Happy July 4th to our American Round-Up Readers!

Big news for women in the US, who are now enjoying extra workplace protections thanks to the implementation of two new laws: In late April, the PUMP Act went into effect and required employers to provide reasonable accommodations to nursing mothers for one full year. And on Tuesday, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act became fully effective, giving pregnant and nursing workers the right to workplace benefits (like closer parking and generous break times) that make it easier for moms to protect their health and keep their jobs.

Thirty years without progress, “Not since the Family and Medical Leave Act went into effect in 1993—yes, you read that right—have we seen this type of groundbreaking protections for families, and especially for moms, in the workplace." writes Mom Project founder and CEO Allison Robinson in Forbes. Still reeling from the repeal of Roe v Wade, better late than never on any good news for women!

Travel has been top of the headlines this week with the weather that caused flight chaos. Whether you are working or traveling this holiday weekend, hoping it goes smoothly! If you find yourself getting frustrated, Nancy Mendelson's column on why July Fourth is the sweariest holiday of the year will give you some comic relief!

Let's get to the news...

 Business, Women, and Random Trends:
 

• Men Are Returning to Offices in the US Faster Than Women, New Data Show Bloomberg (paywall) reports the share of men working at least partly remote fell in 2022, while women reported more remote work, housework, and childcare duties. What was most surprising is the study claims women with children under six only spend an hour a day on childcare (what?!?). Thank you to Lan Elliott for flagging this article!
   

• ICYMI: Taylor Swift's Era's Tour Has the Potential to Gross Over $1 Billion WSJ and Forbes dive into how much the pop superstar is making during what’s gearing up to be the biggest tour in history. And Costar took a look at how this impacts hotels, Taylor Swift Tour Brings Hotel Demand on Par With 'Triple Super Bowl' for Some Cities, noting that hotel rates and REVPAR spiked in tour stops, read more.
   

•  Tennis aims for a (pay) match Wimbledon is underway, and the WTA (the governing body for professional tennis) announced the "pathway to equal prize money." That's right, while Grand Slam events do offer equal prizes for men and women, other pro torneys do not. WTA plans to offer equal prize money in 2027, which feels far away, but progress nonetheless.
   

• How to Use the 43:57 Rule to Have Better Conversations and Accelerate Your Success When you encourage someone to speak, you are giving them a gift, reports Inc. which shares studies of the most effective conversations in effective selling.
   

• 5 Paradoxes of Life for New Graduates (but good for any age!) Best-selling author Gretchen Rubin, who is noted as one of the most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature, gave her daughter's high school commencement speech. Really great read.
   

• Weekend fitness inspo: This 98-Year-Old Is Still Chasing Running Records Cheers to Betty Lindberg, who began running in her 60s and is still racing competitively. Read about Betty's training routine in the WSJ (paywall).

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Hotel Tech: 2023 HITEC/THS Report: 70+ Hospitality Technology Innovations You Need to Know You may be aware two of the biggest hotel conferences happened this week, and Hotel Tech Report did a recap of the most exciting new products that will impact operations and sales from both shows.
   

• Capital One Expands With a New Lifestyle Collection of Luxury Hotels

  The banking sector’s competition for travelers continues with fresh hotel perks from Capital One Travel. Read more in Bloomberg (not sure why, but this article was not blocked by a paywall) about their new offerings, which have a focus on boutique and urban hotels.

   

• Two of New York’s Most Famous Hotels Plan Their Postpandemic Comebacks

  Four Seasons could reopen soon under a potential deal, while the Plaza Hotel looks for a new manager, reports the WSJ (paywall).
   

• How Important Is That Summer Vacation, Really? InStyle takes a look at the psychology of vacationing and author Taylore Glynn puts it into interesting themes: Dopamine Destinations, Equal Opportunity Getaways, and Travel as Therapy among others.
   

• Tourists behaving badly: Italy vows to find and punish tourist who defaced Colosseum wall Read more in Reuters.

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. 

• WHAT THE ACTUAL “F”? Did you know July 4th is the "sweariest" holiday of the year? Columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks our tendency for profanity.

   

• Discover the Surprising Secret to Effective Networking Do you dread networking at events? Learn the secret to effective networking by expert Dr. Raina Brands + tips from the hertelier community, based on our first-ever "Morning Shift" event in London.
   

• Ally of the Month: Kurt Macher, GM, Shangri-La The Shard, London & Innovation & Experience Lead EMEA Kurt Macher is supportive of all underrepresented groups, and as the leader of Shangri-La The Shard, London inclusivity is key to his success.
   

• Neurodiversity is the Final Frontier for Inclusion + Other Takeaways from the IWTTF Conference The Fourth Annual International Women in Travel Tourism Forum + Awards brought joy and thought-provoking conversation about all things DEI.

Hertelier Special Offer!! wmnsWork is offering Hertelier subscribers $100 USD off registration until July 15th! 

Applications for wmnsWORK Tourism Accelerator's VIRTUAL September cohort are now OPEN (September 18th - December 8th, 2023)! 

wmnsWORK Tourism Accelerator is an award-winning business-focused 12-week program helping early-stage women- + non-binary-owned businesses in tourism reach their goals faster, with more fun along the way. 

If you've started your own travel business in the last three years - whether that’s a tour operator, local supplier, boutique hotel, or travel planning business - but could use some extra support on business best practices to reach your version of success, this is the program for you!  

wmnsWORK helps to flatten the learning curve of industry knowledge and entrepreneurship through 3 pillars: 

• Education: Educational workshops (on key topics ranging from creating a sound financial plan, to digital marketing 101, to navigating self-doubt)

• Mentorship: 1-on-1 Mentorship with a mentor who's successfully created a business similar to yours!

• Community: Wanna feel less alone? Get support from your cohort + the 30 alumni who have already gone through the program through our community Slack channel

wmnsWORK is offering Hertelier subscribers $100 USD off registration until July 15th, so apply now! 

Listen UP: Podcasts to download!

•  Martha Stewart Makes No Apologies for Being Perfect On with Kara Swisher You know we love all things Martha (read Nancy's column, here) but this interview with Martha is so good, I actually listened to it twice. She is truly always learning, innovating, and leading. Highly recommend.
   

• The Art of Asking for (and Getting) Help Related to our networking article, this Harvard Business Review podcast with Wayne Baker, the author of "All You Have to do is Ask," is a great listen on why asking for help is not only good for you, but makes others feel good too!
   

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Thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Em

PS- see the screenshot below from Mazilli Restrepo Serna, Director of Luxury Sales for Accor, which made my day! Reply to this email and I'll send you hertelier stickers, too!