Summer is here and it's HOT, Round-up Readers!

For the third time in a week, Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday. How is it where you are?

Didn’t realize just how much I missed my daughter Marcy until she returned home, this week, after six months away! She worked for Susanna Balbo, an award-winning female winemaker, and hotelier in Argentina, after finishing her freshman year at college. Living in a culture of hyperinflation was eye-opening for her, as Argentina's annual inflation is currently at 114%. Despite the challenges of saving money, she noticed that people make the most of their funds by going out more. She really enjoyed her time working there and gained valuable customer service skills in the process.

Let's get to the news...

 Business, Women, and Random Trends:
 

• Threads! The big social media launch this week from Meta targeting Twitter, microblogging site Threads saw 70 million sign-ups in two days. Read why Insider thinks it will succeed, why it may pay to be an early adopter on Inc., and what travel companies need to know about Threads by LDPR. Follow hertelier on Threads. See below for the podcast interview with Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram (and now Threads).
   

• The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Over. Can Workers’ Power Endure? The furious pace of job-switching in recent years has led to big gains for low-wage workers. But the pendulum could be swinging back toward employers, reports the NYT.

   

• No One Is Happy About Diversity Efforts at Work More difficulties for DEI reports the WSJ, the US Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate affirmative action hits workplaces as diversity initiatives face pressure from supporters and skeptics; ‘Stop being so woke’
   

• And Just Like That, Sex Talk Comes to the Office Younger workers have less sex, but they talk about it at work reports the WSJ. Also, with the reboot of the "Sex and the City" sequel, read this profile of Sara Jessica Parker about why she keeps playing Carrie Bradshaw in The New Yorker, and learn why another heroine of the same vintage, Bridget Jones, is a "relic from another time."
   

• Fashion: Dupes, Fakes, and Deals. I've been fascinated by the "Dupe" trend in fashion and make-up, but this article in NYT about the insane quality of 'superfake' designer purses was riveting. Also worth reading is how fashion insiders get deals on designers from the WSJ. (Paywalls on the NYT and WSJ stories).

   

• Keep Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Says These 4 Simple Routines Significantly Boost Recall, Retention, and Long-Term Memory Best of all, each one takes seconds, not hours. Read more in Inc.

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Ashford Trust Announces Plan To Hand Back Keys for 19 US Hotels Dallas-Based REIT CEO Rob Hays says the company has been "unsuccessful in trading hotels under current market conditions with few buyers and no access to debt markets." Read more in CoStar.

   

• How AI Could Transform Travel—and How to Take Advantage of It Time takes a look at new AI integrations in travel and offers some consumer advice. Speaking of AI, did you see JennAI from the Block? (see what I did there 😂) Globetrender reports Virgin Voyages has turned its brand ambassador Jennifer Lopez into an AI deepfake that can be programmed to send bespoke video invitations to friends and family. Watch the video, it's hilarious!!
   

• European Hot Spots Struggling With the Tourist Masses Italy, Spain, and Greece are on track for a record-setting tourism season, and not everyone is happy about it. The WSJ reports visitors are giving a boost to Southern Europe’s economies, which depend heavily on tourism. Travel and tourism is more than 10% of the economy in Italy, 15% in Spain, and 19% in Greece, according to the WTTC. Yet, there is lots of backlash from locals.
   

• United's CEO Made Customers and Employees Angry. His Apology Is a Brutal Reminder That Actions Speak Louder Than Words Taking a private jet to avoid the mess of commercial aviation is a bad look when your company is a part of the mess, reports Inc.
   

• Cool promo: Japan Airlines Gives Tourists a Chance to Reduce Baggage by Renting Clothes Carrier embarks on a year-long experiment designed to help reduce CO₂ emissions, read more in the FT (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. 

• Are "Pay-cations" the new Bleisure? Allianz 15th Annual Vacation Survey Reveals Top Travel Trends Allianz 15th Annual Vacation Confidence Index is out...and "Pay-cations" are in! Find how this is different from "Bleisure" + more trends!
   

• Taming the Toxic Tongue: the Perils of Badmouthing in Business Columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks what to do when someone shares toxic gossip in the workplace.
   

• What Happens When You Leave Your Comfort Zone: Deborah Wigardt, Villa Inkognito Getting restless, Deborah took a chance that took her out of her comfort zone and into a role she loves at Villa Inkognito in Oslo.

   

• Discover the Surprising Secret to Effective Networking Do you dread networking at events? Learn the secret to effective networking by expert Dr. Raina Brands + tips from the hertelier community, based on our first-ever "Morning Shift" event in London.

Hertelier Special Offer!! wmnsWork is offering Hertelier subscribers $100 USD off registration until July 15th! 

Applications for wmnsWORK Tourism Accelerator's VIRTUAL September cohort are now OPEN (September 18th - December 8th, 2023)! 

wmnsWORK Tourism Accelerator is an award-winning business-focused 12-week program helping early-stage women- + non-binary-owned businesses in tourism reach their goals faster, with more fun along the way. 

If you've started your own travel business in the last three years - whether that’s a tour operator, local supplier, boutique hotel, or travel planning business - but could use some extra support on business best practices to reach your version of success, this is the program for you!  

wmnsWORK helps to flatten the learning curve of industry knowledge and entrepreneurship through 3 pillars: 

• Education: Educational workshops (on key topics ranging from creating a sound financial plan, to digital marketing 101, to navigating self-doubt)

• Mentorship: 1-on-1 Mentorship with a mentor who's successfully created a business similar to yours!

• Community: Wanna feel less alone? Get support from your cohort + the 30 alumni who have already gone through the program through our community Slack channel

wmnsWORK is offering Hertelier subscribers $100 USD off registration until July 15th, so apply now! 

Listen UP: Podcasts and TV to download + a book!

• NYT Hard Fork Special Episode: Meta’s Twitter Rival Arrives, with Adam Mosseri Instagram Threads Bottom line: it’s like Twitter, except it’s not run by Elon Musk.
   

• The Bear! Re-watching season 1 of this intense kitchen/family drama. So good! Season 2 comes to Disney + on July 19 in the UK but you can watch in the US now on Hulu. No spoilers!
   

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow I'm in the middle of this novel about a couple of video game designers. It's great and I'm not even into video games. If you are looking for a summer beach read, here you go!
   

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Thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Em