Happy New Year, Round-Up Readers!

My family and I are just back from Costa Rica, which was amazing! The people there are tremendous, so kind and welcoming –– plus there is so much to see and do! Before the pandemic, tourism was more than 10% of GDP for the country, and you can feel the appreciation and see the determination to build back the travel sector in Costa Rica.

One of my favorite experiences––there were many––was a night tour to see the wildlife near Manuel Antonio national park. We saw snakes, spiders, frogs, and lots of bugs.  Weirdly it wasn't scary even though normally, I don't like to see any of those things up close!! At the end of the tour, we tipped our guide, Andrew, who had the best reply..."thank you too much!" It wasn't a big tip, but his appreciation was pure delight!

As we reflect on 2023, it is with the same delight and gratitude that Nancy Mendelson and I want to "thank you too much" for your support of hertelier! Thank you for reading, commenting, giving your time and sharing your expertise with our growing community. We look forward to more of that in 2024! We want to hear from you and share more of your stories! Please email me anytime.

Massive and heartfelt thank you to our inaugural sponsors who make this work possible ––The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel, David Collins Studio, Extended Stay America, Four Seasons Ten Trinity Place, Hyatt Hotels UK & Ireland, IHG, Loews Hotels, Red Roof, Standard Hotels, Thynk, and Roomza.

Sneaking in this light edition to ease into the New Year! And for a bit of a motivational bump, watch and listen to Adele accept the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award for Women in Entertainment!

On to the rest of the news...

Business, Women, and Random Trends:
 

• Workplace Trends Leaders Should Watch in 2024 according to Gallup, Inc. and a different, massive study of nearly 2.7 million job searches and 30,000 workers shows top topics: flexibility, mental health support and shorter work weeks. Read why Fortune thinks 2024 will be the year of compromise.
   

• The Most Powerful Words of Wisdom from Women Leaders in 2023 from the Fortune Broadsheet.
   

• Despite Historic Pay Discrimination Settlement, Little Has Changed for Women on Wall Street The $215 million deal with Goldman Sachs made headlines, but the industry pay gap persists, along with new cases of sexual harassment. Read more in Capital & Main. {Sigh}

Travel & Hospitality:

• The Biggest Travel Trends for 2024 From the rise of shoulder seasons to 'coolcationing', these are the trends shaping travel in 2024 according to Conde Nast Traveller (UK) We've shared predictions before, but there are some new ideas here!
   

• The 30 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2024 according to Forbes Travel Guide.
   

• Restaurants Have Ways to Stop You From Splitting Meals In 2023, 49% of restaurants reported lower check averages and 53% reported lower profits compared with the year before, according to the James Beard Foundation, a restaurant-focused nonprofit. At the same time, dining out has grown more expensive: The latest consumer-price index showed the cost of food away from home climbed 5.3% over the 12 months. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at what restaurants are doing to increase spend.
   

• How Hilton’s CFO helped steer the company through two crises—and delivered returns of 330% to shareholders over 10 years Interesting interview with Kevin Jacobs reflecting on the last decade at Hilton.

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. 

• The Importance of Allyship, Why We Love These Guys and How to Get Involved with Women in Travel CIC We explore all things allyship with experts from Women in Travel CIC, plus we reflect on the men we have interviewed in our "ally of the month" columns!
   

• Ally of the Month: Josiah Mackenzie, Hospitality Daily Speaking of male allies, our final man of the year, a gift to the industry...Josiah Mackenzie, who teaches us something every day with his interviews. We flip the mic on this ally!
   

• Cultural Appreciation vs. Appropriation: 4 Expert Tips for Hotel Operators Opening in a new market? DEI trainer and expert Rosina Budhani shares tips on how to avoid cultural appropriation.
   

• Navigating Housekeeping Leadership in Turbulent Times: Liliya Vasilyeva’s Trailblazing Path Housekeeping–the heart of the house–has been challenged by the pandemic and labor shortages. Liliya Vasilyeva shares 7 leadership insights.
   

• Mind Over Matter: Orianne Gambino's Ultimate Guide to Setting Mindset Goals for 2024 Who do you want to be a year from now? Find out how to set Mindset Goals for 2024 with the guidance of Orianne Gambino.

Hey, don't forget: if you love reading the Round-Up, please forward this email to a friend or colleague! They can see past issues and sign up by clicking here.

Thank you for reading! Happy New Year!!

Em