Why the best guest moments aren't in your hotel’s SOP manual
Amrâth Hotels argues that over-reliance on SOPs creates robotic service, advocating for staff training that encourages personal connections over procedural compliance.
Opinion Articles
Beyond the Glass Ceiling: How Women in Hospitality Are Redefining Leadership Through Education
The author argues that advanced education in hospitality management provides women with strategic frameworks and opportunities to overcome structural barriers to leadership advancement.
By Andrea Nicole Miles, hospitality professional, service leadership strategist, and graduate student, HFTP
Hospitality as an Aspirational Career Destination for Younger Generations: A Collaborative Approach
The author advocates for industry-wide collaboration between hotels, trade organizations, and educational institutions to address talent challenges through better compensation, flexible schedules, and hybrid roles.
By Brendan Cronin, Visiting Professor, Les Roches
When the Crisis Comes, Will Your Hotel’s People Stay or Go?
Comparative research shows trust-based hotel cultures survive revenue crises at 1/45th the cost of high-pay compensation cultures, with trust reserves proving more valuable than premium wages during downturns.
By Dr. Tong Yin, Founder and doctoral researcher, InsightBridge Global LLC
The Biggest AI Skills Gap Hotel Teams Can’t Afford to Ignore
Hotels face a critical skills gap as teams lack practical AI fluency needed to work confidently with autonomous systems handling operations and guest services.
By Florian Montag, SVP Revenue, Apaleo GmbH
Hospitality's personal touch didn't disappear. It was already gone.
The article argues hospitality's personal touch is already compromised by 74% annual turnover rates and widespread burnout, not threatened by AI.
By Lauren Hall, Founder & CEO, iVvy
AI & Recruiting: Why Human Judgment Still Determines Hiring Success
The article argues that while AI improves recruiting efficiency, human recruiters remain essential for evaluating nuance, culture fit, and soft skills that determine hiring success.
By Zoe Connolly, Founder and CEO, Hospitality Spotlight
The Rise and Fall of a Celebrity Chef: When talent meets brutality in modern gastronomy
The René Redzepi scandal exposes systemic toxicity in Michelin-starred kitchens, challenging the industry's long-held belief that culinary excellence justifies workplace abuse.
By Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Giousmpasoglou, Principal Academic in HRM, Bournemouth University
Why Autism-Friendliness Matters in Hospitality
The guide provides step-by-step protocols for training hotel staff to serve autistic guests, with certified properties reporting triple-digit increases in bookings.
By Nasir Zahir
Your Manager Didn't Promote You Because You Were Good.
Analysis reveals why organizations promote "safe" employees over top performers, costing the global economy $8.9 trillion in disengagement annually.
By Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
From Tech Stack to Human Value Stack™
Framework argues hotels must strategically redesign roles around human-AI collaboration, focusing staff on emotional intelligence and judgment while machines handle routine operations.
By Terence Ronson, Founder & Managing Director, Pertlink Limited
When the Property Outlasts Its Leaders
Long-tenured staff accumulate invaluable guest insights, but hotel structures fail to capture this intelligence for operational decisions.
By Hideki Hayashi, Founder, Pulse Hospitality Group
Six Months, No General Manager: How a Strategic Search Helped a Hotel Finally Land the Right Leader
Case study shows how repositioning a GM role as a transformation opportunity and using targeted outreach instead of job postings led to successful hire within five weeks.
By Alex Gould, Hospitality Leadership Recruitment, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants
The New Customer Service Skill: Answering the Phone
Research shows the phone remains customers' preferred support channel, yet younger staff lack basic phone skills training.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Executive Housekeepers in the Spotlight at Halekulani
Halekulani's executive housekeeper Audrey Goh shares insights on leading 160+ housekeepers, rebuilding after pandemic losses, and maintaining luxury standards through family-style management.
By Adam Mogelonsky and Larry Mogelonsky
Luxury evolution - Why people are determining the future of the hotelscape
The Headland hotel in Cornwall demonstrates how prioritizing employee development and community engagement creates authentic luxury experiences that drive record revenues.
By Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
This is the Second Most Expensive Phrase in Business
Poor customer service phrases like "it's company policy" frustrate guests because they signal inflexibility and lack of authority to help.
By Shep Hyken, Customer Service and Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker and Bestselling Author, Shepard Presentations, LLC.
Increasing Employee Motivation – Practice Pygmalion Style Leadership
The article argues that leaders who express genuine belief in employees' potential can prevent the Peter Principle while boosting motivation and retention.
By Brendan Cronin, Visiting Professor, Les Roches
Mentoring The Next-Gen Hospitality Superstars
A hospitality veteran reflects on his early career at Marriott Griffin Gate, emphasizing the importance of developing raw talent rather than dismissing inexperienced workers.
By Doug Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Training Network, Kennedy Training Network (KTN)
Hired for What You Pretend to Know
Organizations create a "competence trap" by hiring people who perform expertise, then punishing the honest admission of not knowing that's essential for actual learning.
By Mike Hohnen, Trusted Advisor￨Coach￨Trainer￨Keynote Speaker, Plays Well With Others