Hello, 

Another difficult week as the chaos around the withdrawal of US troops and allies in Afghanistan escalates. 

• Afghanistan remains in upheaval.  While the news continues to be heartbreaking, travel companies have stepped up. Airbnb, airlines, and Hilton have pledged to help refugees, read more in Adweek. If you are looking to help personally, check out this comprehensive listing of relief organizations in the New York Times.
• COVID and the Delta variant continue to stress businesses.  According to the New York Times, airline employees have struggled to cope this summer, hotels are mandating vaccines and in the UK a combination of COVID and Brexit has experts predicting continued supply chain problems well into next year, causing delays and increasing costs, according to BloombergBusinessweek.  See also the cover of the mag this week (below), they nailed it––return to normal still on hold. 
• A new brand for IHG.  This week IHG rolled out a new luxury brand, Vignette Collection, which will feature "independent hotels with distinct identities." This addition brings the group’s portfolio to 17 brands across nearly 6,000 hotels in more than 100 countries.
• Are we ready for the travel boom?  In case you missed it, McKinsey & Co. published, "A travel boom is looming. But is the industry ready?" at the end of July, offering up two possible scenarios suggesting the travel industry can prepare by focusing on four key areas—building capacity, investing in digital innovation, revisiting commercial approaches, and learning from critical moments.

Here's what happened on hertelier:

• STR is the biggest name in hotel data globally, ever wonder how that happened?  Read our interview with the president, Amanda Hite, who not only expanded the business from the US to become a global giant, she also spearheaded the sale in 2019 to Costar for $450 million, ushered the company through the pandemic, and BTW, is a wife and mom to two teens.  Open and honest about her career journey, how she shares and prioritizes her life, Amanda is relatable, warm, funny, and a total badass.
• Am I right??!!?? This week columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks why she likes to be right and how to get heard in the first place.
• Looking for a good book to savor before the end of summer? we suggest three delicious reads for foodies.

Listen Up: Do you like podcasts? I've become a podcast nerd during the pandemic.  I plan to start sharing one per week. Yesterday, I happened across a new (to me) podcast called "No Stupid Questions," with Angela Duckworth, author of the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance and a Professor at Wharton, and Stephen Dubner, the author of the Freakonomics book(s), the topic "Are Women Required to Be Nicer Than Men." They hash out research claiming that men only need to be competent while women need to be both warm and competent.  What do you think? Also, send me your favorite podcasts!

If you missed it, hertelier was just featured by the Cornell University SC Johnson School of Business! Please CLICK HERE to read about the community YOU are helping to build for women in lodging!

Thank you again 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!

Have a great week, 

Emily