Dear Round-Up Readers,

How is the transition into "work mode" going for you? Honestly, I'm struggling. My daughter is still home from college and I am enjoying spending time with her. Hopefully, this week sees me settling down a bit more.

With that, let's get right into the news!

 
Business, Women, and Random Trends: 

•  New Year, New You? According to the WSJ, "anti-resolutions" may be the best way forward. Loved both of these WSJ articles (paywall, reply to this email if you don't have access)

  • When ‘Drop It’ Is the Best New Year’s Resolution Some aspects of sleep, weight, friendships, and fitness aren’t worth worrying about

  • How to Be Happier in Your Job in 2023: shift your daily tasks toward what you enjoy—and change your perspective, too. The advice is less about resolutions and more about setting boundaries.

     

• New US Congress has Record Number of Women. 149, that is how many women will serve in Congress. Women of color also break a record for their representation this year, with 58 serving. The new Congress also boasts the House of Representatives' first Gen-Z lawmaker and the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
   

• Employers are putting artificially low salaries on job postings to try to get around pay transparency laws We've written about the possible pitfalls of the new pay transparency laws, so it was particularly disappointing to read how companies are getting around equality in Fortune.
   

• A Recession Looms Over the Posh World of Influencers Worth reading this article from Wired about the delicate balance needed when promoting luxury through social media, it opens by talking about a hotel stay at the iconic Savoy in London.

Travel & Hospitality news:
 

• Blended Travel: How do I call thee? Let me count the ways... The industry is obsessed with the blending of business and leisure travel––already there are about six names for it: flexcation (new!), bleisure, blended travel, Mullet Travel, and "lisness." Bottom line: business travel is back and it is taking many different forms (see graph above). According to a new survey by the USTA + JD Power, most people plan to travel for business in the next 6 months, taking on average 1.8 trips per month, compared to 1.9 pre-pandemic. I'm interested: what is your hotel doing to attract blended travelers? If you are doing something new and cool, email me!
   

• More Trends to Watch in 2023 If you missed last week's Round-Up we covered quite a few predictions for next year. This week, Clayton Reid, Executive Chairman of MMGY, offers up a macro look using lots of data from the MMGY juggernaut. Also, Pedro Colaco, the CEO of GuestCentric Systems has a great summary of 10 trends and covers some new ground in terms of direct booking trends.
   

• TSA's Top 10 Catches This Year While I get annoyed when security confiscates my too-large sunscreen, after watching this video there is no denying how important the TSA is for safety. Also, it is really funny!

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. 
 

• Small Changes with Big Benefits: 6 Ways to Let a Little Yoga into Your Life

  Incorporating even the smallest yogi habits and philosophies reap huge rewards. Former hotel exec Barbara Meier-Conte shares top tips!
   

• Is Hospitality Your Calling? What is the difference between a job, career or calling? And is hospitality yours? Columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks.
   

• How to Sleep Better: Expert Tips from a Sleep Concierge Tired of not getting a good night's sleep? We speak to Belmond "sleep concierge" Malminder Gill to find out the surprising culprit keeping you from a good night's rest + tips from herteliers!

   

• 19 Ways to Calm Your Nerves in Any Situation We tapped the hertelier community last year for their best advice on how to take it down a notch, and the tips still hold up!

   

Listen UP! Podcasts to Download Now

• The Assignment with Audie Cornish: The former “All Things Considered” host recently returned to the mic with a new long-form interview podcast. Opening episodes tackle thorny topics, from the OnlyFans economy to the controversy around school boards. I'm already hooked.

   

• Mom's Exit Interview Kim Rittberg: Former media executive, corporate quitter, and mom interviews inspirational moms who are taking control of their lives while achieving (gasp!) true work-life balance: entrepreneurs, stay-at-home moms with side hustles, consultants, part-time workers, and more. I've listened to quite a few of these and I always learn something.

• Coming soon: hertelier contributor Rachel Vandenberg is starting a new pod, The Travel Leader, where she'll be interviewing industry leaders about their successes and failures. Check out her intro about the podcast here.

Want to learn how to be happier? Join me on Coursera, where I've signed up for the famous Yale University happiness course "The Science of Wellbeing" by Dr. Lauire Santos. It's free!

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Thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Em