Hospitality 2026: Where Warmth Meets Strategy

Tony Johnson
9 minutes ago
8 min read

Hospitality is about feeling that connection – that sense of being welcomed, respected, and comfortable in a space. It is created by people, for people through empathy, intention, and kindness.

Hospitality is that coffee shop that remembers your order. It is the hotel that welcomes you by name and quickly checks you in because you look exhausted. The smile and welcome at the theme park as you walk up to your favorite attraction and they mirror your excitement.

It is a part of a larger concept of Customer Experience (CX), which is the sum of an entire customer journey with a business or brand. Hospitality is a foundational element of this along with Safety, Quality, Simplicity, and Connectivity.

While CX maps the entire journey, hospitality is what brings it to life. You can curate an exceptional experience on paper, but if people don't deliver at the moment of truth, then it all falls apart. That is why hospitality matters now more than ever.

Regardless of industry, there is so much that can be learned from hospitality rich organizations. Applying the best practices of the best hotels, restaurants, and theme parks can help any organization create deeper customer loyalty.
People are the focus of hospitality, and it begins with the team experience. Guests will feel it when teams are well engaged, empowered, and enabled.
Technology will hyper-accelerate personalization and customer understanding - but there always needs to be a human in the loop to protect experience and privacy.

Companies with engaged employees see 23% higher profitability - Gallup

As we close the book on 2025, hospitality must be on the top of your list if you want set yourself apart in this crowded market. I spent nearly two decades leading hospitality and serving guests - and for the last 7 years I have worked with leading organizations and local businesses - to deliver world class hospitality around the globe. I'm also blessed to live in Central Florida, the hospitality capital of the world, in the middle of a living laboratory for customer service.

These are the emerging trends I am seeing and predictions for what will be foundational to hospitality success in 2026.

Team Experience = Guest Experience

Teams will transfer the care they receive (or don't) to their guests. When teams feel supported, empowered, and respected, they show up with confidence and warmth that guests feel immediately.

Clearly define hospitality expectations and reinforce them through regular coaching conversations so people know what “great” actually looks like.
Invest in frontline leadership development so managers know how to coach behaviors, not just manage schedules and tasks.
Recognize and reward hospitality moments, not just performance metrics or tenure, so the right behaviors get repeated.
Remove silly policies and processes that prevent employees from doing the right thing for guests.

Hospitality Becomes a Revenue Strategy

Hospitality is not separate from business results. It directly influences guest loyalty, spend, and long-term brand preference.

Identify specific hospitality behaviors that influence revenue, such as greeting quality, pacing, personalization, and recovery - and ensure your team understands "why" they matter.
Align hospitality metrics with financial outcomes so leaders can clearly see the connection between service and results.
Coach teams to recognize emotional cues that signal opportunity or concern so they can respond appropriately in the moment. This kind of EQ in hospitality is ideal for issue resolution and service recovery.

Premiumization Is the New Differentiator

Guests want moments that feel special and worth sharing, even in midscale environments. Premium is no longer about price. It is about exclusivity, meaning, and emotional lift - and the social media post. Depending on where you fit in the market (value, everyday, elevated, premium, or luxury), this comes to life differently, but should always be crafted as a way to stand apart.

Design one or two intentional premium moments that are easy to execute and repeat consistently across teams and locations.
Train teams to create small, meaningful surprises rather than just expensive upgrades because thoughtfulness often outperforms cost. Guests remember how something made them feel, not what it cost you.
Offer optional enhancements that guests can choose without pressure so premium feels like a benefit, not a sales tactic. When it feels like you have their best interests top of mind that builds trust.
Offer the full premiumization approach when appropriate to create the feeling of luxury, scarcity, and exclusivity.

AI-Enabled Hospitality Drives Personalization at Scale

Technology will increasingly support hospitality by removing friction and driving insights. People are ultimately responsible for empathy, judgment, and connection.

Use AI tools to identify guest preferences, patterns, and alerts in real time so teams can act proactively. There are great software solutions for this available.
Automate low-value administrative work that pulls attention away from guests so teams can focus on human connections.
Provide prompts and guidance rather than rigid scripts so interactions stay personal and situational. Hospitality should sound like a person, not a robot.

The Rise of Immersive Hospitality Training

Hospitality training must prepare people for real moments, not ideal scenarios. Learning needs to feel emotional, situational, and relevant to daily work so that it is retained and put into action. Combine virtual/digital, in-person, and leader-led micro-training to ensure scale and engagement.

Combine lecture-based training and scenario-driven practice + role plays that mirrors real guest interactions so teams can build confidence.
Train emotional intelligence and recovery skills alongside technical execution because how teams respond under pressure defines the experience.
Reinforce learning through short, frequent touchpoints rather than one-time events so behaviors stick - this is often in the form of leader-led micro-training.
Implement social learning so that participants learn from each other, engage in meaningful discussion, and even gameplay to reinforce key topics.

Ready to up your hospitality or leadership game with our engaging, interactive sessions? Schedule your training session, workshop, or on-site assessment today.

BOOK TIME WITH TONY

The Guest Journey Breaks the Fourth Wall

Hospitality begins before a guest arrives and continues after they leave. Every interaction shapes how welcomed and valued someone feels.

Map the full guest journey, including digital, physical, and human touchpoints, to uncover blind spots. Most friction lives between handoffs.
Personalize communication before arrival and after departure to extend the feeling of care beyond the visit itself.
Ensure digital tools support human connection rather than replacing it so technology enhances warmth instead of creating barriers or distance.

Consistency Becomes the Brand Promise

Guests expect the same level of hospitality regardless of location, time, or team member. Consistency builds trust and loyalty over time but it requires discipline to deliver.

Define non-negotiable hospitality standards that apply everywhere so guests and employees know what is expected.
Observe experiences regularly across shifts and locations to identify gaps before guests do. This type of leadership engagement and coaching drives continuous improvement.
Coach the team in the moment to ensure service moments hit the mark. Guests give loyalty to experiences that are consistently "very good," but not to those that are "world class" one day and "average" the next.

One in three customers will walk away from a brand they love after just one bad experience. - PwC

Creating Belonging Becomes a Core Hospitality Skill

Hospitality is not just about service. It is about helping people feel welcomed and that they belong. Guests want to see themselves in their experience and feel comfortable in the environment created.

Train teams to acknowledge every guest quickly with warmth and respect so no one feels invisible.
Design spaces that feel comfortable, intuitive, and welcoming, because physical environment influences the perception of safety. Don't just be compliant, ensure that everyone can use spaces in ways that fit their needs.
Build awareness and language into training and leadership coaching so belonging feels intentional, not like an after thought.
The environment itself must promote hospitality through ambiance, music, lighting, scent, seating, wayfinding + signage, and amenities. They should thoughtfully deliver ease and comfort for guests as they have defined it through your customer listening efforts.

Hospitality Strengthened by Community + Connection

In 2026, hospitality will continue to extend into the community. The strongest brands will act as connectors, creating value not just for guests, but for local people, partners, and places.

Build authentic connections to the local community through sourcing, storytelling, and partnerships. Guests increasingly value places that feel authentic rather than generic, particularly younger Millennials and Gen Z.
Treat sustainability as stewardship rather than a marketing claim. Reducing waste, supporting local suppliers, and respecting resources shows care and connection.
Create experiences that reflect the culture and character of the surrounding area. Hospitality feels more meaningful when it is an extension of where it lives.
Empower teams to act as ambassadors for the community.

Bonus Tip: Tailoring Hospitality by Generation

Hospitality is not one-size-fits-all anymore. Guests arrive with different expectations, communication styles, and definitions of value shaped by their generation. These are guidelines to help with understanding, not stereotypes

Baby Boomers and Traditionalists value warmth, respect, deference, and personal attention. They appreciate being acknowledged, helped proactively, and spoken to clearly without feeling rushed.
Gen X values efficiency, competence, consistency, and low friction. They want things to work, problems solved quickly, and interactions that respect their time.
Millennials value personalization, authenticity, and experiences that feel "just for me." They respond well to flexibility, transparency, and moments that feel worth sharing.
Gen Z values inclusivity, simplicity through technology + self service, and emotional safety. They notice authenticity, environment, and whether a space feels welcoming and calm.
Generation Alpha values safety, ease, and intuitive design, often shaped by experiences alongside parents or caregivers. They respond to environments that feel calm, engaging, and thoughtfully designed, where technology works seamlessly.

Questions Hospitality Leaders Should Be Asking:

Where are we creating friction for guests or employees, and how do we fix it?
Are our teams trained, equipped, and empowered to take care of guests and solve problems?
What moments truly define our brand experience, and which ones are just habits we have never challenged?
How are we listening to guests to understand what they value and where improvements might be needed?
Are we designing hospitality around people and what they really want?

Hospitality has always been about people and connection - and guests, more than ever, want to feel welcomed by their brands. They are looking for connection and kindness while receiving a consistently great product or service.

Hospitality matters because it builds trust in a noisy world and reminds us to treat every "customer" like a "guest."

As we enter the new year, it is always a great time to step back, assess, and plot a course of improvement. Hospitality is not just a "soft" skill, it is a true growth strategy that creates competitive advantages for organizations that embrace it.

The brands that win this year (and beyond) will be the ones who put people at the center of everything they do - and understand that creates amazing possibilities.

Tony (Crafted by a human, not AI.)

Meet Tony Johnson

Tony is the Co-Managing Partner, Co-Owner, and Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for 4xi Global Consulting. He is an internationally recognized thought leader and influencer in Customer and Employee Experience. Tony hosts the wildly successful Customer Service Academy podcast and is the author of two books on leadership and CX.

Tony has worked with some of the top organizations across the globe, including Delta, 3M, Baylor Scott and White Health, University of Virginia, Siemens, SHRM, and more.

Tony is available to help your organization with:

Employee training and development
Executive and leadership coaching
CX and EX strategy creation
Inspirational keynote talks
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Evolving Experiences, a 4xi brand, focuses on Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) as growth engines. By creating fierce loyalty with both employees and customers, organizations can differentiate themselves in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace.

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