month neared an end in January 2021 , Asian American Hotel owners Association, which has approximately 20,000 members who own an estimated 70% of hotels in USA, wrote to its members that there’s no better time to get trained to spot the signs of trafficking to help save both lives and livelihoods. To help, AAHOA offered “Virtual Training Group Session: BEST Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training.”
“Hoteliers can join the movement with AAHOA, as each member can have a role to play in helping protect those from exploitation,” Sunny Tolani said. “All hoteliers should get their company and employees involved, and do their part at each of their hotels.”
