TGS - 20th May 2022
Misogyny in 2022, eating (& selling!) more plant-based food, Oman's new data protection law, Talabat & Deliveroo chaos, and the world's first net zero hotel...
Welcome to the May 2022 TGS! Spring has sprung, Ramadan has, well, ramadan-ed, and everyone’s busy getting things done before the Summer hits. The Sloth, too, is quite un-slothy-ly busy - read on to find out what kept the Sloth entertained in recent weeks! Also, standard courtesy reminder: The next TGS Office Hours are on 26th May (https://fb.me/e/1GeieaH0k or https://cutt.ly/BMC-X-TGS-OH). For anything else, there’s the Sloth on Demand!
why is misogyny still a thing in 2022?
A few years ago, I was invited to be part of an advisory panel for a large hospitality tech event in the Middle East. I declined the invite. I declined, not because I didn’t like the event or the organiser, or because I was already booked, but simply because the entire advisory panel was male and white. Yawn. It’s not like we’re talking about an industry and professions that are exclusively male, like *wait a minute* the only one I can think of are “freemasonry” (which I don’t think is an industry) and “pope” (which I’m not sure counts as a profession).
Can’t women run hotels? Ah jaysus, sure they can! Matter-of-factly, they can do jolly well anything - even fly to space! Why then, do we still have industry events and platforms that are led by a bunch of white men? “Ring, ring! Hello, it’s the 1970s calling! We’d like our misogyny back.”
Less than a month ago, a hospitality platform I’m part of, announced a new board of directors. All men. All white. Why? Why is this still happening in 2022?
Because we let them. Because we don’t call them out for their misogyny. Guess what? I’m done with it. Ever since that advisory panel invitation years ago in the Middle East, I refuse to participate in events that are blatantly undiverse or support undertakings that are exclusively run by (mostly white) men. It’s not like women don’t stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, or travel on airplanes!
Currently, “staff shortages” and “difficulties recruiting and retaining staff” are hotly debated topics in hospitality, leisure, tourism, and retail. Well, guess what, we’re not going to solve staffing or retention issues, if we continue to stuff panels, advisory councils, and industry platforms full of men.
eating (& selling!) more plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian food
A little while ago, the Institute of Hospitality, the world’s leading professional body for the hospitality industry, commissioned me to put together a whitepaper on vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based foods. The rising popularity of plant-based F&B and the purchasing power of its consumers makes many restaurateurs keen to find out more about plant-based eating, how to attract and cater to customers looking for plant-based meals. If you’re member of the Institute, you’ll find my whitepaper in the “Fellows Broadsheet” section of the IoH website or app.
If you’re not an IoH member, don’t worry, because I turned the essence of the whitepaper into an article for Hotel & Catering News ME, which you can read here.
Oman’s new data protection law
Like other jurisdictions in GCC, Oman recently introduced a new data protection law, Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022, which will come into effect on 13th February 2023. Before then, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology will issue the implementing regulations and details re. enforcement. Oman’s new data protection doesn’t seem to be as extensive as its counterparts in the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia - notably it currently lacks regulations for cloud computing and cloud storage and also isn’t very clear re. personal data. You can read more about the new law in the March/April 2022 edition of Lexis Middle East Law Alert. If you’re looking for help with preparing for the introduction of Oman’s new data protection law or with complying with existing GCC data protection and online privacy laws, feel free to give me a shout.
the world's first net zero hotel
I’ve never been to New Haven, but a quick Google search taught me that it’s a coastal city in Connecticut and home to Yale University. Thanks to Hilton and its Tapestry Collection, New Haven is now also home to the world’s first net zero hotel. Hotel Marcel New Haven utilises renewable solar power sources on site to generate the electricity needed for the communal spaces, restaurant, laundry, meeting rooms, and 165 guest rooms. Operating independently of fossil fuels, Hotel Marcel will not emit any carbon emissions. Features include a power-over-ethernet lighting system which reduces lighting energy by 30 per cent, triple-glazed windows to insulate guest rooms and maintain stable temperatures, 12 Tesla Superchargers or level-two chargers for electric vehicles, and more. You can read more about the hotel, its net zero efforts, and the fascinating history of the (fairly brutalist) building it’s in here.
Talabat & Deliveroo shenanigans
Did you place an order with Deliveroo or Talabat and it didn’t rock up or rocked up very late? Welcome to food delivery chaos 2022, Dubai edition! The reason your order wasn’t accepted, didn’t get delivered or only got delivered very late is probably that your friendly, hard-working delivery rider was on strike. Yup, strike. Before you say “So what?” (hint: you probably don’t live in the UAE) or “What’s wrong with the food delivery wallahs?!” (hint: your probably do live in the UAE), consider this: Strikes, unions, or indeed any form of industrial action are illegal in the UAE and if you’re involved in a strike, you could face prison or (more likely and, some may argue, worse) deportation. Delivery riders earn around AED 2,000/month (approx. USD 544) and often work 14 hours per day, six days per week.
It’s not uncommon for them to have to pay for their own visas (illegal, btw, according to the UAE’s labour law) and most will probably send 80% - 90% of their monthly earnings to their families at home. Yet, it took until the spring of 2022 for the straw to break the camel’s back.
Unlike Talabat, Deliveroo quickly backtracked on plans to lower its drivers delivery bonuses, but don’t kid yourself - the conditions for Deliveroo riders aren’t much better than those of their Talabat or Zomato counterparts. Talabat, it seems, isn’t budging, but neither are its riders.
It’s also worth remembering that virtually all food delivery platforms lose money, or rather, burning their investors’ cash. Every single one of them. “Ah, but they’re start-ups!”, you might say. Zomato’s been around since 2014 and has been burning ever since. How long’s a start-up a start-up?
If you’re looking for updates on the strikes and more in-depth insights into the whole (rather complicated) online food ordering and delivery supply chain, I suggest you read this Instagram post (and the replies!) by the FoodSheikh, this Instagram post by Leo Dovbenko from Yalla!Mart, a quick commerce start-up that actually employs, trains, and promotes its own riders, this feature on france24.com, or this write-up on migrant-rights.com (probably not accessible in the UAE, though) .
what’s the Sloth up to?
The past month has been busy in terms of training proposals - not all came off and one, my first-ever call-centre training session, even got cancelled last-minute. Still, I was happy to confirm two days executive training and coaching for Red Sea Gateway Terminals and an email marketing masterclass for Triggers Academy. If you’re interested in training, you can hit me up directly, or speak to the fine folks from Smart Coaching & Training, Leoron Institute, GLEAC, or Triggers Academy.
The next TGS Office Hours are on Thursday, 26th May 2022 at 3 p.m. CEST (5 p.m. GST) and you can book your slot here or else just keep an eye on my Twitter feeds and Facebook Events for future dates & times. If you don’t want to wait until the 26th, check out the Sloth on Demand.
What else is going on?
Nominations are open for the MEED 2022 SME Awards! MEED just launched the 11th annual SME Awards and nominations are open until 26th August 2022. The SME Awards feature 17 categories ranging from “SME Business of the Year” and “Micro Business of the Year” to “Business Leader of the Year”. MEED is known for running high quality awards schemes and if you’re doing business in the GCC region, the 2022 SME Awards are definitely worth entering.
Learn how to design and mint an NFT in a free GLEAC online masterclass on 26th May 2022. I’ve been involved in a few GLEAC events and they’re usually great.
Meet the Sloth at FFCR 2022 in Stockholm on 24th and 25th May! Fast Food & Café & Restaurant Expo is among the largest HORECA trade fairs in Northern Europe and promises two days filled with exciting activities and interesting exhibitors from all over the industry.
what’s the Sloth reading, watching, and listening to?
Crypto Zombies → An interactive school that teaches you all things technical about blockchains.
The hottest trend on TikTok right NOW? In-depth analysis! → These TikTok creators have theories for everything on the internet, from celebrities to fashion trends.
Are hotels becoming more immersive? → As hotels become immersive, will there be a collision of worlds? Between theatre and hotels? Between community and hotels? Between sport and hotels?
odds & ends
Karl Lagerfeld’s iPods → Seriously, this dude had a lot of iPods!
#StandWithUkraine → Meet the activists who projected a giant Ukrainian flag on Russia's Embassy in Washington D.C.
Antarctica's 'Penguin Post Office' is hiring! → Surprisingly, you don’t even have to be a penguin to work there.
