Mr. Hoplamazian seems to have realised that generally speaking in the hotel industry, hospitality has lost its way, and he is trying to restore it to its essence. But in its essential form, hospitality is a spiritual path trodden with practical feet, and whose adornment is the spiritual core values of Loving Kindness, Compassion, and Heart-warming Care, which stems from a love for fellow human beings. Empathy is not the way to restore hospitality to its essence. It is better than what the industry is providing, but it is far from providing the key, which are the essential core values of genuine hospitality and which are based on Love. But Love is not a corporate concept as yet, unfortunately, so nothing can be done.
Empathy is merely one aspect of Care, but Empathy has been diluted out of hospitality by the obsolete concept of SOP-Customer Satisfaction, which prevails throughout the hotel industry. Mr. Hoplamazian has simply picked out one aspect of Care, which should have been focused on by every hotel group for many decades, but which hasn’t been. In that respect, he is blazing a new path, but that path is not the Holy Grail of hospitality. It is merely a small, minor path, which leads in the general direction of what Socrates would probably call the Ideal of Hospitality.
If he really wants to guide Hyatt and the hotel industry towards genuine hospitality, then he will have to change the focus to Love and Compassion, not merely to Empathy / Understanding.
Love is what is missing in hospitality nowadays, and while Compassion is rooted in Love, Empathy is not.
However, to create a concept of hospitality in his hotel group, which is rooted in Love, he will have to turn to the ancient knowledge of spirituality for help and to learn how to use and change energy. But Spirituality and Energy are not corporate concepts as yet, unfortunately, so nothing can be done.
Nevertheless, at least Mr.Hoplamazian is raising awareness that hospitality has lost its way. Empathy is a good start. One day, the hotel industry will discover the business benefits of creating hospitality with Spirituality and Energy, and hospitality will gradually be restored to its essence. The hotel and wellness industries will then be transformed, and they will have a new role in service to mankind.
