Let’s anticipate the markers of tomorrow
Our objective at the Hospitality Operator Forum is to help you, the professionals of the sector, to contemplate and to anticipate. To do this, we need to look at what is happening around us in order to adapt our trajectories. We have discussed the need to update the lines along which we think. However, we never know exactly which line of thinking is the best one for our needs, it’s a matter of trial and error.
We saw with Pierre Sabatier that everything that is a transformation has an effect on products and projects. There are transformations at all levels and layers. This transformation affects all aspects of our exchanges and transactions, whether we are customers, employees or citizens. We are all these three personas, and often all of them in the same day. The very essence of what moves us is changing, and our society and our companies must adapt to it or else they will become obsolete.
Beyond doing the operational "last mile", what carries these transformations is the human being. Let's remember that our industry has a magic spark. With our guests we share a moment of intimacy that is unique, whether that be in the food service industry or in hospitality. It is in the hotel that we put on our pyjamas, brush our teeth, etc. We find ourselves in a special sphere of intimacy. In the food service industry as well, we are now more aware of what we are consuming, we don't want to eat industrial products that are bad for our health...
The beauty of our industry is that it is at the heart of that unique spark, often better known as genuine empathy. We must admit that in recent years we have failed to take this factor into account. The issues of recruitment, retention of talent, the need to make the sector attractive again on the operational side all demonstrate this. There are aspirations that are common to both parties, but we are lacking the connection between the two.
As Gabrielle Halpern pointed out, tomorrow we are entering into a relationship society and leaving a service society. She rightly explained to us that a service is unilateral whereas a relationship is, at the very least, bilateral. We therefore need to review our line of thinking as regards our ability to create a relationship. Again, this applies to our employees as much as to our clients.
There are many uncertainties ahead of us, so let's make the most of this moment of recovery. This summer the numbers will be good for the sector and let's use that energy to keep reinventing ourselves. See you at the Hospitality Asset Forum on 21st November.
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