What does hospitality mean to your customer? How do you show hospitality as a restaurant, food business, or hotel industry leader? 

We know good hospitality when we see it. Your online order is quickly fulfilled with a cute personal note. Or, you find the atmosphere of your room perfectly prepared. Hospitality takes many shapes.

But to give an accurate definition of hospitality, difficulty increases in the digital era. Today, there may be more than one way to look at hospitality in restaurants, at hotels, and as an industry. 

Hospitality SaaS may actually be shaping a new future for showing care and convenience to customers. In the end, the customer experience decides if you meet the definition of hospitality. 

Read on to discover what hospitality is in today’s digital world. 

Key Takeaway: Hospitality makes your customers feel comfortable, helping brands secure trust and maximize profits.

Defining What Hospitality Means

When asking what hospitality means to a restaurant owner or hotel operator, you may get mixed results. Beyond that, most dictionary definitions will only give you a general understanding of the concept:

• Webster’s Dictionary (like most) defines it as the “generous and friendly” care of guests or visitors. 
• Oxford Languages says it’s “the business of providing food, drink, and accommodation for customers…”

Obviously, the two ideas relate closely. Nevertheless, enterprising brands need a clearer view of hospitality as it concerns them. Without that solid and specific grasp, many may fail to see stumbling blocks in their customer experience. 

Trends in the experience of hospitality have encouraged many to take on new approaches to exceptional service. Innovations like self-service technology or cloud computing may offer advantages. 

Most will need POS system-integrated solutions to truly understand their performance. See why in our explanation of what hospitality means.

3 Ways to View Hospitality and Customer Satisfaction

To explore the meaning of hospitality, it helps to look a little deeper into the business situation. In every moment of hospitality, there is a customer, an employee (or operator), and supportive software to synthesize it all.

Consider the impact of hospitality (and its meaning) for each angle of excellent customer satisfaction. You’ll see hospitality is more than friendliness. It’s the intentional practice of meeting expectations and anticipating needs.

1. The Customer View

From the perspective of a guest (or customer), hospitality fends off stress, disappointment, frustration, and even boredom. Instead, hospitality delights the customer with enjoyment, relaxation, and an opportunity to build trust.

Earning that trust with hospitality, customers are more willing to pay and satisfy their expectations. In this view, hospitality can be seen in the relationship between a customer and a business.

Either way, hospitality that builds businesses makes customers feel eased, comforted, and well-served.

2. The Management View

If customers exist to be well-served, businesses may exist to serve them well. When a customer feels that sense of hospitality in the course of your service, they are much more likely to return and drive guest retention. 

In this perspective, hospitality brings up a certain responsibility. Businesses must deliver service that brings guests back. They must “treat” each of them without a snare or snag in the hospitality experience.

But, how can you meet the expectation of consistent and satisfying service for every customer? Knowing the importance of technology, many see growth through a much-improved take on hospitality.

3. The Technological View

Is there a third and even more helpful way to understand what hospitality means? 

Technology trends in the hospitality industry offer fresh insight for restaurant management, hotel operators, and service businesses. In this way, hospitality can improve through data insights, automations, app integrations, and more.

For instance, a hospitality ordering system can help speed up and streamline the service that satisfies guests. It can also provide the customer data that will more accurately account for dips in the service experience.

Improving the management process and customer experience, this technology clearly works within the rules of hospitality.

What is Hospitality in the Digital Age?

If your first duty ensures customers feel satisfied, how do you react when customers want more comfort, convenience, and consistency? This is one of the hospitality industry trends that concerns many managers and business owners.

To help clarify what hospitality means in the digital age, note the following three hallmarks of modern hospitality businesses. You’ll quickly spot that sustainable food tech and integrated software stacks enable them to keep up. 

Positive, Responsive, and Personal

In a highly competitive market, consumers seek out reviews for every service, order, and interaction. Brands that show prompt positivity toward customers by replying to their feedback stay relevant through hospitality. 

When responding to customers, be specific, direct, and solution-oriented. Rather than apologize after complaints, find a way to earn back trust with the customer (and everyone watching online). 

An active, positive, and engaged online presence matters. Customers will then see if you care about their satisfaction and service experience. So, take every chance to highlight your unique hospitality. 

Respond to positive feedback with gratitude, and mention areas of intended improvement or emphasis. A customer who shares a positive review is more likely to return. Your response seals in your brand’s hospitality—even online.

By interacting online, you may notice more guests expect experiences to be customized to their needs. This makes the final cornerstone of hospitality your personal touch—often helped through POS-integrated tech.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality Meanings

Hospitality groups may sometimes grapple with what hospitality means to their customers, especially as technology and trends change. Learn what hospitality is and get examples to help your business satisfy more customers below. 

What does hospitality mean?

Hospitality means a welcoming and home-like experience for visitors, customers, or guests. That means giving comfort, providing meals, presenting gifts, or simply lending help to the visitor.

In Latin, the word “hospes” actually means “visitor” and makes hospitality look over the care of visitors—at home, restaurants, or hotels. The word (and act) centers on giving guests a comfortable experience.

What are examples of hospitality?

Good examples of hospitality always give your guest something to enhance their experience:

• Offering visitors a drink or meal
• Asking customers about their comfort
• Showing appreciation with complimentary gifts
• Giving help, guidance, or assistance

Successful restaurants, hotels, cruises, and more offer more industry examples. Every hospitality business finds its own way of making customers feel at home. 

What are the four categories of hospitality?

The hospitality industry divides into four main categories: food and beverage, travel and tourism, lodging, and finally recreation. 

“Food and beverage” means restaurants, cafes, bars, and so on. While transportation and sightseeing services would be a “travel and tourism” concern, “lodging” includes hotels, motels, and resorts. Finally, “recreation” covers all entertainment services and leisure activities.

Extend Hospitality with Revolution Ordering

Charging up hospitality and satisfaction can create unprecedented growth for businesses in the dynamic hospitality industry. 

But, increasing comfort and improving experiences hinges on accurate service helped by efficient software. The key for brands and businesses lies in a blend of smooth service and the synced-up software that powers it.

Revolution Ordering improves operational efficiency, increases restaurant sales, and is known for streamlining services. With greater order accuracy and operational efficiency, you'll magnify your brand's care for customers.

Choose a smoother experience and stronger competitive edge for your brand. Demo Revolution Ordering to watch your brand excel with off-premise and online customers.

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