Hospitality Does Not Need Its Aura Read

Some time ago, I attended a session organised to help a hotel team going through a difficult period. There was fatigue, unfilled vacancies, demanding commercial targets, conflict between departments and an operation that had been absorbing more pressure than was reasonable for months. I expected a serious conversation about priorities, resources, coordination and leadership. Instead, the guest speaker asked us to close our eyes, breathe deeply and visualise the hotel’s energy as a sphere of light. I must admit that, for a few seconds, I considered the possibility that this sphere, as well as being luminous, might help release the outstanding rooms.

The scene would have been merely quaint if it had been presented as an optional pause to reduce tension. The problem emerged later, when rather specific operational issues began to be interpreted as emotional blockages. Staff shortages became inner scarcity, disagreements between departments were attributed to incompatible energies, and exhaustion came to be described as resistance to change. No one asked about shifts, workloads, duplicated processes or contradictory decisions. Apparently, the rota was not poorly designed; the team simply had not yet found its frequency.