[CHART Talk] My Mission: Make Hospitality Hospitable Again

Watch Audrey’s CHART Talk on YouTube here.

Did you know that the notion of hospitality was first found in an ancient Greek story? That notion, when directly translated, was constructed from two ancient Greek words that mean “loving strangers.” Yet too often when we walk into hotels or restaurants today, we’re greeted not with warmth, but with someone staring at a phone. Is that what we want our guest experience to be? What about our team’s? Think about that. Are we embodying that notion of loving strangers?

Preparing for this CHART Talk forced me to face a hard truth: hospitality has drifted from its heart. There were too many things that I felt I could point to as evidence that hospitality is no longer the beacon of hospitable interactions.

We used to the be the industry of flexible schedules – today, the gig economy does it better.

We used to be the place where students earned while they learned – now, the money and glamour are in social media. No education required.

We used to be where friends and families gathered to connect – today, the sharing economy disrupts us, pushing hospitality to extremes: convenience or luxury.

It is no wonder why we are struggling with the costs of both employee and customer acquisitions. To staff our establishments today, we often look to last minute options for recruiting and hiring.

I don’t mean to sound alarmist. I simply mean to state the facts. I know that hospitality isn’t rocket science. But it is hard. We show up with a smile when our day is off track, when the stress is high and emotions are stretched thin. And still, our teams are expected to set that aside and care for guests with patience and grace. That takes a toll. This is the art form of being hospitable. Allowing ourselves the emotions we have in that moment while making room for those around us and honoring their needs, most often above our own.

Here's the thing: I love this industry. I believe in its power to be the safe place for “misfit toys” to shine, and the gathering place for families and friends to reconnect, unwind, and break bread together. Showing up authentically when life is heavy can make us feel beat up. Yet, genuinely connecting and creating experiences, making memorable moments are some of the biggest joys in my life. Like the young girl who made a mess at the table, and we whistled together while we cleaned it up so she wouldn’t cry over her literally spilled milk.

Together, we can restore the essential heart of our industry: the connection, warmth, and humanity that made us fall in love with this industry in the first place.