I think that in the corporate offices of hotel groups, understanding the possibilities of Heart-Based Hospitality may be another generation away. I say this because after contacting the Board Members of over 70 hotel groups for over 3 years in a row there seems to be a refusal to even consider that there could be a better direction than the traditional guest experience concept of SOP-Customer Satisfaction. Indeed, it is hard to imagine any corporate hotelier daring to question it at the moment.
What Does Heart-Based Living Mean?
For many people nowadays, the mind controls much of their lives, despite the intuitive nudging they constantly receive from the heart. The mind dictates their understanding, actions, reactions and decisions, based largely on learned response patterns, which seem to have a lock on their lives. Time and again, the heart seeks to intervene, to offer advice – but quite often the mind overrides that advice.
HeartMath founder Doc Childre explains: “Heart-based living refers to all intentions and actions that express qualities of the heart in daily life. These heart qualities can include things like appreciating or caring for others, expressing kindness to those around you, and giving back by volunteering to work with others to relieve suffering in humans or animals and to help the planet.” Love and compassion can be added to the heart qualities.
Throughout history, people have said that we should follow our hearts. “Why?” Childre asks. “Because people instinctively know that their heart’s intuition yields the highest outcome – often at the expense of the mind’s opinions, preferences, and habits.”
“Heart-based living is about including your heart’s intuition as you navigate through life’s relationships and events. This brings balance to your mind and emotions and unfolds your authentic self.” (Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath)
With this in mind, corporate hoteliers must surely feel intuitively that something is missing from their guest experience and that SOP-Customer Satisfaction does not and cannot provide it. I cannot believe that they would like their married life or family life to be based on SOP-Customer Satisfaction, yet they have decided that this is how hospitality should be provided to mankind.
