In a world where technology and digitalisation increasingly dominate, the importance of genuine, personalised hospitality is often underestimated. Now, more than ever, hospitality is an essential key to success in any industry. It increases customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and ensures engaged and motivated employees.
Hospitality goes beyond offering a warm welcome or a smile at reception. It is about creating an environment where customers feel valued, heard and seen. Hospitality is in the small details and creates memorable moments that customers will not soon forget. Hospitality is therefore the secret weapon of successful organisations.
Customer experience and engaged employees
In an age where customers have ever-higher expectations, hospitality can make all the difference. Customers not only want to be helped, they also want to feel special. Neuropsychology teaches us that people choose from their gut feeling. Hospitality significantly influences this favour factor. A customer who feels welcome and appreciated will not only return, but also tell others positively about the experience.
Hospitality starts internally. Employees who feel valued and happy in their working environment are more likely to transfer this positive energy to customers. This leads to higher employee satisfaction and less turnover. According to research, employees often feel undervalued and overworked, leading to a high workload and stress. A hospitable working environment can break this pattern and ensure greater job satisfaction and enjoyment.
Why precisely now?
Increasing digitalisation and the tight labour market make the topic of hospitality more important than ever. At a time when efficiency and technology are the first choice, people often feel like just a number. Real, genuine connections are becoming rarer. Moreover, the tight labour market means that binding and engaging employees is crucial. Hospitality can play a key role in this by creating a working environment where employees feel valued and happy.
The five principles
True hospitality is inclusive: the art of making everyone feel welcome. Below are five principles that can help you strengthen hospitality in your organisation:
- Start with yourself and your colleagues: Hospitality starts internally, in company culture, leadership and collaboration. Take care of yourself by monitoring your work happiness, vitality and boundaries.
- Give a warm welcome: Make a good first impression. Make people feel welcome, seen, heard and at ease.
- Give genuine personal attention: Every person is different and has different needs. Be proactive, kind and helpful and listen with your heart.
- Pay attention to details: All moments in the guest journey matter. Have an eye for a neat, attractive and comfortable environment. Make processes clear, smooth and low-stress, both online and offline.
- Make it special: Create memorable moments. Make the other person's day (and yourself) a little brighter.
Inspiration, awareness and getting started
A crucial step in strengthening hospitality is inspiration and awareness. Many people think they are already very hospitable, a phenomenon we call hospitality nonchalance. However, without constant attention and effort, the quality of hospitality can quickly deteriorate. It is essential to regularly reflect on what hospitality means and how it is put into practice. Getting inspiration, for instance through stories and examples from others, helps to get new ideas and energy. Awareness ensures that we keep looking critically at our own behaviour and that of our team. By then actively working on concrete actions and improvements, we can continuously take hospitality to the next level and make a real impact on both customers and employees.
Keynote
In her lecture, Laura de la Mar, author of the bestselling book "The Secret of Hospitality", invites you to discover and experience the power of hospitality. View Laura de la Mar's profile here and discover more about her background and expertise.
Published at deSpeker.co.uk: link
