Aka Ali-Kerr, director of HR at Andaz Miami Beach, a Hyatt hotel has had the unique experience of working in both the U.S. and globally in Trinidad. Her story is a multicultural one.
After growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, she attended Nova Southeastern University in Miami on a full tennis scholarship. As she built her career, she stepped into HR leadership in 2011 as the director of HR at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. In 2022, she transferred to the U.S. to continue her Hyatt journey at its Andaz Miami Beach hotel.
Working in leadership at both hotels has demonstrated firsthand the impact of global culture on the workplace. Ali-Kerr shared her lessons learned in a Q&A with SHRM.
Culture doesn’t follow strategy, it follows behavior. I have been intentional to ensure what is within my control versus outside of my control. Culture, for me, is within my control, based on the people that I have the honor to lead.
What are the current challenges when it comes to leading HR in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality is normally a starter career to get experience. However, I think, after the pandemic, the hospitality industry, unfortunately, was inadvertently impacted because it was significantly derailed. There was a lot of job loss, and that created, unfortunately, instability for people thinking about coming into hospitality. After the pandemic, we have been intentional about promoting the gamut of career desires and opportunities in hospitality. It has been difficult to navigate.
How are the recent U.S. executive orders on travel restrictions impacting you?
The pool for hospitality has diminished significantly. What we’ve been doing is leveraging the H-1 visas and J-1 visas because we need talent. Because of the unique trajectory and pivots of immigration laws, it has impacted the workforce, as well. Being in Miami with a larger Hispanic and Haitian workforce, it has impacted us significantly. Hospitality is such a diverse industry — it impacts so many nationalities — and so when the immigration laws and employment laws change, it really has an impact on our selection pool.
What did you learn about culture from leading HR at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad?
I worked for Hyatt Regency Trinidad for about 11 years. We were the No. 1 in our “comp set.” What that meant is that we were able to get first pick of the top talent and of people who studied hospitality. That all went towards the culture. The impetus is culture is being engaged, which is linked to productivity, which is linked to profitability. We were able to really get a workforce that loved what they did. And when you love what you do, then the culture is now a representation of what you love to do.
Culture only happens when there's effective leadership, because everything rises and falls on leadership. Leadership is influence. The “T” in culture for me is transparency, and we were able to have that environment in Trinidad, where I ensured that the general manager and I worked closely together and we were transparent. We were intentional about sharing the “why” when we did things. The team must understand why we're doing it, because when there's understanding, then there's ownership. We were intentional about recognition.
The culture for us was engagement. We ensured that we had an engaged workforce, and we measured it, because when it's not measured, you can't manage it.
Were there any cultural differences you noticed leading HR from two different countries?
In the Caribbean, we tend to be warm and friendly. That's our nature. Because tourism, for the most part, for the Caribbean, has been what drives our GDP [gross domestic product], we have been kind of coached from a child to be courteous and say good morning, good afternoon, thank you, and you're welcome. When I came to the U.S., I found that we had to be more intentional about going through interactions: How do you greet a guest?
One time, I walked into a room with leaders, and as I always do, I said, “Good morning.” Everyone looked at me and said, “You're in a good mood.” I said, “I am, but me saying good morning is not aligned to me being in a good mood. It's what I'm supposed to do, because when you enter a space and you meet someone, you need to initiate a greeting.”
That is something that I've been navigating in the culture. Thankfully, I have positively been able to impact the culture, because culture doesn't follow strategy, it follows behavior. People have been able to follow my behavior.
“Across workers, 37% classified their organizations into the Growth Collaborator culture type, making it the most common among all culture types.” — SHRM’s 2026 Global Workplace Culture Report
I have been intentional to ensure what is within my control versus outside of my control. Culture, for me, is within my control, based on the people that I have the honor to lead. I'm a strong believer that HR is the catalyst for change.
What tips would you give fellow HR leaders during this time of change?
As HR leaders, if we say that we care, we have to show that we care. You can express that care through action.
Demonstrate consistency with accountability. If there are policies or procedures that we have established, they have to be implemented consistently. Trust is then minimized when we do not apply policy.
As HR leaders, we must first hold ourselves accountable before we hold others accountable. Accountability starts with us, and we have to remember that accountability is care. I think we will lean in more to holding our teams accountable, because we want to retain them. To retain talent, you have to give them the gift of feedback.
Lead through competence with the right attitude. By competence, I am referring to emotional intelligence and resiliency. Being excellent with relationship management, agility, and being a change agent. Those are the competencies that I think have differentiated me, and I think it's our superpower. When we're able to have these softer behavioral competencies, we have the honor to really lead and impact their lives.
Your attitude determines your altitude. As HR, we could take our teams up or we could take our teams down. Our attitude speaks volumes. When people say that you have a bad attitude, you don't see attitude, you see behavior. We have to then have the attitude so that our behavior is positive. As HR, we are the most important asset — the human asset. When we don't care, it shows.
Was this resource helpful?
Validate your HR expertise
Earning your SHRM-CP credential makes you a recognized expert and leader in the HR field.
Related Content
Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.
The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.
As artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, the demand for workers with the ability to work alongside and manage AI systems will increase. This means that workers who are not able to adapt and learn these new skills will be left behind in the job market.