Member Spotlight: La Quinta Inns & Suites

Launched over six years ago, the La Quinta Salutes Military Initiative takes an enterprise-wide holistic approach to embracing the military. Built on six pillars, our effort starts with hiring veterans and military spouses by providing opportunities conducive to their unique skillsets, portable jobs or careers, flexibility and advancement. Putting people first is embedded in our culture, and those who have a passion for people and service fall in line with two very important core values of the La Quinta employee ethos. We also source from veteran-, service-, and military spouse-owned businesses for whom we provide 15-day payment terms, and have a special program for veterans interested in becoming La Quinta franchisees.

Over the years, we continue to learn how to best serve those who served our nation - and their families – thus, La Quinta Salutes is ever evolving to reflect and address the needs of today’s transitioning service members and active duty military spouses. Our talent acquisition team actively engages in Hiring Our Heroes’ Corporate Fellowship Program allowing active duty military to experience firsthand La Quinta’s corporate culture and management training. We also have a strong commitment to mentorship and have been selected for six consecutive years to participate in the U. S. Air Force Education With Industry (EWI) program which provides mid-career officers a year-long fellowship with vetted employers. As a founding member of the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Employment Advisory Council (MSEAC), we’ve come to know valuable aspects specific to military spouses: they have the drive to work hard and do well; they seek upward mobility, careers vs jobs; and they are well educated and often underemployed. Bringing these attributes to the forefront of hiring managers is imperative to having a positive impact on military spouse employment.

Fairly new to La Quinta Salutes is our Military Business Resource Group (BRG) which provides an opportunity for veterans and military spouses to meet other service and family members and feel connected when working within a “civilian” environment. It also provides civilian employees the opportunity to connect with members of the military community they might not otherwise have the opportunity to engage with. Additionally, the BRG will provide mentorship and professional development. An outcome for the BRG will be improved camaraderie, and understanding and communication between military and civilian employees through the sharing of military experience and skills and integrated team work on community outreach projects.

Consistent in being named a Military Friendly Employer, Military Friendly Spouse Employer by G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines as well as Best for Vets by Military Times, La Quinta Inns & Suites is committed to not only being military friendly, but military and military family “ready”.