Hospitality
The concept of hospitality has continued to evolve over the years, but it has maintained its key values. Hospitality was born out of casual arrangements between locals and travellers. The travellers usually sought for a meal and a place to sleep. Today, hospitality rolls down to the same non-negotiable concepts of listening, humility, reliability and warmth.
Hospitality originates from the Latin word “hospitalitis” which represents the connection between the guests and the host. Therefore, hospitality is the warm reception of guests. In my opinion, hospitality involves the provision of the services to guests with the utmost care, passion, zeal and excellence. Hospitality can be either commercial or personal. Hospitality is about establishing a positive relationship and giving the visitors an unforgettable experience without judging or making them feel uncomfortable.
Hospitability means having several qualities such as courtesy, patience, calmness, care, friendliness and generosity. In a business set up, being hospitable is not easy, and it has to stem from the top management. The employees then can pass the qualities to those who visit the hotel and provide exceptional experiences. It is important for employees to feel motivated, confident and excited to develop customer loyalty and actualize repeat businesses. Hospitality is an untouchable aspect that has tremendous effects on an organization.
Hospitality means turning strangers into friends. It is the human element behind a service. It means understanding the tastes and preferences of customers and then customizing the services to suit their specifications. Hospitality involves solving similar problems in different ways. An understanding of hospitality is reflected in considering aspects of the visitor such as language, culture, religion and ethics. Hospitality is not a checklist or something that can be achieved automatically since it involves cultivating good relationships with people.
Hospitality involves two-way communication between the guest and the host. Through conversations with the guest, the hosts understand the customer needs. Internal communication in the case of a business set up is crucial so that the requests of the customer can be executed as specified. An understanding of the different ways in which people express hospitality is important. Other people prefer a handshake or even a kiss on the cheek. Hoteliers should make sure to understand the different expressions of hospitality, to avoid sounding rude or disrespectful.
Most of the time, hospitality brings positive results and consolidation. However, other times it has caused negative impacts.
For example, in the opening of MC Donald’s restaurant, many other service providers were chased out of the market and declared bankrupt.
In the digital age, hospitality for commercial institutions means being responsive, specific and prompt with feedback. Customers are always looking for recommendations, and they have numerous options at their fingertips. Customers do not love waiting, and the employees need to be as prompt as possible to apologize and respond to both positive and negative reviews online. Good customer service is ebbed in hospitality. Organizations should make sure that the customer knows what they have done, are doing and their plans.
The hospitality industry provides great career opportunities. Due to the opening up of hotels and the demand for labour in developing countries, job opportunities are numerous. This include services in the accommodation sector, and the food industry. The tourism sector closely related to hospitality provides jobs
such as tour guides, tour escorts and travel consultants.