In this article, I will share what I consider one of the most important aspects of a successful hospitality business. At the beginning of this article, however, you may feel I am off track from the main point. But do not worry! You will read about what makes a hospitality business stand out like a tall poppy. If you follow my work, you know I will wrap this writing up with practical advice.
Learning Hospitality in the Trenches
A brief story of me, Shopi. I need to come out with this:
- I never studied hospitality,
- I never even wanted to work in hospitality.
Yet it happened. And I freakin’ loved it.
When I went abroad from my home country, Hungary, life led me to start working in this industry. I ended up spending twelve years in it in Cyprus and New Zealand. I fulfilled many positions within hospitality.
I have been a – waiter, – server, – bartender, – receptionist, – food and beverage supervisor, – event organiser, – lawn mower, – kitchen assistant, – minibar attendant, – room service staff, – doorman, – concierge, – night auditor, – mid-level manager, – senior manager, – wedding planner, – marketer, and on the top of my career, – GM.
Talk about climbing up the ladder; the story of my life.
It is often only in hindsight that we realise life has guided us to good places. I see that now with what I do. I still work in Hospo, but from the outside, my job is helping hospitality businesses with marketing and design ideas. If I want to be fancy, I am a strategist, a creative, an executor. As I mentioned, looking back and realising where we are is one thing. The big ongoing challenge for us, humans is the following: Can we recognise the opportunities when they lie right in front of us?
Hardly.
My story now goes back to the beginning. Where I first plunged into hospitality in a 4-star hotel. I was in a completely foreign language environment in Cyprus. Everyone spoke Cypriot-Greek, and English was their second language.
(An interesting info: Here’s a video about my story. Watch from the 8-minute mark. My story was on the Hungarian TV back then. Link to video)
The Basics of Hospitality
When I started in the industry, hospitality was as logical to me as 1+1 from the get-go. Without anyone teaching me, I interpreted this profession the following way.
When I have guests in front of me, it doesn’t matter where—whether in a bar, a café, a large hotel, or a restaurant – guests are there for me to host them. I am there to serve them as if they were my guests at home. It’s a simple equation, right?
However, SERVING someone (in the deepest sense of the word) requires humility. And…
…achieving the right level of humility in the hospo industry requires shedding one’s ego. That is a tough cookie to bite for most human beings.
There Are Too Many Rude Staff Behind the Counter
As soon as the ego enters the equation, situations could arise where a service staff member refuses to accommodate the guest’s “stupid” requests. This is, unfortunately, common in this profession. And a 100% wrong approach.
One can find that many people are way too proud or stubborn, and yet they work in hospitality. Such attitudes have no place in this profession. Adaptability with humility is key here.
Occasionally, we could encounter rude waiters, cold servers, and poker-faced hospitality staff when we go out to eat or drink. You know the ones I am referring to, right? Those who make us feel like they are doing us a favour by serving us.
The Other Most Important Factor
After humility, we will dip our toes into the other most crucial factor in hospitality: empathy.
Hospitality without empathy is a load of rubbish.
So, how does empathy connect to hospitality?
In my head, I have connected empathy to hospitality in two ways:
- Can you understand and connect with your guests?
Or can you put yourself in their shoes to try to fulfil their wishes? In other words, can you anticipate their needs? A pro in hospo would do this even before the guest articulated their desires. That is what makes a pro.
(For example, if the guest’s water glass is empty during dinner, I would refill it even before they ask.) - While on the floor, I imagined myself from the outside and asked: “how does the guest see me?“
What does the guest read from my body language? This factor was crucial. If I wear a poker face all day and rarely smile, that’s how the guests will see me. They will think they are dealing with another “rude” hospitality worker. I will look like the one I mentioned above, who is “doing them a favour.”
(Example: I forced myself to start conversations with my guests if I noticed I wasn’t in the best mood. Because one thing was sure. A short, positive conversation with a guest (or a colleague) requiring me to smile jolted me out of my bad mood. This has worked every time. If I had stayed in the “poker-face-state”, that mood would have poisoned the guest’s experience.)
Another critical factor most people who work in hospitality perhaps never have considered.
To put a bow on this section with a conclusion, I would refer to a life lesson that my second hospo boss in Cyprus has taught me and stuck with me forever:
Leave Your Personal Problems in the Locker Room!
(Here is a short interview with “that” boss on Youtube: link )
We are Blind & We Don’t Know Our Guests.
I wanted to share these ideas with you for the following reasons. The truth is, we are hardly right when it comes to knowing what our guests want. We do not know what they think nor what they want in terms of their hospitality experience. We are blind to these.
But this goes both ways.
Guests also have the wrong idea of what makes a hospitality venue truly good.
A friend of mine works for a huge multinational company. A few years ago, they surveyed thousands of people, guests, and hospitality workers to find out the most important factor for the other party, from both the guest’s and the hospitality worker’s perspectives.
Here's an example from the research:
While the hospitality staff thinks that 'the menu' and 'the price' are among the most important factors for the guest to favour a place, guests responded otherwise. They stated a good hospitality venue is good because the server is polite, smiles, and can make recommendations from the menu.
The menu and the price, which we in hospo would have thought were important, weren't even mentioned… shocking, right?
Both sides have a complete misunderstanding about the other party’s expectations.
What’s the Solution?
The solution to this is clear. Every hospitality professional and hospo business owner needs to work on drawing these traits out of their employees. Solving this may require help from an outside expert. That could mean leadership training for the owners and managers. Perhaps a consultant could go in, assess, and initiate operational changes.
Perhaps regular team activities and incentive programs within the business would suffice to make a change. There will be foodie businesses where a simple change, e.g. better communication from the owners or managers, will be enough.
You would be surprised at how far improved communication between the leader and staff members can take a business.
Marketing 101
Additionally, think creatively within your business about how to improve communication with your guests. We want to find out what our guests need and meet their needs before they become spoken requests.
Remember, since I am in hospitality marketing, I see everything through my “marketing glasses.” Learning as much as possible about the target audience before we start marketing to them is the basis of marketing. Why would it be any different in hospo?
(Read my Your Reality is How Your Guests See Things article on this topic.)
Improve internal and external communication. Couple that with humility and empathy. Over time, you will experience that it has proved to be the perfect long-term hospo marketing strategy to make your hospitality business stand out.
Be a tall poppy!
I’ve linked a 2-minute video for you that beautifully explains what empathy is.
I hope I could help you a bit today. Have a wonderful day at work!
TL;DR (key thoughts to remember):
- Humility and empathy are the backbone of excellent hospitality service.
- The ego has no place on the floor. The service requires humility.
- Empathy in hospitality is about understanding and anticipating guest needs.
- Staff should leave personal problems at the door to deliver the best guest experience.
- Improving internal communication between staff and leaders is crucial for success.
- Misunderstandings between guest expectations and staff perceptions are common—bridge the gap.
- A long-term strategy: combine humility, empathy, and communication for sustained success.
Hands-on tips to improve a hospitality business:
- Train for Empathy: Encourage staff to anticipate guests’ needs and be aware of their body language. Hold regular training sessions focused on empathy, teaching them to “read” guests’ moods and desires and what are the right questions to ask. Show them this video about empathy!
- Practice Humility: Emphasise the importance of leaving egos behind. Create a workplace culture where humility and adaptability are rewarded, and ensure staff understand the value of serving guests without letting ego interfere. It is a theatre.
- Role-Play Scenarios: Set up role-play exercises for staff to practice various guest interactions. This will help them handle difficult situations, showing humility and empathy in real-time.
- Internal Communication: Improve leadership communication with staff. Regular check-ins with staff members/colleagues, team activities, and clear incentives can build a stronger team spirit, leading to better guest experiences.
- Guest Feedback: Implement regular feedback loops. Ask guests for specific feedback on service and their overall experience. Use this information to adjust and better serve them. For this, use a quick, anonymous feedback form. Give them at the end of their experience. Keep it short. One question: e.g. What would you improve?
- Monitor and Encourage Smiles: Simple but effective—encourage staff to smile more, even during challenging days. Create a culture where staff feel supported, as their mood influences guest perception.
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I am Shopi.
I provide no B.S. marketing & design for Hospitality Businesses.
