Dear Round-Up Readers,

Happy Halloween! Spooky that you didn’t receive your  Round-Up yesterday… did you miss it? School break continued in the UK, so we went to visit friends in France and I really tried to vacation, hence the Monday delivery!

My holiday read––the amazing new book by CNBC reporter Julia Boorstin: When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them. She interviewed over 100 women from a variety of startups on why they have been successful, as less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to women-led businesses. I'm still in the middle of the book, but it is very well-written and packed with fascinating stories and excellent lessons. For a sample, read this or scroll down for podcast suggestions.

Also, White Lotus is BAAACK (trailer link)! Cannot wait to watch Season 2, which takes place in Sicily. Love this article from the Washington Post about crazy guest requests inspired by the show. BTW, if you missed our story about Season 1, read it now!!!

Business, Women, and Random Trends: 

• Michelle Obama, Melinda French Gates, and Amal Clooney Announce Collaboration to Support Adolescent Girls’ Education and Help End Child Marriage this is going to be a great effort for women and girls around the world.

• Can You Get Ahead and Still Have a Life? Younger Women Are Trying to Find Out Women assessing their careers say they’re determined to advance while keeping work-life boundaries intact, read more in the WSJ.

• How to make networking events less awkward: Be a croissant, not a bagel. Let's face it, we're all a little rusty in the in-person networking department. Great read (or listen) from NPR's "Life Kit."

Travel & Hospitality news:

• Move Over Stilettos: Sneakers Make a Statement Absolutely love the sneaker trend! Read this great post from Skift, sneakers are taking over the convention center floor, making a statement while boosting comfort, confidence, and brand awareness. Are they part of the new dress code for business events? Reply to this email if you are wearing sneakers (trainers) for work functions! I'd love to hear what brands you wear, when, etc.

• Family Travel Is Rebounding According to The Family Travel Association (FTA) which conducted a new survey in collaboration with the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. Read the results here.

•  Reimagining the Hotel Customer Experience Interesting opinion piece on hotel branding in marketing pub, Campaign, which offers an outsider's perspective on what hotels are doing wrong and how to get it right.

• Ty "Beanie Babies" Warner vs. Four Seasons Hotels This is a gossipy piece in Air Mail about Ty Warner, owner of several Four Seasons hotels and resorts, fighting with the brand and keeping some properties closed post-COVID, including the NYC flagship Four Seasons on 57th street.

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. It's been "tech week," so let's beam ourselves in!

• Iesha Fairrington: Crafting Her Own Career in Cocktails Learning to believe in herself helped launch Iesha into a rewarding career behind the bar. She shares "herstory" and drink trends!

• Ever Enthusiastic: Michelle Bradley, Director of Sales & Marketing, The Candler Hotel Atlanta Michelle Bradley shares her career journey and what it takes to make it in hotel sales! You cannot help but love her from reading her interview!

• Cancel Culture Topical once again, columnist Nancy Mendelson shares why we need to challenge cancel culture.

   

Listen UP: podcasts to download!

• Top Floor with Susan Barry––a fun solo episode (#59) where Susan answers listener questions. She takes a dive into LinkedIn analytics which I found very interesting.

• Julia Boorstin on Women in Leadership––Before I committed to buying the book suggested in the intro, I listened to Julia interviewed on LinkedIn's Hello Monday and by Gwyenth Paltrow on GOOP. Both are great interviews, with the second a bit more personal as Gwyenth is one of the women included in the book.

If you love reading the Round-Up, please forward this email to a friend or colleague! They can see all the past issues and sign up by clicking here.

Finally, as today is Halloween, The Surprising Benefits of Scaring Yourself Silly––frightening yourself for fun can help you bond with others, soothe stress and maybe even become more resilient––says the WSJ.

Have a great week!  

Em