Lead with Love in Hospitality
Albert BarraMay 6, 2026 · 4 min read
Possibly every singer has sung about love, because it is happiness, fulfilment... “God is all love,” they say, “…He is love incarnate”... and so, if love is all these good things, why do we not act with love in our businesses, companies and organisations...? Why do we not treat both our external and internal customers with love...?
Love tends to multiply. If I receive love, I give love... there is no reason at all to give anything else.
We all pursue happiness and fulfilment in our organisations, from employees to the presidency. We all pursue happiness and fulfilment when seeking any product or service, from those with low incomes to billionaires...
“To lead a better life I need my love to be here” Here there and everywhere Lennon/ Mc CartneyBut what is love? Above all, love is respect and communication, sincerity, trust and countless other values. It needs to be motivated, inspired and nurtured at all times. Love can be demonstrated at every moment in our hotel, our company or our organisation... It begins with respect in interpersonal and professional relationships. It can be present in every action. In recent times, much has been said about the need for everyone’s participation, flattening structures, sharing information and knowledge, and even fully open companies—pure democracy—conditions conducive to fostering and cultivating love. In a 1971 Rolling Stone magazine interview with Lennon and Yoko, the latter said: “You can’t love somebody unless you are in a position of equality.” It is a cycle that must not fail: you give love, things go well, and you receive love. I return to Silvio when he says: “With just a little love, I am something... With a little love I became so rich that I spent it, and still my little love remained.” When a person is full of love, they are capable of carrying out any task, no matter how difficult. It is such an inspiration and force that poets compare it to bringing down stars and accomplishing other impossible feats. The expression of love in any organisation begins with the definition of a vision, mission and objectives, or with the very selection and recruitment of staff, and in the allocation of tasks. It must be implicit in the statement, development and execution of strategy, and be the foremost pillar of the company’s chain of shared values; it must deeply permeate its culture, language and performance, and remain an enduring doctrine of leadership. If love were to prevail in our organisation, our hotel or our company, no one would doubt how dramatically the productivity and performance indicators of team members and employees in general would rise, or how beneficial business negotiations and relationships with distributors, suppliers, customers in general, organisations, government and competitors—in short, everyone—would become. Employees would devote themselves to their work with love; they would enjoy excellent opportunities for professional growth and learning, as well as strong interpersonal relationships founded on both professional and human respect. This would result in better customer service and a higher standard of service delivery. Managers would place greater trust in their teams and would be able to delegate responsibilities; they would create an environment of job security and professional development, and share information and knowledge. A workplace environment full of inspiration and motivation would be created for developing human talent and achieving the company’s objectives... In short, in a company “in love”, service quality would improve and, with it, customer satisfaction; productivity and levels of efficiency and effectiveness would increase; the company’s competitiveness would improve; and best of all, everyone would benefit. The perfect business. Without a doubt, after this analysis, I believe that love qualifies as the ideal strategy for the success of our hotel and, indeed, for any business.
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