Hospitality is built on execution. Every detail—from the greeting at check-in to the follow-up after checkout—either reinforces your brand promise or erodes it.
That was the focus of a recent Hotel Business Hot Topics conversation I joined with Jessica Lee of Marriott International, James Carroll of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, and Eric Rubino of Extreme Hospitality, moderated by Glenn Haussmann.
Our discussion wasn’t about technology or training programs. It was about something far more fundamental: how operators keep their organizations consistently performing when everything around them is changing.
Operational agility starts with empowerment
Jessica Lee set the tone when she said, “We’re at a different time right now. A few years ago, it was hard to hire anyone. Now, there’s more talent available, and it’s about finding people with the mindset to thrive in this environment.”
She’s right. And agility doesn’t just come from hiring, it comes from empowerment. As Eric Rubino put it, “Your employees can’t be agile if they aren’t given the authority to make decisions.”
That’s the operator’s equation: clarity plus trust equals speed. When frontline teams know what success looks like and have the confidence to act, service recovery happens faster, guests feel the difference and local decisions ladder up to brand-level consistency.
Agility isn’t a concept. It’s an operational behavior that shows up in how hotels respond to what the day brings without breaking stride.
Confidence: The quiet driver of performance
Confidence might sound intangible, but it’s measurable in operations. You see it in faster response times, fewer escalations and guests who feel recognized before they even ask for help.
As Eric reminded us, “If that culture doesn’t stand behind empowerment, it doesn’t come through to the guest.”
Confidence and empowerment reinforce each other. Operators who make expectations clear, remove red tape and back up good decisions see consistency improve across the board. It’s not about asking employees to “care more.” It’s about giving them the information and trust they need to execute with certainty.
Confidence isn’t a soft skill—it’s a tangible result.
Technology should streamline, not distract
Technology can be a powerful enabler of execution but only when it makes work simpler. Too often, it does the opposite.
James Carroll described what happens when complexity creeps in: “We try to avoid having staff go through multiple systems to complete a single event, whether it’s a check-in, a check-out, or a recovery. We want to keep them in one system so they move quickly between tasks and stay focused on the guest.”
That’s the right test for any digital solution. If it adds steps, it’s noise. If it removes friction, it’s value.
The best technology in hospitality should fade into the background, aligning communication, priorities and tasks so every shift runs smoothly and every guest interaction feels intentional. It’s about giving operators real-time visibility into what’s happening, where, and why—so performance is predictable, not reactive.
The new workforce reality
Today’s hospitality workforce is more diverse in age, background, and expectation than ever before. Many associates are new to the industry and to the rhythm of service itself.
Jessica noted that Marriott hotels emphasizing strong onboarding in the first 30–60 days, see lower turnover and higher engagement. That’s not about classroom time; it’s about integration. Getting new hires operationally productive quickly protects both the guest experience and the team’s bandwidth.
Eric described it succinctly: “We have a green team training an even greener team.”
That’s the modern challenge. Operators must build performance systems that allow people to execute with consistency even when experience levels vary.
Fit and focus drive efficiency
James Carroll reminded us that performance doesn’t come from pushing harder; it comes from putting the right people in the right roles.
“I’d be an awful front-desk agent,” he said. “Guest satisfaction would plummet. No matter how much you tried to teach me, I’m just the wrong person for that job.”
Eric agreed, adding, “We don’t ask fish to fly and we don’t ask birds to swim.”
That’s the essence of operational efficiency: aligning people’s natural strengths with business needs, then equipping them with the clarity and authority to deliver.
The operations flywheel
When operations are clear, connected and empowered, performance compounds:
- Speed: Problems get solved in real time, without escalation.
- Consistency: Every shift delivers the same standard, every time.
- Retention: People stay longer when they feel capable and trusted.
- Growth: Guest satisfaction and revenue move together.
James summed it up best: “When you invest in your team, they stay longer, they take care of your guests, and that drives your bottom line.”
That’s the operational flywheel that powers the most resilient hospitality brands—clarity drives confidence, confidence drives consistency and consistency drives growth.
Delivering at the speed of change
Listening to Jessica, Eric and James reinforced that hospitality isn’t changing—it’s evolving. The fundamentals remain, but the speed of execution has accelerated.
Leaders can’t rely on top-down control or quarterly reviews to maintain standards. Success depends on a daily rhythm of clarity, alignment and action. When everyone knows the priorities, understands the “why,” and feels empowered to act, performance becomes predictable, even in unpredictable times.
Every guest interaction is an operational moment of truth. The brands that win are the ones that execute their strategy flawlessly.
About Axonify
Axonify is the proven frontline enablement solution that gives employees everything they need to learn, connect and get things done. It starts with brain science and AI to drive knowledge retention through bite-sized microlearning and daily intelligent reinforcement. Embedded two-way communication and feedback ensure your staff is engaged and informed, no matter the scale of your organization and guided task management shows employees exactly how to put their training to use, every single day. With an industry-leading 80% user engagement rate, companies use Axonify to deliver next-level CX, higher sales, improved workplace safety and lower turnover. Axonify enables over 3.5 million frontline workers in 160+ countries, with over 250 customers including Lowe’s, Kroger, Walmart and Citizens Bank. Founded in 2011, Axonify is headquartered in Waterloo, ON Canada. For more information, visit axonify.com.
Niveen Saleh
PR and Communications Manager
Axonify
