Hey, Hospitality. Do we have each others backs?

Hospitality at its core is the willingness to make personal sacrifices to please others. That's what we do.

Every day I see more and more posts from hospitality professionals that have joined the ranks of suddenly being out of work. It ranges from aspiring line-level associates to high-level leaders. Some that were relatively new to their position, all the way to those that had been with the same company upwards of 20 years and more.

According to the website Statista we find ourselves as being hit harder by unemployment than any other sector of the workforce.

It is a shocking statistic when compared to the overall unemployment outlook that was forecasted in January of 2020, also from the website Statista

Throughout this crisis, I have noticed experienced hospitality experts on Linkedin sharing their status of suddenly being in the need of employment and looking for new opportunities, and then others sharing and reposting that information. I guess that's the purpose of this article and what I would like to point out. It's about the need for us to have each other's backs by permeating our Linkedin profiles throughout the platform. It's about us sharing our skills and experience by reposting one another's profiles, to reach as many hiring individuals as possible to say: Hey, I am here! I belong to the group of the hardest working, most professional, and supportive guru's in business, and I am available to help the hospitality industry grow and thrive.

I also support the mindset that this is an opportunity for businesses outside of the hospitality industry to take a look at hospitality professionals and our work-ethic and how we would be of benefit to their organization. Who else is willing to work the normal 50 to 60 hour week, 6 to 6.5 days a week, all while working at home late into the night to keep up on emails and deadlines, just to "Make it happen". We do. Because we love what we do and the satisfaction that comes along with our commitment to hospitality. 

It's an unusual comment, but to me, there is no better satisfaction than not being able to sleep at night due to my mind racing and mulling around in my head the successes of the day. And thinking of the countless ways I could have done things better to make the next time even more of a success. Be it an interaction with an upset guest and how I was able to turn the situation around, the opportunity to assist with the professional growth of an employee, or the many other countless situations that we deal with daily. Always looking for a way to improve. That's what we do.

As the country continues to "Re-open", and occupancies continue to rise, along with that will come opportunities for all of us to return to a life that we love. 

According to Hotel News Now and their review of the STR reporting, occupancy is on a trajectory that is likely to continue to grow on a slow, yet steady increase. Meaning, our expertise in the field will be needed once again.

As businesses re-open, they will need to travel. They will need accommodations. They will need hospitality. They will need us. And we will be there.

Please re-post and share your Linkedin connections that post their availability to contribute to the return of the hospitality industry.

“It’s been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” 

– Anthony Bourdain

Randall Hibbard

www.dhirubhai.net/in/randallhibbard