I know the hospitality industry from both sides of the table. Literally. I’ve been the guest sipping cappuccinos at chic hotels, but I’ve also been the one on the other side, running hospitality businesses and even founding a School of Hospitality in a big Ukrainian city. At that school, we invited top European experts in hotels, restaurants, breweries, wine-making, coffee craft, tourism, and more to help local pros polish their skills. In short: I’ve had a front-row seat to the magic show that hospitality really is.
Now, let’s be honest. Hospitality isn’t just about hotels or restaurants. It’s a patchwork quilt of services , each one lovely on its own, but together? Oh, that’s when the magic happens. My own definition would be this:
Hospitality is the collection of activities that make life more comfortable, more relaxed, and definitely more pleasurable.
Travel to Paris, Tokyo, or Dubai, and you’ll see hospitality celebrated as a star industry. These places roll out the red carpet , sometimes literally, because they know that great service equals happy visitors, and happy visitors bring prosperity.
But in other corners of the world, hospitality is still treated like “just serving food” or “just renting a room.” No frills, no recognition, no imagination. The industry doesn’t get its due , often because local economies rely on informal networks, or because people simply don’t expect more. (Spoiler: they should.)
Remember March 2020? Overnight, airports turned into ghost towns, restaurants shut their doors, and hotels stood eerily quiet. It was as if someone had hit the pause button on joy itself.
But hospitality people are creative (and a little stubborn). Suddenly, we saw wine tastings on Zoom, fine dining delivered in boxes, and virtual museum tours. Slowly, the industry limped, then learned to jog again. Today, it’s running, though in new shoes: hybrid ones. Some travelers are back on planes, but others prefer online bookings, online experiences, and online everything.
As if COVID wasn’t enough, the hospitality industry now has to grapple with artificial intelligence. And you know what? It’s not a threat , it’s a clever new colleague.
Think about it:
For some businesses, this hybrid model (offline plus online) works like a charm. But for others , like travel agencies or ticketing services , it’s smarter (and cheaper) to go fully online. That way, they can reach the whole world without paying rent for a swanky office.
Of course, going virtual comes with challenges: less face-to-face warmth, tough competition with global giants, and the tricky task of building trust through a screen.
One truth remains: in hospitality, communication is everything. Whether it’s a smile at a reception desk or a chat bubble on a website, people want to feel heard. That’s why modern hospitality leans on tools like live chat assistants, video calls, personalized emails, and yes, smart AI helpers.
A good example? BizDriver.ai. If you’re curious, you can even try chatting with their assistant at www.bizdriver.ai. Hospitality businesses can install it on their sites for free (yes, free!) to see how it fits. It’s designed to help hotels, restaurants, and travel services keep up with the AI boom without going broke. Think of it as your friendly digital receptionist who never takes a lunch break.
Here’s the thing: no matter how much AI we add, hospitality is still about people. The laugh over a shared meal, the comfort of a perfectly made bed, the magic of discovering a new city : these can’t be coded into an algorithm.
As one wise hotelier once said:
“Hospitality isn’t service — it’s the memory you leave with your guest.”
And here’s another truth worth keeping in mind:
“The harder we work, the more we crave the pleasure of great hospitality.”
That’s why the industry isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s going to shine brighter. Because in our crazy, fast, demanding world, who doesn’t want a little more comfort, pleasure, and care?