Dear Round-Up Readers,

For our American readers, Happy 4th of July weekend! This reminds me of a funny (or is it?) meme I got, "The 4th of July has been canceled due to a shortage of independence.  Sincerely, Women."  Honestly, I'm still processing all that is happening post the overturning of Roe v Wade (for more on that, read last week's Round-Up).

No doubt, the news these days is grim...between reproductive rights, the conflict in Ukraine, gun control, and the looming recession...which is why this article from Dr. Samantha Boardman, "5 Strategies for Balancing Your News Diet," really resonated with me.  She cites a survey from Reuters, "Almost a third of people say the news negatively impacts their mood. This finding goes hand in hand with research showing that relentless gloom and doom reporting affects mental health." 

With that in mind, I'm keeping the Round-Up more optimistic and hopeful this weekend to help you balance what you may be reading elsewhere. 

Belated Happy Pride Month!  It has been amazing to see the celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and the support of LGBTQ+ rights around the world during June.  Pride weekend is happening now in London. More than a million people came for the parade yesterday, which marked the 50th anniversary of the UK's first Pride parade, and the first since the Covid pandemic.

• According to Globetrender, Pride festivals and celebrations are back to pre-2019 levels and this is a major demand generator for travel. 
• If you are curious about the history of Pride...why a rainbow flag, why is it celebrated in June, and what started the LGBTQ+ activism, read this.
• Here are 50 of the Funniest Pride Memes

Women, Business and the Generations: 

• 7 Experts Explain Why It Is Important to Pay Fairer Wages and How to Do It. Despite the fact that men make up the majority of the workforce in the United States, women make up the majority of the low-wage workforce. The same is true of most countries and the impact of the pandemic set back progress in closing this gender gap by another 36 years. Wage inequality needs to be reduced for our societies to become healthier, read the seven ways to do it.

• How to Get Men to Share the Mental Load at Home. In many households, men think like helpers and women think like managers. A new book shares ways to change this dynamic. Read 40 tips in The Atlantic.

• Gen Z: the struggle is real, values vs. paycheck. Two interesting articles dive into what motivates the youngest members of the workforce. The WSJ says Gen Z workers want mission-driven jobs, but a big paycheck would be nicer as student-loan debt, inflation and other financial worries test young workers’ social consciences. While Vox claims Gen Z doesn't define themselves by their jobs, are generally disillusioned by work, and expect fulfillment to come from activities outside the workplace.

• TikTok is Predicted to Overtake YouTube in Average User Time This Year.  Read this story from Inc. on how you can use the app to engage audiences and even better, read AdAge on how Disney Theme Parks actually made videos that went viral, causing food items to sell out. 

Travel & Hospitality news:

• STR is NOT forecasting a recession this year! Let's hope they are right, take 5 minutes to watch this recap from Jan Freitag, National Director of Hospitality Analytics from Costar.
• Why Air Travel is So Stressful this Summer and Why It Won't Be Fixed Soon As some 13 million Americans are meant to be flying this holiday weekend, the NYT takes a look at the US data, but this article from Time offers a global picture.  Bottom line: they need more staff and due to security and training for airport and airline personnel, onboarding workers takes much longer than in other industries.  Read Nancy's article (below) for smart strategies to navigate summer travel. 
• A Futuristic Nuclear-powered Flying Hotel that can Fly without Landing and Host up to 5,000 Passengers. It scares me, would you try it?

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! 

• 27 takeaways from the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF) I was privileged to be part of this amazing SOLD OUT conference in London this past Thursday, full of great vibes and inspiring discussions on DEI.  Sponsored by Google Travel and included speakers from airlines and hotels to tour operators and cruise lines on how to create more inclusivity and empower women. Read my recap here and mark your calendar for June 22, 2023, when it will happen again next year.  Huge thank you to organizer Alessandra Alonso of Women in Travel CIC for including me in this event. 

• Jessica Préalpato is the first woman to be named "World’s Best Pastry Chef"! Her recipe for success has been a bit of serendipity mixed with complete dedication, as she was raised by parents who owned a patisserie in France. Now she has come to London to offer her take on Afternoon Tea, without being English OR using refined sugar. I've been twice and it is absolutely amazing.  Read more about her sweet innovations!

• The Plane Truth About Flying. No doubt you've seen the headlines (above!), which is why this week columnist Nancy Mendelson offers excellent advice for flying this summer from a flight attendant she met on a recent (delayed) trip from Chicago.  Plus an excellent story about travel from Senator Cory Booker.

• Eileen Ford of Haines Hotel Services Has Carved a Lucrative Niche Selling Extended-Stay Hotels. The pandemic shined a light on the extended-stay segment, in many markets they were the only hotels to stay open, and normally operate with low overhead.  Eileen shares her passion for this niche and why she thinks it will keep going from strength to strength (fun fact: Starwood Capital and Blackstone recently spent $1.5 billion on an extended stay portfolio).

• Alternative Accommodations 101: a Look at this Booming Sector with JLL’s Ophelia Makis. Representing some $60 billion in revenues annually, the "alternative accommodations" grew exponentially during the pandemic. Ophelia from JLL explains the market and where it is headed.

Watch this: I loved the new Top Gun: Maverick! Have you seen it?

Summer Reading: I'm in the middle of this incredibly clever and funny novel about a brilliant female chemist in the 1960s, Lessons in Chemistry, and I cannot put it down. Highly recommend!!!

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 good week,

Em