Hospitality mentality and skill sets are invaluable to both the individual and to business. So can it be championed more?

It is strange how the importance of hospitality skill sets are so often under-rated by industry and yet often far more admired by City business than many realise. There is a reason why some of the leading hotel schools are talent magnets for banks, financial services and other professional services – knowing how to engage, communicate and treat others is a skill that is invaluable; talents that can engage with care and a smile. Priceless.

A moment of genuine care and service can change the whole mood of the day. It doesn't cost a penny bar a moment of time but can create a long lasting relationship that can be worth a high revenue return. It is little wonder that many businesses are seeking what many have lost in recent years.

It is an old saying that those that go into hospitality will naturally possess a love for people and a desire to create an experience for others. In a world where so much business has become transactional and cold, as customers have switched off and walked away from such practices;  it is natural that companies will want to recruit those that are able to break through such behaviours and create a customer experience.

It is no coincidence that so many companies have understood that the pendulum has swung too far towards transactions and now need to re-engage on a service level, on a personal level and who better than those that have a natural mind set for such engagement?

Many want the basics back in place – empathy in service, kindness in behaviour, and genuine personality. This used to sit at the heart of business and it will do again. Even better this mind-set is often natural and it is just skills that need developing.

Hospitality skills are a premium and it is time to really give it the respect that it has long deserved. It has been the basis of many great careers across all sectors and will be for decades to come – as long as it is invested in properly.

On top of this, the Hospitality Industry has excelled and is world- class. So isn’t time for more investment into telling the story of this great industry, engaging great talent and creating centres that really nurture world class excellence in hospitality?

It should certainly be better championed. Too often the comment is passed that Hospitality is still perceived badly. Fine but whose fault is that?

Changing this dynamic serves both talent and industry, so would seem the right way forward.