Dear Round-Up Readers,

Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were wonderful, shared with people you care about. If you worked, wishing you some well-deserved R & R sooner rather than later!

Really enjoyed the past two weeks of vacation, spending time with my family, reflecting on the ups and downs of 2022, and thinking about 2023. Expect more on that soon... meanwhile, I'm still transitioning back into "work mode." Can you relate?

For now, let’s jump into what to expect in travel for the new year based on many recaps published in December.

Travel & Hospitality news:
 

• 2023 travel trends: key themes that seem to be sticking. Does anyone really know what is going to happen in 2023? No, but predicting is fun. And who checks a year later to see what you got right? Nobody. With that in mind, here are some standouts:
   

  • Female-led luxury: loved this take from Skift, highlighting how women are leading innovation in high-end hospitality. Of course, we agree!
     

  • Agrophilia: PureWow, has pulled off this clever repurposing of a word (note: philia not phobia!), claiming "Travelers are craving public life, undesigned experiences, and bustling crowds."
     

  • Experience economy: the rise in everything from educational and indigenous itineraries to authentic dining experiences that start with foraging for ingredients, a shift to more authentic ways to immerse travelers in destinations.
     

  • "Lisness" You know I love a made-up buzzword, but not sure about this one! "Lisness" = leisure+business––the idea that people will be taking more leisure trips that include a little business––i.e. the opposite of "Bleisure" which is adding a little vacation time to biz travel. See also: Mullet Trips, Blended Travel. and Work from Roam. In short: people are taking longer trips.
     

  • Intentional eco-travel: whether it's the longer trips mentioned above, flexi-travel combining train and air, slow travel that focuses on rail trips, or the rise in electric rental cars, there is an elevated consciousness around the energy expended on getting there.
     

  • Set-Jetting: the explosion of interest in destinations featured in film and TV, such as Sicily and Hawaii from The White Lotus, Emily in Paris...but set-jetting has been going on since 2005 when The Guardian first reported on places ranging from New Zealand (Lord of the Rings) to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland (Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films).

    
    

  • Longer-lead times: this was a big theme at ILTM, but after all the stops and starts of travel during COVID, people are no longer afraid to plan ahead.
     

  • Solo travel on the rise: my favorite prediction from journalist Carolyn O'Neill, "Traveling solo? You’re not alone!" based on a reported spike from Virtuoso, particularly in the 65+ age group.
     

• 25 Pivotal Hospitality Trends from 2022. Looking back may be more useful than looking ahead, which is why I love this round-up from Smart Meetings that covers everything from regenerative travel and inclusivity to impactful gifting (we don't need more tchotchkes!) and mental health.

   

• Pricing discipline: what Skift called the most important hotel story of 2022. For global hotel groups, the post-pandemic boom drove record revenue and profit because they put more faith in computer modeling and kept rates high even when demand softened. Meanwhile, despite the fact that a recession is predicted for 2023, STR is reporting that hotel demand will continue to increase.
   

• How the pandemic has changed the restaurant industry. The WSJ and WaPo both ran articles on this topic in December. Employment in the sector is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels thanks to better pay and perks, but what people eat, how they order, and where they eat has morphed thanks to the pandemic. Tech-enhanced ordering with more delivery and drive-thru while in-restaurant dining is down, and limited menus to reduce operational costs and waste. With the looming recession, it remains to be seen what will stick in 2023.

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. 
 

• 7 Big Travel Trends to Expect in 2023 with Michèle Fitzpatrick, CEO of eviivo

  With her pulse on data from thousands of customers in the lodging space, Michèle Fitzpatrick, CEO of eviivo, shares travel trends for 2023.
   

• Why You Shouldn’t Make Resolutions for the New Year and What 3 Things to Do Instead This post from best-selling author Leeanne Gardner from last year still holds up!

Final Thoughts

To stick a pin in 2022, kind of agree with The Cut, who coined it the "year men flopped." And like the author, we are rooting for guys to rebound in 2023!!

As we look ahead, loved this set of predictions from Pinterest. BTW, for the last three years, 80% of Pinterest's predictions came true!

Finishing with something POSITIVE we can all think about as we enter 2023...how can you be the best possible parent, lover, friend, citizen, or tourist? The Guardian offers up what the experts think, and the article is really a must-read.  

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Thank you for reading and wishing you a fantastic 2023!

Em