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By Denis Sheehan International Hockey Federation: It’s a treat
Who would be foolish to try to define it, i.e. hospitality, at least in simple terms, I try below.
The definition of hospitality that “we” at H&C News like to adopt is: “The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors and strangers.”
You can read it a thousand times, it doesn’t make any exceptions, it’s 100% inclusive.
Inclusion has been thrown around a lot in hospitality terminology in recent years as if it’s new, but that’s not the case, it’s as old as the hospitality industry itself.
With the emergence of civilization and the opening of trade routes connecting them, travelers needed food and rest, and those who provided food and a place to rest became the first hoteliers and profited from them.
These businesses thrive on extending hospitality to strangers, people they have never met and have nothing in common with. They’ll look different, they’ll talk differently, and they’ll be different in every way. Yet welcoming them and caring for them is at least profitable, and undoubtedly pays off by gaining a broader view of the world. This is 100% inclusive and obviously nothing new. You might even say that inclusivity is the cornerstone of hospitality, and I certainly would say that.
The hotel industry has encountered many challenges in recent years, with the pandemic, inflation fueled in large part by Russia’s ongoing attempts to invade and conquer Ukraine, and the UK imposing economic sanctions on itself through Brexit. Too many businesses cannot survive and collapses continue due to the UK government’s mismanagement of the economy. Continuing to survive in this environment requires not only increasing footfall and average spend per customer, but also innovating and finding how to do new things to attract new customers.
ESG and its many components, including inclusion, are gaining wider adoption through results, and behaviors that demonstrate authenticity win over those who share these values.
However, the largest demographic groups in need of greater inclusion, and those that offer the greatest profit potential, remain largely untapped and have easy access to hospitality services.
There are 16 million people in the UK, accounting for 24% of disabled people.
The total spending power of disabled people in the UK exceeds 274 billion.
71% of customers want more to be done to address the industry’s lack of accessibility.
We retweeted an X post yesterday showing a restaurant team giving a blind customer a birthday message written in Braille on a chocolate bar to wish her a happy birthday. The reaction is worth watching via the video in the post below.
This is hospitality 👇 https://t.co/v0wkZxNxZB
— Hotel & Catering News (@HandCNews) March 22, 2024
The retweet attracted many engagements, comments, likes, and retweets, greatly expanding its reach.But the most revealing engagement came from a message from X @ataxiascott Operated by a disabled person, the message read: “That young lady will remember these few seconds for the rest of her life. It wasn’t just that she felt special because of her blindness, but that she was included in a special moments, which I believe restaurant staff usually provide to sighted customers as well. People with disabilities really don’t want to be treated differently. Just to feel like they fit in with society at large.
“That restaurant will always have a lot of customers.”
Thank you @AtaxiaScot
If you work in the hospitality industry, @AtaxiaScot’s statement is worth reading over and over again, and if you do, I certainly no longer need to outline or detail the business benefits of adopting a more inclusive hospitality industry that is centered on accessibility for all.
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