The hospitality industry emerged as soon as trade routes began to open up. As early as 3000 B.C., enterprising individuals in the kingdom of Mesopotamia sought new ways to meet the needs for lodging, food, and drink of merchants traveling from one region to another to sell grain, making it an industry with ancient origins.
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What is the hospitality industry?
Since its beginnings as a privately owned, independently operated business, the hospitality industry has grown in size and complexity. All hospitality-related businesses are interconnected within a global framework and must remain highly attuned to what is happening around them. Businesses in the hospitality sector are also closely linked to those in the travel and tourism industry.
The ability to inspire trust, satisfaction, emotion, and long-term memory and, ultimately, create a customer experience that will be remembered for a long time, is the key to fostering hospitality in any hotel project. Behind this culture, which is epitomized by the tourism and hospitality industries, lie certain values, behaviors, and, above all, people. In fact, behind every culture there is always a leadership style and an HR system that ultimately ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of tourism management.
What defines a culture of hospitality?
In other words, the hospitality culture (service, trust, dedication, empathy, contribution, tenacity, availability, cooperation, etc.) is reflected in key aspects of organizations in the tourism industry, such as:
- Customer Focus
- Decision-Making
- Active Listening
- Teamwork
- Results-Oriented
- Self-Control
- Proactivity
The international hospitality industry must understand that, when it comes to the operational management of its properties, advances in robotics will never be able to substitute for or replace the quality and warmth of traditional, human-provided hospitality. While we understand that technological tools can be useful in marketing strategies, it is no less true that building a connection with our customers must be based on emotional bonds created through the interaction between the staff at our hotel and its guests.
On the other hand, a person’s travel experience is enriched through interactions with others who are part of the overall travel experience—among whom, without a doubt, are customer service professionals in the hospitality industry.
How can we show hospitality?
- With warm regards.
- With a warm welcome.
- With a friendly smile.
- Asking for things with a “PLEASE.”
- With a timely apology.
- Courtesy goes hand in hand with excellent service.
- Make eye contact.
- Use people’s names in a polite manner.
- Pay attention to details.
- Be mindful of your body language.
- Maintain a coherent conversation.
- Show respect for people or users.
- Be calm and self-assured.
- Dress appropriately.
- Perform their work professionally.
Good service or a quality product are no longer enough; in fact, they’re the bare minimum we expect when we’re looking for something. Customers today can find good products and good services, but perhaps none of them are truly memorable. The key to making this interaction between a company and a customer unforgettable is the friendly service and personal touch offered to the customer.
The strategic direction of the international hospitality industry for the future must be based on strengthening and developing the social and communication skills of its workforce aimed at exceeding customer expectations and creating unique, personalized experiences that foster the desired emotional connections—which are the true drivers of customer loyalty toward a hotel—and which, consequently, enable the building of the desired mutual commitment between both parties.
Ultimately, the success of a hotel project hinges on effective operational management, taking into account profitability and return on investment.
