Hello from Watermill in the Hamptons!

It is great to be visiting with my family, even more so than ever, since we have not all been together in two years!  My top Hamptons tip: really good Italian food and a fun scene with comfy lounge spaces and dining tables under a tent at Moby's in East Hampton. 

Lots of exciting industry news this week, so let's get right to it...

• Wyndham has launched a program to support women-owned hotels, "Women Own the Room."  This further builds on the earlier announcement by the Castell Project, which launched Fortuna's Table in conjunction with She Has a Deal, to offer training for women on hotel ownership.  We can't wait to see what changes and progress these incredible new programs empowering women bring to our industry! 
• Two articles crossed my feed this week about how to negotiate a job offer or a better salary. Women in particular struggle with negotiation, even Sally Krawcheck, the former CEO of Merrill Lynch and CFO for Citigroup, used to get so nervous during salary reviews that her neck would well up with red blotches, read this interview with her for great advice and mistakes to avoid in your next negotiation and these tips from Harvard Business Review.
• McKinsey just published a report on corporate travel and the four segments to think about: "never left", "never returning", "FOMO", and "wait and see" that includes interesting thoughts on how the ongoing vaccine rollout may play out and offers advice for travel planners that make interesting reading for hoteliers, too. 
• US group meetings were up 42 % in July over June 2021, according to Knowland, a meetings and events data provider. 

Here's what happened on hertelier:

• Weekly columnist Nancy Mendelson is back discussing the common conundrum, is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness, inspired by a trip to her local Trader Joe's.  If you've ever wondered about this, read more here. 
• Essential summer reading: I loved the new book by hospitality expert, Nancy Medoff, Unmute Yourself: Speak Up to Stand Out, she offers some great tips on how to be heard.  For more book suggestions by female authors, click here. 
• In case you missed it, we interviewed serial entrepreneur Kristina O'Neal, partner and co-founder of hospitality design firm AvroKO and its sister agency, Brand Bureau, on her new VC fund for women, Hospitable Bridge.  Read about this new initiative to help women, what inspired Kristina to start the fund, and what she hopes to achieve.

Finally, we're excited to be a media partner for Hotel360 - the UK’s leading business event dedicated to hotel growth. Opening its doors to over 4 - 5,000 hotel professionals this year, Hotel360 will reunite the hospitality industry in-person at the ExCeL, London on the 28th & 29th of September.  

Hotel360 has pulled together the industry’s leading experts, from the likes of Nobu, Hilton, and Radisson to name a few, who will be covering topics such as brand culture, work productivity, and customer experience. They've just announced Jo Berrington, SVP from YOTEL, as a keynote, and I'm excited for her session: 'EAT, LOVE, PRAY, Learnings from a Global Pandemic, plus, thought-provoking panel debates (I'll be moderating one on Five Star Experience!). Registration is officially open, so grab your FREE tickets now, before they all go!

Thank you for your support–reading, liking, and sharing our stories of women rocking the hotel industry!  If you have a friend or colleague that you think would enjoy hertelier please forward this email; anyone can sign up by clicking here or the button below.

Have a great week, 

Emily