Hilton just topped NZ's Best Workplaces list, but its HR boss says the real work starts now
Stephanie Lopesi (pictured) has spent much of the past year asking hotel staff the same two questions: “Where have you been, and where are you going?”
The answers seem to be pointing somewhere good. Great Place To Work has just named Hilton the number one Best Workplace in New Zealand, putting it at the top of a list built largely on what employees say about their own workplace. For Lopesi, regional head of human resources (HR) for Australasia at Hilton, the result caps her first year in the role. She has spent that year turning replies from the hotel floor into something close to a research program, and she credits those conversations with setting her agenda.
“The very first thing I wanted to understand was our people,” she said. “Having worked in hotels myself, I know every property has its own rhythm, culture and challenges, and I didn’t want to make assumptions from a regional office perspective.”
Her method relied mostly on restraint. “Mostly, I listened,” she said. “Before setting priorities, I felt it was important to understand our people’s experiences, aspirations and challenges. Those conversations became the foundation for many of the decisions I made throughout my first year.”
Her instinct to start on the hotel floor comes from her own career. Lopesi worked in hotel operations before moving into recruitment and HR, and she has never fully handed back the name badge.
“I still consider myself a hotelier,” she said. “While HR skills are transferable across industries, my experience in hotel operations continues to shape every decision I make. I understand the realities of running a hotel, the pressure of peak periods, the importance of delivering exceptional guest experiences and the commercial considerations behind every people decision.”
She said that background buys credibility with hotel teams “because we’ve often navigated similar challenges”. Recruitment gave her a longer view of relationships. “My experience in recruitment taught me something equally valuable: every connection matters,” she said. “The person you’re interviewing today could become a colleague, customer, business partner or even your boss one day.” Plenty of interview panels would behave better if they kept that in mind.
A question about what comes next
Lopesi said one exchange has stayed with her all year. One of Hilton’s HR leaders asked: “Stef, when we’ve completed performance reviews and team members ask where they go next, what do we tell them?”
“It was a simple question, but an important one,” Lopesi said. “It made me realise that performance conversations are only meaningful if people can see a pathway forward.”
Her answer became Hilton’s Top 10% Talent framework, “built around three principles: Identify, Develop and Mobilise”.
“Our people trust us with their careers,” she said. “They want opportunities to learn, grow, move between hotels and take on new challenges. My priority became ensuring talent conversations lead to action, not just documentation.”
Her own career runs on similar logic. She said the most valuable advice she has received was blunt: “You only grow when you’re uncomfortable.” The regional role tested it.
“Stepping into a regional leadership role meant taking on new challenges, expanding my scope and making decisions without always having a clear blueprint,” she said. “Growth rarely happens in comfortable environments. Some of the most rewarding opportunities in my career have come from saying yes before I felt completely ready and trusting that I would learn along the way.”
What the survey data is for
Asked what sits behind the Best Workplaces result, Lopesi immediately spoke to how colleagues treat each other.
“What stands out most is the genuine care our people have for one another,” she said. “I’ve seen firsthand how our teams across Aotearoa support each other, not just within individual hotels but across the entire portfolio.”
She also pointed to how clearly staff describe their futures. “Whether they’re growing their careers at Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa or looking ahead to opportunities at our upcoming DoubleTree by Hilton Auckland, they can often articulate exactly where they want to go next and what they need to do to get there,” she said. “People can see a future, and they know their organisation is invested in helping them reach it.”
Hilton is certified by Great Place To Work in markets around the world, and Lopesi treats the recognition as a starting line. “Being recognised as a Great Place to Work is something we’re incredibly proud of, but maintaining that standard is where the real work begins,” she said.
“We use our survey results as one of our most important listening tools. Whether team members tell us they need greater flexibility, better tools, stronger leadership support or more career opportunities, we have a responsibility to listen and respond.”
She said that feedback has shaped this year’s work, “including initiatives such as Front Office Summit, Flexibility 2.0, our Top 10% Talent program and investments in upgraded hotel operating systems”.
“For me, the real value of survey data isn’t the score itself,” she said. “It’s what you do next that matters.”
She has set the bar for her 12-month verdict at belonging. “I would love our team members to say they feel more connected than ever before,” she said. “Most importantly, I hope they feel known. Not just as team members, but as individuals with their own ambitions, challenges and stories.”
“If our people feel supported in their growth, can see meaningful opportunities ahead and trust that we’re genuinely invested in their future, then I would consider my first year a success.”
This article was produced in partnership with Great Place To Work New Zealand
