The Reason Why The Hospitality Industry Could Never Be Replaced.

Scrolling through my camera roll, I found a picture back from 2020 when the world we lived in felt like a Sci-Fi movie: five feet apart from each other, having to wear masks everywhere we went, businesses closing, a terrible disease all around us, and barely anyone walking down the streets. 

Yes, it’s scary to think that wasn’t a movie, but it was our reality. And with so many natural disasters and changes around the world today, I can’t help but wonder what still brings people together. 

When a political change, tragedy, or nature seems to hit us with unexpected situations, what makes us not lose human connection is hospitality.  It’s being able to look someone else in the eyes and say how you feel without having to say anything at all. 

Sounds kinda crazy, right? But during the pandemic, we proved it was possible. 

I had the opportunity to work at a luxury hotel in a fine dining restaurant during the pandemic, and we were one of the first restaurants that slowly “came back” and adapted to the new rules and regulations of what our industry would look like after COVID-19. 

One of those regulations was, of course, having to wear a mask at all times. 

At first, none of us could understand how we could connect with our guests without seeing their whole faces. How would our guests know what we were saying? Would they be able to listen clearly? How would we communicate without offering hospitality’s signature gesture: a smile? 

Turns out, hospitality’s not limited to a smile. Instead, it uses and communicates through our body language and, most importantly, our eyes. They can tell a whole story even before meeting someone by their name. Eyes can make you feel seen, understood, and, above everything else, like you’re not alone. 

Businesses everywhere around the world were doing the exact same thing: innovating and learning different ways to still offer services to their communities, guests, and customers. Some businesses opened outdoor patios, others offered delivery services, and others provided virtual classes and different activities to remind us that even through uncertain times, we were all together. 

We learned how the power of empathy rules everything else out and how making someone’s day can be as simple as handing out their coffee while calling their name. How making someone’s favorite meal can remind them of a place they no longer could be at, or how simply starting a conversation could make someone else not feel alone. 

The thing is, when we work in this industry, we have the opportunity to impact people through mundane things that could mean the world to the other person. Some people can simply save you and have no idea of what they just did through:

An encouraging word. 

Their contagious attitude.

A hug.

A helping hand.

Their presence.

And so, if you ask me, the hospitality industry could never be replaced by anything else because the most powerful thing we have as human beings is our ability to connect: to connect through the simplest things that can bring us closer than ever, even through the most challenging times. 

The reason why this industry came back stronger than ever is because traveling, or going out to eat, was never about “just spending money” or enjoying a vacation. It’s because, as human beings, we will always crave connection. 

Because hospitality is much more than a career, an industry, or a business. 

For most of us, it’s a feeling we call home.