The Regenerative Compass: A Moral Guide for Hospitality Leaders
Jonathan Normand frames regeneration as the only viable path for hospitality in a world of ecological overshoot and collapsing trust, arguing that sustainability alone is no longer enough. It introduces the 7C Leadership Compass as a practical, deeply human guide for leaders who want to align business success with the long-term wellbeing of people, places, and the planet, and positions Moral Ambition plus cross-industry coalitions as the engine...
The hospitality industry stands at a crossroads. For years, we have spoken of sustainability, implementing measurable goals and accountability frameworks that have undoubtedly moved the needle. Yet, a growing sense of "sustainability fatigue" permeates our industry, a feeling that our incremental improvements are no longer sufficient. The truth is harder to face: we are in ecological overshoot, relying on declining net energy, with planetary boundaries already breached. The extractive paradigm that has defined our civilisation is self-terminating. In this moment, sustainability will not save us. Regeneration is the only viable path.
This is not a prophecy of doom. Rather, it is a perceptual upgrade, a clear-eyed recognition that business-as-usual is incompatible with the living systems we depend upon. The question is no longer if we must transform, but how we, as leaders, authentically embed regeneration into the heart of our organisations. This transformation is particularly urgent in a world grappling with insularity, where trust is in peril and optimism for future generations has collapsed, as highlighted by the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer [1].
The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Sustainability Edition
The HYB 2026 The Regenerative Question: What Hospitality Must Become tackles regenerative hospitality's fundamental tensions. Moving beyond sustainability buzzwords, contributors will explore three perspectives: purists advocating holistic living-systems approaches; realists demanding measurable frameworks for accountability and scalability; and strategists seeking pragmatic balance between transformation and implementation. This edition serves as a critical forum to interrogate the divides, identify synergies, and define actionable pathways forward. By convening industry experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs, we transform contested concepts into constructive dialogue and, ultimately, clarifying what regenerative hospitality authentically is and isn't.