Also:

• No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans
• No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

Returning to the list for the ninth year, Starwood holds its ground against an increasingly competitive hospitality industry. A diverse workforce is indicative of the industry, but what distinguishes companies like Starwood is the ability to leverage successful succession planning and talent-development initiatives so its management reflects the demographics of its workforce and the marketplace.

To this end, Starwood includes diversity goals in executive-performance reviews. Senior leaders are held accountable for recruiting, retaining, mentoring and promoting underrepresented employees, and 20 percent of the bonus is tied to diversity results. The mentoring program, which is available to the entire organization, involves the top three levels of management. Mentoring pairs are formally evaluated on an annual basis. The company’s resource groups are also used for on-boarding and the identification and nurturing of management talent.

Starwood also understands the value of making external connections. The company directs half of its philanthropic spend to the multicultural community, including the NAACP, Hispanic College Fund, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the Organization of Chinese Americans and the National Business & Disability Council. Additionally, the company has solid Tier I (contractor) and Tier II (subcontractor) spend with not only minority- and women-owned businesses but with vendors owned by LGBT people, people with disabilities and veterans with disabilities.

U.S. Headquarters: Stamford, Conn.

Global Employees: 154,000

U.S. Employees: 48,000

Last Year’s DiversityInc Top 50 Ranking: No. 34