09/16/2026
Hospitality is human.
Today officially starts the conference, but some of the most valuable lessons from this trip have already come from simply being the guest.
At my first hotel, there was a slight mix-up at check-in and I was initially given someone else’s room. The manager immediately took ownership of it, corrected the issue and upgraded me to a beautiful suite. At that point, as far as I was concerned, the problem was solved.
But on my last night, I came back to my room to find a bottle of w**e and this handwritten note from him.
He had already made it right. He didn’t need to do anything else. That extra follow-up was what stayed with me. It made me feel like I wasn’t just a room number or a reservation.
Yesterday I took Brightline, the train from Orlando to Miami, and had a similar feeling. From the person who helped me check in to the attendant on the train, the interactions were personal and genuine. When they saw I was trying to work, they let me spread out in an area where I could comfortably use my laptop and mouse.
Later, while I was outside waiting for my Uber, the same attendant happened to see me and came over just to say hello. Such a small interaction, but again, I felt remembered.
Then at my current hotel, I stopped in one of the shops and asked if I could burn a candle in my room because I really enjoy having a beautiful scent in a space. They checked for me and, understandably, candles aren’t permitted. But instead of just saying no, they came back with an alternative. They gifted me a room diffuser with reeds already infused with the hotel’s signature scent.
Again, a small gesture. But they listened to something that mattered to me and found another way to provide it.
All three experiences have me thinking about what hospitality really means, especially in the Airbnb world.
We have automated messaging, AI, smart locks and technology that can make almost every part of the guest journey more efficient. I use those tools every day. They make it possible to do what we do.
But efficiency is not hospitality.
Hospitality is noticing. Listening. Following up even after the problem has been solved. Finding a way to say yes when the first answer has to be no. Remembering someone. Making them feel seen and heard.
As hosts, maybe we shouldn’t be using technology to remove ourselves from the guest experience. We should be using it to give ourselves more time for the part technology can’t replace.
The human connection.
Because that is what people remember.
