Hello Round-Up Readers!

Back in London after spending a relaxing week with my family in the Hamptons. Trend I'm tracking from Marseille to Bridgehampton: the rise of thrifting. My 20-something niece Abby was wearing chic linen trousers. Turns out she scored them at The Retreat Boutique, which supports victims of domestic violence. When we were in Marseille recently, my daughter Marcy was excited there were more than a dozen vintage shops to look for hidden bargains. And top tip from hertelier Cara Salinas earlier this year, was to visit the Church Mouse thrift store in Palm Beach. Bring on the circular economy and helping good causes!

Next week weekend my husband and I will be in Lake Garda, Italy to celebrate his birthday and check out the new all-inclusive Cape of Senses resort! A first time for me in that region of Italy, and a first-time trying a luxury all-inclusive––super excited! Look for the Round-Up to arrive on Monday, Labor Day for our US readers.

Speaking of labor, yesterday, August 26, was the 50th anniversary of Women's Equality Day. Read this interesting essay in TIME about the history of feminism and democracy. "Among the lessons we might glean today: women’s voices and votes surely matter, transformative change is possible—and the fight for robust democracy is, at its core, a central and urgent feminist goal."

And speaking of historical women's movements, in 1975, Icelandic women earned 40% less than men; today it is only 10%. A "Women's Day Off" strike was held in 1975; 90% of women refused to work. It shut down the country. In response Iceland passed a Gender Equality Act & elected a female president, read more on Vox.

Thinking about the history of women's movements around the world, makes the "Summer of Women" even more pronounced. The visibility of women as economic drivers and leaders is impossible to ignore! Which is why I'm thrilled to report big news in our sector of commerce––Gilda Perez-Alvarado joining the C-Suite at Accor and the new IHG LIFT program, putting $30 million towards diverse hotel owners. Whoop whoop!

Now, let's get to the news...

 Business, Women, and Random Trends:
 

• The Workplace Can be Rough for Menopausal Women. Employers are Starting to Step Up From hot flashes and heart palpitations to chronic insomnia and brain fog, menopausal symptoms affect roughly 25% of the US working population at any given time — and now a growing number of employers are stepping up to offer more support for the 39-million-plus working women in the United States. Read more on CNN.
   

• 4 Powerful Strategies for Developing Executive Presence for Women Executive presence isn’t one isolated quality, but a powerful combination of factors that elicits confidence, builds trust and motivates others to rally behind your ideas and vision. Essentially, it’s how people experience you. If you want to command attention when you walk into a room, read this in Her New Standard: Playbook for Women Leaders.
   

• I'm a New Dad. Here's Why I'm Taking More Parental Leave than My Wife Interesting essay on NPR about one father's privilege in taking six months of paid leave. The US is the only rich, developed country without paid parental leave, which generally means women are forced to take unpaid time off work. Intentionally or not, this furthers the gender pay gap. Gender neutral parental leave has many societal benefits, read more on NPR.
   

• Women Who Fled To Picture-Perfect Towns During The Pandemic Are Struggling With Their Mental Health A surprising read sent to me by male ally, Stuart Greif, about the downsides of moving to remote parts of the US for women.
   

• Random trend: 3D-Printed Houses Read in Fast Company about a 537 sq ft house they are printing in Japan for just $37,000. It struck me, could 3D-printed hotel rooms be in our future? How about a boutique hotel made up of a series of these tiny houses? What do you think?

Travel & Hospitality:
 

• Global Tourism Projected to Reach $15.5 Trillion in 10 Years In 34 countries around the world, the travel and tourism industry has recovered so dramatically that economic activity now exceeds pre-pandemic levels of business.That’s just one of the highlights from the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) report. Read top takeaways in TravelPulse.
   

• The Future of Affluent Travel will Balance Luxury, Well-being and Exclusivity Interesting data from YouGov (with graphs!) about the growing interest in wellness trips.
   

• This Hotel Perk Used to Be Free. Not Anymore. Visitors wanting to check in early or check out late are surprised to find they have to pay up, reports the Wall Street Journal (paywall).
   

• Hotel 'Junk Fees' Back in the News Speaking of hotel fees...read the latest by CNBC's Monica Pitrelli, whose stay in an NYC hotel included 21 charges during a three night visit. Not good!
   

• 2023 Hotel Data Conference Interesting info coming off this recent gathering held in Nashville. Read more on Costar Hoteliers Stay Focused on Guests as Hotel Demand Levels Out and Leisure Travelers Becoming More Price Sensitive (see notes above about junk and check in/out fees!)
   

• Mystery Trips Are Gaining in Popularity Surprise travel is on the rise, reports Conde Nast Traveler. The thrill of not knowing a destination is part of the fun of booking mystery trips, as long as certain standards are promised.
   

• Wish you weren’t here! Tourists are Ruining the World's Greatest Destinations The Guardian reports on how overtourism impacts destinations and how besieged cities are fighting back.
   

• Delta Air Lines Creates Image Library of Diverse Travellers I was thrilled when Celebrity Cruise Lines offered free stock images of diverse travelers curated by none other than Annie Leibovitz with their All-Inclusive Photo Project. It's awesome to see Delta now doing the same, with their new Faces of Travel image library. Read more in Globetrender and learn how you can use these images for free. Representation matters!
   

• F & B: Michelin Lacks Black Stars Michelin keeps expanding — but you can count the number of Black chefs with stars on less than two hands, reports Bloomberg (paywall).

On hertelier this week:

Big welcome to our new subscribers! The story in Forbes, How Women Are Changing The Hotel Industry, keeps bringing new readers! Super excited to have you here. 
 

• Gilda Perez-Alvarado to Join Accor as Chief Strategy Officer Big move for the inspiring Gilda Perez-Alvarado who jumps into a C-Suite leadership role with Accor. Read about her new role, and revisit our FOUR interviews with her during her tenure at JLL. Keep going Gilda!
   

• IHG Hotels & Resorts Launches IHG LIFT to Drive Diverse Hotel Ownership: Q & A with Julienne Smith IHG puts $30 million towards a new program to support women and minorities, IHG LIFT. We get the scoop on how you can get involved!

   

• Why You Procrastinate—It's Not What You Think Do you have the end of summer, "Oh sh*t! I need to get that done before" September blues? I do. Which is why I am revisiting columnist Nancy Mendelson's explanation of why we put stuff off.

Listen UP! Podcasts to Download

• Business Wars: Hilton versus Marriott A dramatic reenactment of the history of these two lodging companies and how they have shaped the modern hotel industry. A really fun listen if you're a hotel nerd like me! Also in the four part series is an episode about hotel travel today with Skift's Sean O'Neill and comedienne Liz Barrett.

Hotel & Resort Innovation Expo in London!

We have partnered with Hotel & Resort Innovation Expo, taking place on the 10th & 11th of October at the ExCeL London, and we want you to join us!

Hotel & Resort Innovation Expo is the UK’s leading business event innovating the hotel sector, and this year's edition is looking to be better than ever! They will be transforming the ExCeL London into the ultimate destination for anyone looking to expand and grow their name in the sector!

Better yet, it is completely FREE! You can now register for a FREE ticket here.

Hey, don't forget: if you love reading the Round-Up, please forward this email to a friend or colleague! They can see all the past issues and sign up by clicking here.

Thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Em