In Austria, when I tell people what I do for a living, people often ask me: “Oh, you’re a hospitality consultant? Does that mean you offer consulting and coaching for hospitals?” No! Although, I’m sure that would be exciting, too. For now, let’s focus on what I mean by hospitality consultant.
Hospitality Consulting: The decision to introduce a business model that was completely unknown in Austria has had its share of risks. For one, there was the challenge of constantly needing to explain my business over and over again, which sometimes made me wonder if I had chosen the right profession. In a nutshell, hospitality simply means creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for guests. When we talk about the hospitality industry, we’re referring to the sectors and fields that are typically associated with gastronomy, the hotel industry, or tourism. Hospitality management, on the other hand, refers to any guest-related services. The guest comes first.
This concept of making the guest the focal point of business is what really awakened my interest and is also where my profession as a hospitality consultant fits in. I enjoy being a guest but I also enjoy being a host. My vision is to make hospitality, customer service, and the joy of making customers happy a regular part of every-day business. Every customer and every client should be treated like a guest. This is where my expertise as a hospitality consultant comes in, and my goal is that by 2020, nobody will be asking me the question: “What does a hospitality consultant do?