Beauty is…a genuine and real host!

Authenticity! I have read countless publications, pertaining to that particular topic since the pandemic struck, over a year ago. And while many authors expressed different opinions on what it takes to become genuine and real, the conclusion was indistinguishable. If hotels wish to stay in the game, everything and everyone has to be authentic. As if it had never existed before. But is that the truth?

One of the reasons I’ve joined hospitality decades ago was knowing from an early age about my why, my purpose: genuinely hosting and serving others! That has not changed and neither has hospitality in its core, including authenticity.

Starting from 15000 BCE at the Caves of Lascaux to a bordello in Pompeii, around 65 BCE, that is known to be the first establishment charging for lodging, it was always about accommodating and serving guests. Simple and easy.

Fast forward: Cesar Ritz (King of Hoteliers and Hotelier to Kings), together with Auguste Escoffier, was the first Hotelier to put systems in place. Jumping time once again, hotel chains appeared on the map and hospitality was elevated to an even more structured level. And after that it didn’t take much longer, and we began making a very simple business confusing and complicated.

As I reflect on my career, SOP’s and P&P’s were introduced teaching us what to say when guests arrive, how to engage in conversation with patrons eating alone in the restaurant, inquiring about their well-being after the spa treatment and what message to convey when bidding farewell. Everything was put on paper, tens of thousands of pages, signed and sealed.

Shortly after we took complexity to new heights. Now every move needed to be appraised, measured, or both. Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard and Shareholder Value. But it didn’t end here. KPI (Key Performance Indicators), 360-degree feedback and PDP (Personal Development Plans) just to name a few, were added to our daily schedule.

And there was still room for more. We started looking at spreadsheets, analysed competitive set reports and made sure that our ADR, OCC and REVPAR Index stayed above one hundred. A hotel was no longer a hotel, it was pure real estate and as long as it increased in its value and generated profits, not many questions were asked.

Common Sense, the ability to perceive, understand and judge in a manner that is shared by most people was no longer required. Genuine and real interaction with guest seemed to be a blast from the past. Welcoming upon arrival; sorry I’m busy. Inquiring about their comfort; I’m in a meeting, later perhaps. Bidding farewell; not today I can’t.

After realising the predicament, we got ourselves in, someone came up with what I call a reconciliation strategy; “Home away from home”. That was and still is the sad and sorrow interpretation of delivering an authentic experience today. Do I wish to be treated in a hotel the same way I’m treated at home, when paying top dollars? Of course not! I want to be spoiled rotten and carried on cloud nine.

And then COVID hit us almost overnight. And all of a sudden, we remembered what our beautiful industry is all about and we started promoting what should have always been the obvious; being genuine and real.

However, being authentic can’t be trained, it’s an attitude, a value that you carry deep down in your heart. And not only that. What I’ve learned over the years is that you can only deliver authentic experiences, if you yourself are authentic. No manual book will teach you that.

Don’t misunderstand please, we certainly do require some structures, but it needs to be in balance. Let’s revisit the increasingly frustrating modus operandi, untangle the confusion and celebrate the simplicity and beauty of hospitality. That is true authenticity and being a genuine and real host.

The more complicated we make our business, the more we will exasperate our team members and guests alike and that can’t be in anyone’s interest.

 Disclaimer

The disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, or organisations, committees, or other groups and individuals.