I don’t need a P&L. I need 30 seconds in your lobby to know if the property has a leadership problem.
This actually happened recently…
I walk into the lobby. The front desk agent is sitting on a stool, doom scrolling on her phone. No eye contact. No urgency.
I walk up and say, “Good morning.”
She barely looks up with a “Can I help you?”
And just like that, I know everything I need to know about this hotel. This isn’t about that team member. This is about leadership.
Because what I just walked into tells me a everything about this property.
• There’s no clear front desk standard
• No arrival experience has been trained
• No expectations around non-verbal communication
• No team leader inspecting what they expect
• No culture of ownership
• No shared definition of what a “great” guest experience actually is
You don’t fix this with motivation posters or a simple pep talk. You fix it with leadership.
Leaders set the tone.
They train the team.
They lead by example.
They inspect what they expect.
And when a team member does a great job, they celebrate it. Publicly. For EVERYONE to hear.
Recognition reinforces behavior.
Reinforced behavior becomes culture.
Great hospitality doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s built through clear expectations, training, and leaders who show up.
Leadership question for you:
If I walked into your hotel today, what would your front desk tell me in the first 30 seconds?
#ScarlettHotelGroup #Leadership #InspectWhatYouExpect #Hospitality