🙂‍↕️ I feel responsible for the hospitality I am receiving!

I am the kind of guest that leaves a neat room behind and calls the employees by their name.

I get a rush of joy when I see a large smile welcoming me and I definitely feel special just by being asked about my day. I would always choose meaningful interactions over fancy amenities, and I am very loyal as a person, in general.

This isn’t me being sentimental but me craving more as a guest!

More sense of belonging, more human vibe, deeper attachments than the sterile menu handing or the heartbreaking “no, we don’t have!” followed by nothing.

Maybe because I know so much about the backstage of it. 

The hard work, the plotting for surprises, the thorough capture of guest preferences, the thunder-hit heaviness of an average review, the teamwork, the feeling of satisfaction overpowering the tired body.

A friend (not working in hospitality) said to me once that she feels sometimes I am going to a restaurant or hotel more for the staf than for the food or the room or the people I am with! 

She did not mean it as a compliment, but was not too far from the truth!😳

Every thank-you, every smile, every moment of respect I share as a guest is crucial for an industry built on human connection.

I love how Oliver Corrin describes it: “Hospitality is a mirror. Smile at it, and it smiles back. Treat it with grace, and it transforms your stay.”

When this mutual involvement happens, as guests we get all we ever wanted while the business gets, well… more.

And the data proves it: 

A Motista ( 👇 ) study showed that customers who feel a strong emotional connection with a brand deliver 306% higher lifetime value (meaning their total spend over the entire relationship with a business).

The research compared two groups: those who had no real emotional connection and those who were loyal, engaged, and felt that “this place gets me.” For example, if an unconnected guest spends €1,000 over their relationship with a hotel, an emotionally connected guest would spend about €4,060. 

This clearly shows that a smile, remembering a name, making someone feel special are not “nice extras” but revenue-driving behaviors.

Next time you check in, remember one name or smile first if you have to, and observe the impact!