Inspiring week, Round-Up Readers!

Started off by leading a talk at Buckinghamshire New University Missenden Abbey International Hotel and Hospitality School with masters students from around the world. It was fun to share key themes from hertelier’s over 500 interviews with women in hospitality, and enlightening to learn what topics are most interesting to the next generation of global leaders, many there from Africa, China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and beyond.

Next, I had the chance to meet Jennica Shamoon Arazi, proprietor of the iconic Marbella Club Hotel · Golf Resort & Spa and hear about her plans to celebrate the hotel’s 70th anniversary. She’s using this milestone as an opportunity to create a new legacy for the hotel by planting a massive garden with the help of Deyrolle and Le Prince Jardinier. Featuring over 60 heritage varietals of tomatoes, plus other vegetables, herbs plants and flowers, the site will become a “Garden of Eden” for guests to learn from and enjoy for generations to come. What a beautiful idea!

Tomorrow I am off to Las Vegas for the Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) Summit!! Read our exclusive interview with Amanda Frasier, President, Ratings about the intentional change FTG is leading in luxury travel to be more inclusive. Fun fact: at the Summit 50% of the speakers are women and 35% from diverse backgrounds. Positive change does not happen by accident, it happens by design! Will you be in there? Let's meet up!

GRAB YOUR TICKETS to our event in Miami on March 5th… because it’s selling out! Join me for cocktails and conversation…I would love to meet you and hear YOUR story! Big thanks to our partners: Cornell Hotel Society of South Florida, Expedia Group, The Hotels Network and Women in Travel Thrive for their support. See below and sign up here!!

Now, on to the news of the week!

Business, Women, and Random Trends:
 

• Why Google, General Mills and Other Companies are Ending On-site Childcare An interesting take on a topic we share about a lot...who should be helping with childcare costs? Fast Company notes the shift in companies "focusing on supporting employees by making significant investments to broaden caregiving support," and why government needs to step in to create stability for caregivers.
   

• Meet the Delaware Judge Who Keeps Foiling Elon Musk Kathaleen McCormick’s no-nonsense rulings have earned the Tesla chief’s ire -— and the corporate law world’s respect She is a total badass, great profile in WaPo.
   

• ‘What Has She Done To Her Face?!’ For A-list Women There Is Simply No Right Way To Age Speaking of badasses, Grazia offers an insightful take on the constant criticism celebs like Jennifer Anniston, SJP, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman face about...their ageing faces.
   

• VROOM! Charlotte Tilbury Makes History as First Female-Founded Brand and Beauty Company to Partner with F1 Academy F1 Academy, a new project developed by Formula 1 to help female drivers progress further in motorsport. The partnership will see Charlotte Tilbury spotlight the academy’s 15 young female drivers, all aged 16-25, their careers and achievements, to raise more awareness about the opportunities the sport has to offer women.

   

• ICYMI: the EPIC mansplaining video with professional golfer Georgia Ball ⛳️ 

Travel & Hospitality:

• Earnings Calls for Major Hotel Companies! TL;DR version: 2023 was a strong year, most brands are growing, particularly in luxury and extended-stay, limited service.

  • Accor exceeds €1 billion in revenue and RevPAR increased by +23% vs 2022

  • IHG Elie Maalouf on Bloomberg IHG revenue also exceeded a billion for the first time and profits up 23%
     

• Former CEO of Celebrity Cruises Lisa Lutoff-Perlo Has Written a Book–– ‘Making Waves: A Woman’s Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart and Courage,’ Can't wait to read it! Meanwhile, here are two interesting excerpts. Her thoughts on failure in Fast Company and how she pushed for gender equality in the male-dominated cruise biz in Fortune.
   

• Why Luxury Hospitality Must Rebel Against the Sea of Sameness Luxury travel and hospitality are often just luxurious in name and price point. Luxury thought leader Daniel Langer offers tips for hoteliers to transcend the "sea of sameness." Also, JLL's Stephany Chen, EVP, global hotel desk, explains why luxury hotel demand has skyrocketed on the back of HNWIs in Hotels.
   

• Hotel Concierges Reveal All the Seemingly Impossible Tasks They’ve Ever Been Asked A peek behind the concierge curtain in AFAR.
   

• Why Women are Disproportionately Affected by the 100ml Liquid Rule. After news that UK airports will delay scrapping the 100ml liquid rule, Conde Nast Traveller explains why the rule disadvantages women most of all. Personally, this INFURIATES me.
   

• Wine: The Twilight of the American Sommelier Once seen as an essential feature of any establishment serious about wine, now seems to be a luxury in the post-pandemic restaurant economy, reports the New York Times. Also, WaPo looks at DEI in the wine industry. Did you read our interview with B. Stuyvesant champagne's Marvina Robinson?

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. 
 

• Forbes Travel Guide 2024: Intentionally Elevating Equality in Luxury Hospitality We get the scoop on the Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) annual Summit and how ratings and trainings are becoming more inclusive with President of Ratings, Amanda Frasier.
   

• Celebrating Black Women Making History in Hospitality: Tashea Lowery, Corporate Director of Human Resources, Salamander Collection Tashea shares her career journey into human resources and hospitality. She offers tips and insights for job seekers in luxury travel.
   

• Confessions of a Balloon Handler Columnist Nancy Mendelson shares lessons she learned in people management, while working on the famous Thanksgiving Day parade.

Podcasts to Download!

•  Sophie Blondel on Nxt Gen Hotels Podcast As the GM of the first and only property in Dubai to be certified as an autism friendly hotel, this is a really interesting listen on operating challenges and rewards when looking at inclusivity and neurodiversity.

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Thank you for reading!

Em