Dear Round-Up Readers, This week marked the halfway point in 2022, and the crazy sh*t keeps flowing! Right??? Here in the UK, you may have seen that Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down amid mounting scandals (yet remains in residence and keeps acting as PM until a new leader is elected). And in the US, sadly July 4th was marred by another senseless shooting, at a parade in the suburbs of Chicago. It is so frustrating and upsetting to see so little positive change in the US laws around guns, the Senate takes one step forward only for the Supreme Court to knock things back. At least NYC hoteliers have good sense and have taken a hard line on firearms in response to the controversial Supreme Court decision to change century-old state rules on carrying concealed weapons. As was mentioned last week, the news is hard to handle at the moment, here are 5 Strategies to Balance Your News Diet, and a new (relatable) link from the WaPo, about 3 ways journalism needs to change to better engage humans versus clicks. With all that in mind, a bit of good news…we hit 3,000 followers on LinkedIn!!! THANK YOU for being part of the hertelier community. Speaking of community and important issues, we are looking to chat with women who have chosen not to have children for a story inspired by a new film, My So-Called Selfish Life. Would you be happy to share your experience and perspective? Please just reply to this email. Last thing, LOVE this clever pregnant woman from Texas who drove in the HOV lane, arguing her fetus is a passenger. You go, girl!! Now, on to the rest of the week's news!! Business, Women, and Random Trends: U.S. Job Growth Remained Solid in June! Whoop whoop! The hotter-than-expected labor market eases worries of an economic slowdown but the Fed is still working to fight inflation by raising rates. In June, leisure and hospitality added 67,000 jobs, as growth continued in food services and drinking places. However, employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.3 million, or 7.8 percent, since February 2020. Jobs Aplenty, but a Shortage of Care Keeps Many Women From Benefiting We've heard this story before, a lack of child care and elder care options has forced some women to limit their hours or sidelined them altogether. According to the NYT, women are "missing out on an unusual moment of worker power, in which many employees are bargaining for higher wages or switching to more lucrative jobs. Right now, the fields where women are most concentrated — including service sector jobs in hospitality and health care — have some of the most openings and the most rapid pay growth." Hotel companies looking for workers––be a hero and offer meaningful support for carers––you'll have women lining up for open jobs! Are Your Organization’s DEI Efforts Superficial or Structural? HBR takes a dive into some of the pitfalls of DEI programs and suggests what organizations can do to make sure efforts are "actually positioned to put racial and gender equity at the center of the company’s core values and move the needle on change." One key takeaway––what gets measured gets done. - Are you on BeReal? It's the new app for people who "hate social media" and it has grown by over 315% this year with nearly 8 million users. What is it? Once a day (and once a day only) you take a two-view photo of what you are actually doing and how you actually look. The antithesis of the polished feeds on TikTok and Insta. My kids love it. I've just joined, find me, we can be BeReal buddies.
Travel & Hospitality news: Check-In To Curiosity: Marriott Hotels and TED Partner on New "Immersive Guest Rooms" in San Francisco, Bangkok, and London promising guestrooms that are "a puzzle box waiting to be solved. Puzzle elements have been seamlessly hidden within the décor; solving them all will lead guests to a grand finale and series of surprises and rewards. The puzzles have also been customized to the three destinations, featuring and celebrating local landmarks, culture, and more." Sounds SO fun!! Everything’s Backordered: Supply Chain Delays Hinder Hotel Openings The Points Guy takes a look at how global labor shortages, higher costs, and scarcity of products are impacting new hotel builds and renovation projects. No experience, no resume, you're hired! Hotels fight for staff Reuters chats with Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin and Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Spanish hotelier Melia about how they are employing students, migrants, basically anybody, and training them to enter the industry rather than have to cut services. While in the US, a roundtable at the Lodging Industry Investment Council, revealed new, more flexible staffing models. - The Hottest New Service at Hotels? Sleep. Really??!? Honestly, I was shocked to see this WaPo story as "news" (who remembers the pillow menus and sleep concierges of the late 1990s??) but apparently, sleep is back post-pandemic as an "amenity". More interesting perhaps is this recent round-up from the WSJ, Hotels Are Taking Wellness to Extremes, From IV Drips to MRIs concluding that beyond the spa, luxury hotels have upgraded their wellness offerings to include in-room sleep training, stem-cell therapies, on-site psychologists, and more. Citing a 2021 report by the Global Wellness Institute, a Miami-based nonprofit, the global wellness tourism market declined nearly 40 percent from $720 billion in 2019 to $436 billion in 2020, and now hoteliers are trying to recapture that spend.
- Child-free Travelers Should Be Banned from Going on Holiday This Summer. This article from The Telegraph (UK) was getting some traction on Twitter enraging the child-free who don't want to be told when to vacation. But actually, I believe the author is trying to make a joke and take a stab at the travel restrictions placed on parents in the UK. All English schools get the same holiday breaks, no staggered timing, so inventory is tight and prices spike. In the past parents pulled their kids from school to avoid the holiday rush (and expense), but a new law says parents will be fined £120 for taking their kids on holiday during term time. What do you think is the best solution?
- Right to a peaceful meal out? Not as long as women no longer have control of their reproductive rights. Protestors gathered outside of Morton's Steak House in DC where, Justice Kavanaugh was eating, not Alito, but in this hysterical satire in the WaPo claims, "Oh, this is embarrassing! The right to congregate and eat dinner is actually not to be found anywhere in the Constitution," read more here. On a more serious note, how to handle protestors is something to think about moving forward.
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. Lots of stories to share! IRL Networking Opp! Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference July 11-12 in LA Are you up for some face-to-face networking?? A few tickets remain! Summer Reading: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Lessons in Chemistry. Now I'm reading Zabars: A Family History with Recipes, which as a foodie and former Upper West Sider, I'm relishing (pun intended). What are YOU reading this summer?? Please reply with suggestions for me, I have a vacation coming up!! On the Radar: Iconic hotels on film and TV Martin Scorcese has produced "Dreaming Walls," a new documentary on the storied Chelsea Hotel, taking a look at some of the remaining long-time residents who lived through the recent renovation. On the other side of the pond, The Savoy TV show on ITV is going into its second season, documenting the challenges that the London hotel faces in a post-pandemic environment. The first season started out about running the famous hotel but swiftly moved into how the hotel dealt with COVID. 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 good week, Em |
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