The Three Little Pigs: A Hospitality Lesson in Building for the Long Term

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who dreamed of becoming great hoteliers. Each one, with his own ideas and way of understanding hospitality, decided to open his own hotel. They could not agree on anything, because each believed he had the winning formula. What they shared was the excitement of welcoming guests and seeing their name above the door, like so many others they had admired.

The first little pig was impulsive and wanted to open as soon as possible. He had no time for strategic plans or thinking about differentiation. With just enough money and in a great hurry, he built a hotel of straw, a symbol of improvisation. Basic rooms, cheap furnishings, too few staff and no training. At first, the novelty attracted price-conscious travellers, but his model lacked solid foundations. As soon as the big bad wolf of the market appeared —a drop in demand and pressure from online competitors—, that hotel collapsed immediately.