I think it’s time we cleared the air on a fundamental distinction that often gets blurred in the frantic pace of our industry. I’m talking about the divide between being “in the business” and being “on the business”—specifically the cavernous gap between managing hospitality and mastering the technology that should be driving it.
You see, I live permanently in the world of industry technology. It’s not a sideline; it’s my environment. Every waking hour of my week is spent researching, considering application, helping tools get built, and obsessing over optimization. I’m deep-diving into the “art of the possible,” pushing the boundaries of what we’ve settled for versus what these systems should actually be able to do. My job is to find that first-mover advantage while everyone else is still trying to figure out if their Wi-Fi is working.
The reality for most is quite different. You’re busy doing the business of hospitality. You’re managing guests, staff, and the endless logistics of a live operation. You simply don’t have the time to live in the research, to inhabit the intent, or to put the hours into knowing the possibilities the way I do. It’s not a failing; it’s a consequence of the roles we play. But let’s be honest: because you can’t put that time in, the gap between what you’re using and what you could be using starts to look like the Grand Canyon.
We talk about competitive advantage, but that doesn’t just happen by buying a license and ticking a box. It requires a protagonist’s mindset—someone to inhabit the technology, to direct it, and to bridge the gap between mediocre and masterpiece. Most in our industry are so caught up in the “high touch” that they’ve lost sight of the high-tech possibilities that would actually make that touch more meaningful.
The capability doesn’t come from the tool; it comes from the relentless, dedicated intent to push that tool to its limit. If you’re too busy to look at the horizon, you’ll never see the change coming until it’s already passed you by.
Life is so tech. Shall I flip you for it?
Mark Fancourt
