The hospitality industry has never seen more change, challenges, and opportunities since the invention of the national highway system. If you are not flexible and adaptive, you will miss opportunities and will struggle. When I was growing up, job seekers’ priorities were ranked in this order: career, money, work environment, and flexibility. You mainly got a job to make money and provide for your home, and flexibility wasn’t really part of the equation. In today’s world, things have changed. Many now rank the priorities as follows: flexibility, money, environment, career. Importantly, flexibility is key from both the employee and guest perspective. Whether allowing team members to work remotely, becoming more accommodating with staff shift requests, or granting leeway in cancellation policies for guests, it is important for hoteliers to embrace the new emphasis on flexibility.
We must also stay curious. Don’t be the individual still trying to hold on to a horse when it is time to switch to an automobile. Think outside of the box and turn the world upside down to see problems from a different perspective. If we are not learning, we are not growing and may miss opportunities to improve procedures, increase profit, and creatively delight our guests.
The hospitality industry has survived the past few years, and we are ready to thrive again, but the key to long-term success will be continued learning, flexibility, and adaptability. Recognize the pain points of your property and consciously address them. Hold yourself accountable to creating a positive environment, whether you are a line staff employee or general manager. Take pride in making connections with your guests and raising the bar back to what it was before, and then some. The industry has a bright future ahead.
