In Brief: The AHLA Foundation has named Jagruti Panwala as the 2026 recipient of the Peggy Berg Castell Award, which honors women who have made significant contributions to the hospitality industry and promotes gender diversity in hotel leadership.
Honor Recognizes Women Trailblazers in the Hospitality Industry
The AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), today announced that Wealth Protection Strategies President and CEO and AHLA Executive Committee member Jagruti Panwala will receive the Peggy Berg Castell Award for her leadership and commitment to elevating women in the hospitality industry. A trailblazer, mentor, and advocate, Panwala will receive the award on October 7 at The Lodging Conference 2026 in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Peggy Berg Castell Award honors the career-long commitment of Castell Project founder Peggy Berg to accelerate the advancement of women to leadership positions in hospitality.
Through an independent group of industry leaders and stakeholders, Panwala was selected as the seventh recipient of the AHLA Foundation’s annual honor. Its recipients are principled female leaders that embody the qualities and ideals of changemakers and champions of gender equity and pave the way for future generations of women to attain leadership roles.
Panwala has inspired and empowered future female leaders as a highly sought after presenter at industry events, public policy forums, and universities across the country on topics ranging from the impact of the travel and tourism industry on the American economy to the impacts of regulation on small businesses. She has led coalitions and press conferences and testified on behalf of the lodging industry in City Halls and on Capitol Hill.
In addition to her role as a member of AHLA’s Executive Committee and its Hotel PAC Advisory Council, she is a strong supporter of the AHLA Foundation’s FORWARD movement, created to build community, develop leaders, and create game-changing events that advance women in hospitality.
“Jagruti is truly a titan in the hospitality industry. Through her management of a successful business and her tireless advocacy, she exemplifies that leadership opportunities are within reach for anyone willing to work hard and lift others along the way,” said Kevin Carey, President and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. “She is as impactful behind the scenes as she is on the front lines, inspiring young women entering the industry with her sound judgement, business acumen, compassion, and grace.”
“I am honored to receive the Peggy Berg Castell Award,” said Panwala. “Hospitality means so much to me. I have spent my entire life in the hotel business, and I have done every job there is to do – from housekeeping and maintenance, to bookkeeping and management.My journey as a small-business hotel owner-operator has given me a deep understanding of the needs of people across our industry, and I hope my story encourages more women to pursue leadership roles, use their voices, and know that they belong at every table where decisions are made.”
Panwala has been the recipient of numerous industry and company awards. Among them, she has qualified for her previous broker dealer Signator’s Platinum Level ACE (Achieving Client Excellence) award, become the youngest inductee into Signator’s “Hall of Fame” in 2014, and was named a lifetime member of the industry’s Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). She is an active member of the AHLA Executive Committee, a previous member of the AHLA Board of Directors, sits on the AHLA HotelPAC Advisory Committee, and also served as Chairwoman of Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the first woman to do so in the association’s history.
