Dear Round-Up Readers,

Croatia was awesome!  I'd never been before.  We went to the very northern bit by Italy and Slovenia called Istria, which––fun fact––is the largest peninsula on the Adriatic Sea.  The area combines a beautiful rocky coastline and pretty agricultural countryside studded with vineyards, olive trees, and vast amounts of truffles, basically foodie heaven. 

We stayed at three different new (or renovated) luxury hotels: Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Meneghetti Hotel & Winery, and Grand Hotel Brioni Pula.  If you are thinking of some revenge travel, put Istria on your list!  Email me if you want to know more about where we stayed, I highly recommend all three properties.

My top tip: do NOT check luggage, but if you have to because you want to bring back yummy Croatian wine and truffles, make sure you have an Apple air tag, which is an inexpensive way to at least know if your bag made it on the flight with you. Luckily, we didn't encounter any travel issues. It was a great trip and I feel refreshed! 

Now, on to this week's news!!  

Business, Women, and Random Trends: 

•  Why getting things finished is better than getting things perfect. This article offers tactical advice on how to avoid the traps of perfectionism and get things done.  Very useful read.

• Caregiver Burnout Is Real — Katie Couric Media offers sound advice on how to avoid it.

• Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women HBR shares new research which illuminates how standout women employees can be taken for granted by companies because of gendered beliefs about who is and who isn’t a flight risk. Moreover, such gendered dynamics likely contribute to the glass ceiling and gender gaps in earnings.

• Mothers still aren't fully back to work. According to a new analysis of women's economic recovery from jobs site Indeed, women lag men who are back to pre-pandemic levels.

• Imposter syndrome is actually the human condition.  Being told to fix ourselves and self-improve ignores the wider reality of an imperfect world, read this insightful article from the FT which was trending on Linkedin.

• Is this the end of ambition? An interesting opinion piece in The Guardian dissects why people are recalibrating their work-life balance. 

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Travel is rough at the moment.  Flying is challenging, "Air travel is broken," says WSJ (though we had no problems on BA out of LHR!) and guest expectations are high due to rising costs and fees, leading to lower satisfaction (JD Power). American Airlines thinks it will be three years until operations are back to pre-pandemic schedules, and what happened in the Dallas airport is really frightening.

• Parents Pile Into Work Conferences to Escape Their Families

  Professional gatherings are the new vacations for moms and dads who spent the pandemic catering to children: sightseeing, fancy meals, movies, reports WSJ.  Are you seeing this in your hotel (or conferences)?

• Travel brands are getting in on TikTok The most downloaded app for the second year in a row, several travel brands are trying to reach new audiences via TikTok. The Guardian reports TikTok is the fastest growing news source for UK adults. Is your company on TikTok?

• Marriott's Moxy Hotels gamifies hospitality with AR experience.  Accessible by scanning a QR code at check-in, "Game On" unlocks challenges that urge guests to explore different parts of their hotel. Moxy’s AR activation is available at 12 hotels until Dec. 31 as Marriott tries to layer an element of gamification into travel to appeal to Gen Z and Millenials.  Does it sound fun to you?

• UNWomen on the Economic Fallout of COVID-19  New report details the impacts of the pandemic on women’s economic empowerment in the tourism sector.

• Empowering Women in Hospitality: The Network Effect Building a Network Now Pays Long-Term Benefits, writes Red Roof's Marina MacDonald in HNN, loved her practical advice. 

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! 

• Delighting Luxury Guests at the Dorchester Collection: Zoe Jenkins, GM, Coworth Park Some forty years into her career, Zoe Jenkins is still as motivated as ever to deliver luxury service.  Read about her fascinating career path.

• Change: the One Constant Contributor Maria Jose Velez Arango is about to move to Whistler, BC to take a new role with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, she reflects on how working in hospitality requires flexibility.

• Why Does Hospitality Change You as a Person?  New contributor Maria Navarro contemplates how hospitality has changed her outlook––very relatable!  This post is blowing up and already had a whole podcast dedicated to it, listen here.

• 18 Leading Organizations Unite to Form the Women in Hospitality Alliance

  Stronger together!! Eighteen organizations committed to advancing women in hospitality industry leadership have joined forces to maximize their efforts through collaboration and partnership. hertelier is proud to be part of this movement spearheaded by Rachel Humphrey, read more here!

Really??!!?? Velveeta Releases Cheese-Infused Martini That's Garnished with Pasta Shells gets a hard pass from me personally, but respect as a PR stunt!  Would you try it?

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