Dear Round-Up Readers,

If you ever find you're too busy to read the Round-Up, good news!! I am now offering an audio version on Spotify and Apple podcasts.  Feel free to subscribe, like, and rate the audio Round-Up, apparently it helps let other people know about hertelier.  Also, if you have friends or colleagues that you think would benefit from this newsletter in either format, please forward this week's issue. Thank you!

Now, on to the week's news!

Business, Women, and Life Hacks: 

• July Jobs Report: U.S. Added 528,000 New Jobs as Unemployment Rate Fell to 3.5% The labor market hits two major recovery markers almost 2½ years from the start of the pandemic, employment in leisure and hospitality led July gains with 96,000 jobs added. Businesses have continued to hire despite two straight quarters of economic contraction, cooling consumer spending and rising risks of a recession.

• Abortion on the Ballot: Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have eliminated abortion rights, an outcome that signals the potential for the issue to shake up U.S. elections this fall. The vote was the first statewide referendum on the issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

• It's Getting Harder to Be a Woman in America.  In this week's issue of BloombergBusinessweek offers a special report entitled "The Breaking Point" there are several articles that make an economic case for why the new abortion laws and lack of childcare support are BAD FOR BUSINESS.  Women have been essential to 50 years of prosperity in the US. Try to pick up a copy of the magazine if you can. 

• In the UK it’s time to talk about menopause . . . The Financial Times says awareness of the topic has soared in many companies, yet too often it can simply be a smokescreen for ageism and cites research that as women age they feel invisible at work and that their views don’t matter.  Yet for some women, menopause might coincide with a time in their life when they have more ambition than ever, particularly if their children have left home.

• TikTok to Overtake Facebook in Influencer Marketing This Year, YouTube by 2024.  Been sharing a lot about TikTok over the past few weeks.  According to Tech Crunch, the app is gaining more share of influencer spending, but Instagram still has a big lead.  Speaking of TikTok, more than 39,000 TikTok accounts have 1m+ followers, according to Social Blade. That’s more than YouTube and Instagram, despite TikTok being newer. The Hustle says they are diluting the importance of the million-plus follower and it doesn't necessarily add up to earnings or engagement.

• How the world's biggest four-day workweek trial run changed people's lives. For the past eight weeks, thousands of people in the United Kingdom have tested a four-day schedule — with no cut to their pay — that could help usher in a new era of work. It's the world's biggest trial of a four-day work week so far. Already, some workers have said they feel happier, healthier, and are doing better in their jobs. Overall participants seem to have learned new more efficient ways of working and appreciate having an extra day for personal pursuits, read more on CNN.

• How to Argue Better TED talker, Wharton Professor, and noted psychologist Adam Grant says "a good debate isn’t about one person declaring victory, it’s about both people making a discovery."  He offers tips on how to approach difficult conversations and that sometimes you need to agree to disagree, but there are many benefits to talking through hard topics. 

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Six Themes That Will Shape Travel in the Summer of 2022. Can't resist a good trends list and this one by Jan Freitag of STR summarizes where we are right now:

  1. Leisure demand has been strong, with little price resistance.

  2. Groups return more quickly than expected.

  3. Lack of clarity on a return to the office hinders corporate transient demand.

  4. Hotel development pipeline slows.

  5. Transaction activity heats up.

  6. Lack of workers and higher labor costs keep operators up at night.

• Brexit and Covid leave London’s Savoy hotel shaken, stirred – and short staffed Britain’s top hotels are suffering from bartender shortages, with many leaving the industry or moving to new projects, says The Guardian, as a new female head bartender was announced, Chelsie Bailey. She is the 13th head bartender in the hotel's 130-year history. 

• Don’t Try to Have a Perfect Vacation. Have a Relaxing One Instead.

  Was happy to see this article from the WSJ that offers tips for travelers on how to plan for a more relaxing summer holiday, which is a better read than all the stories about flight delays and labor shortages. 

• Sober Curious: the Washington Post takes a deep dive into the alcohol-free spirit movement.  A number of big brands such as Budweiser, Gordon’s and Tanqueray have already headed into the alcohol-free zone. There’s even a trade group — the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association — that launched in 2021 and currently includes 65 companies. According to the association’s statistics: 80 percent of those who buy adult nonalcoholic beverages still drink alcohol. Very interesting especially if you are looking at more ways to develop beverage offerings for your hotel. 

• China, Cairo, Italy: The top ‘travel-inspired’ baby names in the U.S. and the UK.  This is a fun one from CNBC, an article on the most popular names that derive from places.  Preston and Chester for boys and Sydney and Florence for girls (in the US and UK respectively). If you are wondering did "Brooklyn" make the list, click now. 

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! 

• Naureen Ahmed, Founder of "Inspiring Women in Hospitality" Shares Her Own Inspiring Story If you don't already know Naureen and her fantastic video series, CLICK HERE.  She has interviewed about 70 women in all areas of hospitality and their stories are so (you guessed it!) inspiring and many are eye-opening too.  Most are about 30 minutes, perfect for your commute or when you are running errands. Be sure to read our interview with Naureen to learn why she started the video series and about her plans to travel the world for a year!

• BLLA + TIEWN Conference in LA Celebrated Women and Learning.  We recap highlights of the recent meet-up in LA.

• Scams: the Dark Side of Alternative Accommodations Airbnb...more like "Scarebnb" from the stories coming out lately...false listings, shady renters, and systemic abuses are just some of the risks of alternative accommodation, which now represents $60 billion of the lodging sector.

• Why Smart Women Ignore Red Flags Why do we continually allow ourselves to mistrust the instincts we know to be true in order to pursue an outcome we know will be detrimental to us? Columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks. 

• NO Women are on the Boards of Two Hotel Companies According to a New Report Despite evidence that diverse boards make businesses more profitable, there are still some holdouts.  Good news is the Castell Project and AHLA Foundation are holding the industry accountable. 

Freebie alert!!!  Everybody loves a freebie, right?  The 20 Most Popular LinkedIn Learning Courses of the Year Are Free Until the End of August:  Since you read this newsletter, you know the pandemic accelerated change across industries, and as a result, skills to do a job today have changed even compared to a few years ago. Check out the 20 free courses covering topics like goal setting, digital marketing, and even Excel training. 

Store-d'oeuvres are back!  (see what I did there?) Speaking of freebies, the WSJ takes a look at consumers' delight in the fact that stores like Costco and Whole Foods are offering food samples again, which were canceled during the pandemic. 

Listen Up:  Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, was interviewed by Steven Bartlet on Diary of a CEO. He talks about his dyslexia, building Soho House, and the benefits of working in hospitality.  Really great interview. 

Women Win!! It took women to bring England its first major soccer trophy in 56 years, with the national team’s victory this week in the European Championship. Pro football for women was more or less banned in England until 2010 when a league was formed. 

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