Whether you like it or not, if you’re in a customer facing business, you’re in the business of hospitality. Your sole purpose is to be the host and connect the dots for the customer in a way that puts them at the center of focus.

Being the host is not a responsibility to take lightly.

Not only are you the guide and advisor, but the translator, the editor, and sometimes the calm in the room, too.

You…
→ Anticipate the needs before they are voiced
→ Remove friction before it becomes frustration
→ Create a sense of ease that allows trust to form
Sound easy enough?

Being the host is what’s needed—except it’s often mistaken for “soft skills” instead of core business strategy. Very few industries, and even companies are actually designed to support it.

The moment hosting is treated as infrastructure rather than attitude, customer experience stops being inconsistent.

What that looks like in practice:

→ Support should feel less like troubleshooting and more like guidance
Instead of onboarding users with feature lists and tooltips, offer them a host-led system that welcomes them with a clear narrative: Here’s where you are, here’s what matters first, and here’s what we’ll handle for you.

→ A retail store brand should be navigable instead of overwhelming
Sales associates are measured best by how well they orient the customer: Are you exploring or deciding? Browsing or replacing something specific?

Even in luxury hospitality (especially there) efficiency alone is not the point. A perfectly run hotel can still feel cold. Hosting is what turns a stay into a story.

Guests cannot be dependent on one exceptional concierge or a naturally warm front-desk manager. Moments of happiness are instead woven into how the hotel thinks, moves and speaks….across all communication physical and visual.

It reflects that nothing more exists to experience, nothing more to sell. Just rooms and rates because that’s all they offer.

But it’s because they haven’t yet discovered what they could truly offer. It’s hiding right under their noses because sometimes it’s something they already have.

Consider Soho House’s retail division that allows members to purchase decor items used across their locations.

Hotels are not places to sleep. They are living and breathing ecosystems that when designed, curated, and presented thoughtfully, allow guests to step into a world they belong in.

This principle is even more powerful for small luxury or boutique intimate branded hotels. Unlike large chains, where standardization often dominates, smaller properties have the freedom and the responsibility, to craft experiences that feel personal.

Curated welcomes.
Every corner with a story.
Staff as hosts.
Moments of surprise.

Places & spaces that transform visitors into participants. Are you coming for the ride?

(Read The Future of Branded Hospitality Deep Dive from Five-Course Tasting 👇 )

…reminding you to not judge a book by its cover. Nestled in a small Alentejo village in Portugal is a boutique lover’s dream: The Vermelho Melides, a Christian Louboutin branded hotel. The red bottom shoe designer first fell in love with Melides over a decade ago. Upon returning year after year, has successfully turned his passion into a special retreat for others to adore.

What I adore about this hidden haven:
⚫ All of only 13 rooms in existence are individually designed, with a touch of Portuguese craftsmanship
⚫ A collaboration with esteemed artists and artisans such as Madalena Caiado
⚫ Stepping into Vermelho feels like stepping into an art gallery filled with all of the designers’ collection of objects, arts and antiques
⚫ Plenty spaces to unwind such as the hotel’s colorful gardens, a heated art infused pool, a restaurant led by Chef David Abreu

A truly hidden gem to get away from it all but in style.

Differentiation is often felt in the details.