Dear Round-Up Readers,

If you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or just the spring weather, I hope you're enjoying the long weekend!

The eighth week of war: As of this morning, it seems negotiations have stalled between Russia and Ukraine. Though Russia lost a warship this week, it has captured Mariupol, a coastal city that is a key export hub for Ukraine's steel, coal, and corn.  Losing Mariupol is a major blow to what is left of Ukraine's economy.  As war crimes continue to emerge, the West must keep helping Ukraine.  

On to other news––

Wondering why society seems to have split into extremes? Please read, or listen to, WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID, an important explainer from The Atlantic, that delves into how social media has negatively impacted democracy and what we can do about it. 

COVID: Unlike the rest of the world, China has opted for a "zero Covid" policy instead of learning to live with the virus and this is proving a difficult path. The latest is Shanghai is in its third week of lockdown causing food shortages and general unrest.  For a sense of scale, Shanghai, with a population of 24.9 million, is three times the size of NYC. Elsewhere, Omicron is spreading through Africa and Europe.

Business stories this week:

• Inflation is at its highest point in four decades in the US. You're probably feeling it at the store and in your monthly bills, the WSJ offers a useful explanation of inflation.  If you are worried about where the economy is headed, take 30 minutes to listen to this podcast from the NYT, where Nobel laureate Paul Krugman puts current factors (inflation, jobs report, Ukraine war) into perspective. “It’s not an A++ economy,” Krugman says, "but it’s “immensely better” than where the economy was during the 2008 financial crisis."
• Emerging office trends: 4-day workweek in California and the "triple peak" workday. Lawmakers in California have proposed a bill that would shorten the workweek from 40 to 32 hours for companies with more than 500 employees and make employers pay overtime to those who work more than four days a week. On the other hand, Microsoft posted a new study revealing a new trend of the "triple peak" that has emerged with "knowledge workers" WFH in the evenings. People are working longer hours due to days packed with meetings––do you check emails at night? Read more about why this is happening and what to do.
• Twitter fight: is Elong Musk a "bullionaire" (bully + billionaire) or the savior of free speech?  He made headlines this week for attempting to take over Twitter.

Women in the news: 

• Putting an end to "Office Housework." Every year, women spend a full 200 hours more than men on work tasks that will not help them land promotions or otherwise advance their careers. Things like: planning the office party, taking notes in a meeting, or training the summer interns––do you do any of this? A new book written by four female professors, The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, argues it’s time to put an end to this dynamic. Using their expertise in research, management, social behavior, and economics, the authors uncover the root causes of “office housework” and how women can avoid taking on the lion’s share of it moving forward. Read more on LinkedIn.

• Do you worry about being liked? Out of curiosity, are you doing "office housework" to be "liked"? Another recent book, The Likeability Trap by MSNBC reporter Alicia Menendez, claims when women focus too much on likeability, which is subjective, and the tradeoff is a loss of authority at work. She calls it the "Goldilocks conundrum"—a woman, it seems, is never just right–– either too warm or too cold. "If you are too warm: everyone likes you—people don't think you have what it takes... or a woman who asserts herself, who lobbies for things, will often be told that while she has what it takes to lead, she needs to tone it down." Have you ever been in this position?  Learn more in this NPR interview where Alicia argues we need systemic change, but also offers tips on what we can do in the meantime. 

Travel news from the week:

• Summer travel will be up 19% from last year. According to the website thevacationer.com which conducted the survey, Americans are planning to travel more and 20% will head to Europe despite the conflict in Ukraine. 

• Business travel bookings boom: American Express Global Business Travel and TripActions each have reported a significant uptick in business travel bookings in recent weeks, a sign of hope even as a new Covid-19 variant takes hold in several markets. 

• The cost of the travel comeback, chaos? NYT reports airfare price increases are not deterring travelers and the chaotic airport experiences that are becoming normal.  

• New buzzword alert: "GLEISURE"––group travelers adding on a leisure trip! Credit goes to Louise Bang, Regional Vice President, Sales + Distribution for Caribbean and Latin American for Marriott International. Listen to her interview with Luxury Travel Advisor about trends taking shape with all-inclusive and luxury in the Caribbean. 

• Key takeaways from Hunter Hotel Investment Conference: There were 89 presenters over the three-day conference where hotel execs shared everything from concerns (labor shortage, inflation, supply chains) to what sectors have performed best (Extended Stay).  Click to read this fantastic recap by CBRE Advisor and my former Cornell Professor, Jack Corgel.

• Snacks on the plane: just for fun from the WaPo, what chefs bring to eat when they fly. 

On hertelier this week:

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. 

• SCOOP: Making hotels shoppable!  We chat with entrepreneur Suzanne Mahoney, co-founder of LiBi (Love It, Buy It), about her new company which enables hotels to become immersive shopping experiences utilizing QR code technology. If you're looking to max your Total RevPar, read this!

• Have you outgrown your life? This week columnist Nancy Mendelson unpacks how to identify phases of personal growth.  Must read! 

• Forging her own legacy in F&B: Megan Gray Stromberg. With a career that spans historic saloons in the Colorado Rockies to the legendary St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Megan is now cutting a new path by putting mission first at growing hotel company, NuovoRE.

• It all started with a post on LinkedIn...read how University of East London student Norrisa Gayle, from one post on her LinkedIn page, got to attend her first hotel conference and worked the room so well that she ended up being featured in hertelier. She shares her networking tips!  

WATCH THIS: 😂 Wordle fans have a LAUGH (5 letters, obvs) with this hilarious New Yorker parody of the Senior Word Engineer for the New York Times. So good, only three minutes for huge LOLs 😂 

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 great week! 

Em