Dear Round-Up Readers,

What a week! So, following up on last week's breaking banking news: Silicon Valley Bank's depositors will be made whole and the US government has stepped in to clean up the mess, here's a good NYT podcast explaining the sitch. This week all eyes are on Credit Suisse, another troubled bank, which may get purchased by UBS.

The other big business news: ChatGPT4 is out. The latest AI advancements have been called "exciting and scary." However you feel about AI, there is no denying it is progressing very quickly. Read our story testing ChatGPT 3 for travel marketing.

Enjoying all the companies sharing stories and studies (see below) about female workers during Women's History Month. Will it continue all year long? Not sure. One promotion I love is the #mySHEro campaign on LinkedIn by Nina Kleaveland, creator of Female Founders in Hospitality, where women are posting about colleagues that have inspired and supported them. I posted about one of my first bosses, Vickie Feldman de Falco… joyful to write, and even more so to see responses from Vickie and former colleagues. If you've not participated in the #mySHEro campaign, do it! This chain of gratitude for women is wonderful to witness. Genius work, Nina!

Final topic: Merch Madness! That's right, merch, not March. We have hertelier stickers! If you want one, email me.

Thank you to our Round-Up sponsor, Extended Stay America! Let's get to the news!

 
Business, Women, and Random Trends: 

• The State of Women… Isn’t Working: a new report by TheSkimm, who did a Harris Poll of 4,500 women. The big conclusion: women are making seismic changes to how they live, finally prioritizing their own needs because no one else will. Instead of resignation, they are exhibiting agency, and a willingness to make tough choices to secure their own futures. Read more.
   

• New report finds 60% of women in leadership feel more lonely as their careers progress While many men reported feeling less lonely as their careers progressed, women said the opposite. Really interesting research which was discussed in a panel at SXSW. Does this stat surprise you: 92% of senior-level women who feel lonely say they have engaged in some type of negative coping behavior including taking illegal drugs, overexercising, overspending, or gambling.
   

• Childcare Challenges and Changes A new study in the US finds that pricey childcare is keeping parents out of the workforce. Roughly 380,000 workers aged 25-54 left jobs since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, the UK just announced 30 hours of free childcare for all under-5s starting in 2025.
   

• What CFOs wished they knew when they were younger Great read in Fortune (paywall) where female CFOs offer advice to their younger selves. A few that resonated with me:

  • Growth and comfort do not coexist.

  • Don’t compare yourself to others but evaluate what you’re capable of doing as a professional and understand the value you bring.

  • Build your personal board of directors. Better than trying to find one person that has it all, find experts for different parts of your life that you can tap for guidance.

  • (Don't) limit yourself. If you are overly prescriptive or ridged around your career path, you can self-impose a ceiling on who you can become. 

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Virtuoso reveals what is next in luxury travel Based on information from Virtuoso's $63.6 billion in transactions, they reveal the most popular destinations for spring travel based on future bookings, as well as what will be the next hot spots.
   

• An illustrated encyclopedia of people you meet on vacation from the Washington Post. Sooooo good!! 😂😂
   

• Champagne in Dixie Cups. Pancakes Flecked With Gold. Fine Dining Gets Fun Again. The Wall Street Journal reports that at hot-ticket restaurants, passé pretentiousness is off the menu, and the prevailing mood is party (paywall)

   

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. 
 

• ChatGPT for Travel Marketing and PR: We Put it to the Test ChatGPT 4 came out this week. Are you ready? We tapped expert Mirjam Peternek-McCartney to give ChatGPT (version 3) a go for travel marketing.
   

• Our Favorite Articles about Women in Hospitality that You Missed Columnist Nancy Mendelson reflects on her two years with hertelier and how algorithms may have led you to miss some favorite articles! Important read!
   

• Why you should keep the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network’s events on your radar Reporter Jeannette Ceja checked out the TIEWN annual Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference in Los Angeles. Here is the scoop!
   

• Let’s Rewrite the Brand of Wellness Gwyneth Paltrow shares her diet and enrages...the world. Nutritionist and RD, Janet Helm explains why we need a new brand of wellness.

Listen UP! TV shows & Podcasts to Download NOW

• New podcast! London-based lawyer, Karen Friebe, Head of Bird & Bird’s Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure group, has started a new series of interviews with inspirational women in the hospitality sector. In the first episode, Karen speaks with Ina Plunien, Vice President of Cedar Capital Partners. Ina shares her path to her current position, and chats with Karen about key challenges for women in this sector and the importance of sponsorship. Listen here.
   

• Tuesday Thanks with Brian Proctor: I'm a big fan of this pod centered around gratitude. Brian chatted with Allison Reid, Chief Global Growth Officer with Aimbridge Hospitality, which has over 1,500 hotels in 50 states and 23 countries. She shares her career journey with stints at Kimpton, Starwood, and W Hotels. Great listen!
   

• Sex for Work: The True Cost of Our Tea - BBC Africa Eye documentary A joint investigation between BBC Africa Eye and Panorama has uncovered widespread sexual abuse on farms that supply some of the UK’s most popular tea brands including PG Tips, Lipton and Sainsbury’s Red Label. Disturbing but important viewing––the good news is this journalism has spurred the government to look into the issue.
   

• For something more lighthearted: a little girl with a 'snarly smile' wins the internet. The toddler received a lesson on "how to smile" after her adorable grimace became the focus of her family photos. 

Mark your calendar! She Has a Deal pitch competition is back! The two-day pitch event with education and networking sessions is April 27-28, the awards luncheon is on April 28th, you can buy tickets here.

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Thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Em