As an industry, the hospitality industry was born out of casual arrangements between locals and weary travelers looking for a safe place to rest their horses and lay their heads. Back then, the definition of hospitality usually meant basic meal and some ale. These casual stays then evolved to become more than just a place to stay. Serving an increasingly-mobile class of merchants, nobles, scholars, and priests, the hospitality industry was born.

The hospitality industry continues to grow with each passing year. Statistics within the industry show that a new hospitality job is created every 2.5 seconds, making it a vital sector of the world’s economy. In the United States alone, there are more than a half-million hospitality jobs — a number that’s expected to substantially increase in the years to come.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer, who recently announced a partnership with Hyatt’s newest brand Caption, centers his philosophy of “enlightened hospitality” on hiring great employees. The right staff translates directly into exceptional experiences, which is why employees are the most important stakeholder group, followed by guests, the community, suppliers, and investors.

Today, successful hospitality centers around understanding how to harness current technology to leverage trends and deliver hospitality consistently in the competitive service industry. For a framework, the latest tech trends in hospitality can be coupled with their corresponding hospitality traits. A lot of these hospitality trend examples will be consistent across other segments of the hospitality business like theme parks, event planning, food service / caterers, cruise lines and other tourism industry professions.

Hospitality and hotel operations is a shared global language that has become a fundamental part of the shared human experience. Guests remember not just the standard service but the extraordinary hospitality that makes them feel welcome and appreciated. That’s what it’s all about!