The overall response to the NSW government’s big international travel announcement on Friday has, unsurprisingly, been a very positive one, but not all industry figures are dancing in the street.

Hospo industry veteran Leanne Harwood is back in the headlines, and this time it’s about her very deserving new role.

COVID-19 has prompted the hospitality group to look at different ways of working in order to attract new talent and hold on to its current crop.

IHG has had a very busy week, announcing a $32 million refurb, a new build and the Australian debut of one of its iconic brands.

The property ended up taking on a more luxurious feel than initially anticipated – think ultra-cool art, avant-garde lighting and Karl Lagerfeld amenities.

Industry trailblazer and Travel Weekly favourite Leanne Harwood has scored herself a new role at the hospitality giant.

The regional boss of IHG believes business leaders must encourage staff to make bold decisions in the face of “an unprecedented period of growth” across the industry.

Travel Weekly wishes it could claim this story as one of its own, but the truth is we just copied and pasted it from an email.

When Leanne Harwood first started out in the hotel industry, she was told her career would suffer because she’d “probably go off and have children”.