Dear Round-Up Readers,

Memorial Day weekend is coming up, the official "start of summer" in the US. There is still debate about whether this will be the summer of "revenge travel" or "staycations" or maybe both!  More on that below. I will be heading to Los Angeles for the bar mitzvah of the son of my dear friend, so there will be no Round-Up next weekend.  For our American readers, wishing you a peaceful kick-off to summer. The weather in London is already sunny and everyone is looking forward to the Platinum Jubilee in June, marking 70 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Troubling News:

• Very saddened to read about the horrific Buffalo supermarket shooting last week, and how the pandemic has increased the threat of online extremism. 
• Also, upsetting to hear about the baby formula shortage, here is what the Abbott CEO is doing to fix the problem. 

Business News: 

• The market is down, inflation is up and people are worried:  Look at any news site today and you will see these themes dominating the headlines. For specific posts, read about when will the market bottom and how the inflation gap is the widest in 16 years.

• Cryptocurrencies Melt Down: this actually started last week but is still in the news, basically a steep sell-off that gained momentum starkly illustrated the risks of the experimental and unregulated digital currencies. I'm bringing it up now because (scroll down) a hotel has rolled out an NFT room night package and hotels are being built in the Metaverse. Are you into crypto? Email me, I'm curious to learn more from you. 

Women and business: 

• Women Are the Social Safety Net: Ellevest CEO Sally Krawcheck digs into how America's safety net is women. This article is from 2020 but was just reposted on social media and it's all still VERY relevant. Makes a case for closing the gender pay gap, subsidized childcare, and paid parental leave. Highly recommend!

Travel news from the week:

• First NFT Hotel Room Package in the US: The NoMo hotel in NYC claims to be the first hotel in the US to offer NFT reservations. Wait, what? Basically, you can buy an NFT (they issued 300) at a price of .41 ETH (Ethereum), about $811 as of yesterday, and it gets you a three-to-six night stay plus some meals and other perks.  Sharon Raz, CEO of Sapir Corp, which owns the NoMo told the Robb Report, "The NoMo gets to fill up its reservation books in advance, while the guest gets to lock in a competitive price at a time when NYC hotel rates are rising."  Let's see. I'm hoping to interview Sharon soon. 

• Hotels in the Metaverse: while we're talking crypto, forward-looking hospitality brands M Social and CitizenM are building pixel hotels in the metaverse as locations for avatars to ‘work, sleep, and play,’ read more on this on my new favorite website, Globetrender.  

• EV Chargers are the Latest Hotel Amenity: NerdWallet takes a dive into the pros and cons of hotels with EV chargers to address the trend of people wanting to use EVs more than ever with soaring gas prices.  Read more about what Marriott is doing with EVPassport and the new Element brand standard of EV chargers, Hyatt has EV chargers in some locations, also Expedia now offers an EV filter for hotel stays. 

• Staycations, Again?  The NYT offers a perspective on staying local, citing inflation, Covid-19 and instability have some travelers putting away their passports and grabbing their weekender bags.  Bottom line: the close-to-home vacation isn’t dead yet. Counter to other data (see Mastercard story below) that people are traveling BIG and booking, "revenge travel" trips. 

• Managers Share Tips for Hotel Hiring Success: off a presentation at IHIF, Hotel News Now ran this useful article that even included slides with top tips: Be transparent, Start Within, Walk the Walk, Adapt to the Talent Pool, Act Quickly, Empower Employees to Organize their Lives, and Tap Into Existing Talent. 

• F&B: Serving up sustainability:  from ants and cod's head to sustainably sourced steak (yes, cow steak) this article on London restaurants shows what menu items are at the forefront of sustainable dining.
• Big Mac Daily: Don Gorske has eaten a Big Mac every day for the last 50 years. True story and he's still alive to tell it. 

On hertelier this week:

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. Lots of stories to share! 

• New Mastercard Study: Flights are Back + Spending on Experiences Up 34% from 2019!!  To paraphrase the late artist formerly known as Prince seems like "we're gonna party like it's...2019" according to a report this week released by the Mastercard Economics Institute global leisure and business flight bookings have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The even bigger news, spending on experiences––restaurants, nightclubs, museums, etc.–– is up 34% over 2019!

• Have you heard of GLEISURE? Louise Bang, RVP, Sales + Distribution - Caribbean + Latin America, Marriott International, tips us off to this new buzzword (if you don't know the term, email me a guess of what you think it means) and shares her fascinating career journey which spans several continents, markets, and luxury brands. 

• Welcome to the Age of Empathy:  Inspired by the Women in Travel Thrive panels last week (hope you caught them! if not we'll be posting a web link to the recordings soon) columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks why empathy is the key to effective leadership.

• 5 Things Hotels Can Do to Provide More Holistic Wellness Experiences: wellness expert Sahara Rose De Vore says wellness is far more than the gyms, comfy beds, spas, yoga sessions, healthy meal options, and meditation sessions that you may already be offering alongside everyone else.  She highlights 5 things you need to be thinking about in the wellness space.

LISTEN UP: we have added a new page to the website highlighting specific episodes of podcasts we love!  Not all that I mention in the Round-Up will be on there, but stay tuned for our curated list of pods with key learnings. If you have podcasts to recommend, email me!

• Mentorship vs. Sponsorship: According to the Harvard Business Review, women are over mentored and under sponsored, Nancy and I talk with Robin Moncrieffe on the "Don't Look Under the Bed" podcast, and give actionable tips on how to get sponsored. Listen here. 
• Are women really less happy than men? From the podcast, "No Stupid Questions" by Stephen Dubner (co-author of the Freakonomics book series) and research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit).  They discuss a new paper that presents something called "The Female Happiness Paradox" (spoiler: women present less happy than men) and several studies of countries where women are happiest (Nordics) and other factors (pandemic) and how women are still judged by their looks.  If you've never listened to this podcast, they have a really nice rapport and make any topic approachable and funny...even the data behind unhappiness.  
• Inclusion on Purpose: Brene Brown interviews author RuchikaTulshyan (she's also the author of the most-read HBR article of 2021, "Stop Telling Women they Have Impostor Syndrome," about her new book, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. As we are all looking to "build back better," this interview by Brene Brown on "Dare to Lead" is an essential listen as Ruchika claims inclusion is the most important leadership trait today—and one that can be learned through awareness, intention, and regular practice.  This episode is 1 hour and 12 minutes, but worth it!

Mark Your Calendar & Sign UP! 

• The 44th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference is coming up June 5 - 7 in NYC, if you've not signed up already, maybe your company has?  Link to register here. There are more women on panels than ever before, which is exciting to see!  

• International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum 2022 (IWTTF 2022) is taking place in London on June 30, 2022. More to come on this amazing day, but SIGN UP now as there are only 100 places. I'll be hosting a panel on "why we need women to lead in turbulent times,"  with Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, Dr Susanne Etti, Global Environmental Impact Leader, Intrepid Travel, and Jo Rzymowska, President & Managing Director, EMEA for Celebrity Cruises. 

Are you still here? I'd love to hear from you. Why do you read hertelier and what would you like to see covered? Is there someone you'd like to suggest for a profile?  My goal in 2022 is to get to know more of our readers, just reply to this email. I am a real person 😃 

Have a great week! 

Em