The Most Important Innovation in Hospitality

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of hospitality innovation in action?

Is it new technology?

Is it new business processes?

Is it a new product?

The dictionary defines the action of innovating as “making changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas or products.”
And it defines hospitality as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.”

And an action is “a thing, done.”

When you mush these three things together – getting changes made to the friendly reception of guests – I think it becomes clear that there’s a single most important thing in bringing innovations to life in this industry and it’s not tech, processes or products – it’s people.

People are the core of both giving and receiving hospitality and any new technology, process or product originates from people’s ideas.

So when thinking about innovating – yes, you can buy new software, but the people who developed it, service it and implement it are still a key component to its success. You can adopt new business processes, but again, it’s dependent on people to ensure those processes flow and any new products are vetted and used by – you guessed it – people.

But how do you innovate people? Training of course!

To dive into innovating people and teams, I figured a good person to ask would be the recipient of this year’s ARDY for Learning and Development Professional of the Year, Bryan Boyd M.Ed., Training & Development Director at Grand Pacific Resort Management.

What caught my attention about Boyd’s approach is how he went beyond simply conceptualizing a Learning Management System – he brought it to life for 700 associates across 24 resorts.

That’s innovation truly in action.

When we think about training in hospitality, we often limit our thinking to job-specific skills. Sure, housekeeping staff need to learn cleaning procedures – but Grand Pacific’s housekeeping training programs go beyond that by also including English language learning, financial literacy and computer literacy.

This type of training creates what Boyd describes as a “structured roadmap for associates to build on the critical skills and behaviors needed for personal and professional growth.”

It’s about seeing the whole person, not just the job title.

Related: Grand Pacific Resorts Leverages AI to Redefine Resort Management and Unlock New Possibilities

The Power of Partnerships

One of the most exciting trends I’m seeing in hospitality training is the power of strategic partnerships. Just like partnerships can be a massive accelerator of business growth, opening up unique opportunities at scale with minimal from-scratch creation, they can also transform training programs.

From local colleges and universities to specialty trainers, there are partnership possibilities for just about every training goal or need. Grand Pacific’s Leadership Enrichment Program partners with a local community college and adjunct professors to deliver specialized content.

Often, the most valuable training comes from unexpected places. Take Gina Trimarco, a professional trainer who teaches improv not just for theater – her clients span recruiting, customer service, hospitality and even the military. Improv isn’t just for laughs – these workshops teach employees valuable skills that help them think on their feet, diffuse tough situations, and develop spot-on situational awareness. All skills that transfer beautifully to hospitality work.

Not to mention it’s exciting. Anyone who has ever sat in a room watching hours of dated training videos or been handed a massive binder and sent on their way to “train” knows that there is such a thing as doing the least possible when it comes to arming employees with the skills needed to succeed. Strategic partnerships can inject energy and expertise into training programs that might otherwise fall flat.

Sometimes we forget that people LIKE to learn – it’s empowering. Sometimes we’ve just made learning boring and bland.

The right training approach can reignite that natural curiosity and desire for growth that most of us are born with.

Leadership Frameworks That Actually Work

How many “leadership models” have you seen come and go over the years? I know I’ve seen too many to count.

I’ve noticed that the frameworks that stick aren’t the ones created in some corporate ivory tower. They’re built from the ground up, with input from people at every level of the organization and often customized by that organization, not copy-pasted implementations and championed by a leader like Boyd.

Grand Pacific’s cross-functional team took this approach when they created their leadership competency framework. Instead of imposing a model from the top down, they gathered feedback from across the organization – from frontline supervisors to executive leadership. The result? A common leadership language that actually resonates with people, not fluffy corporate speak, but real, actionable frameworks.

What I love about this approach is how practical it is. It takes the guesswork out of hiring and promotion decisions. Everyone knows what’s expected at each level, creating clear pathways for advancement that can transform how people see their future with the company.

In an industry with notoriously high turnover, that clarity is invaluable to the bottom line of a people-focused industry.

EMPOWERING EMPLOYEES TO INNOVATE

Sometimes I think about all the ideas that never were.

Great ideas that never made it outside of an individual mind because someone didn’t feel confident to speak up or never left the board table because leadership was too scared to take a leap.

Ideas are just ideas until someone is empowered to first speak them into possibility and then work them into action.

When empowerment doesn’t exist, ideas never flourish.

This is where targeted training initiatives focused on developing new managers can be transformative. The hospitality industry faces a challenge – a 60% national failure rate among new leaders. More than half of people promoted into management roles aren’t succeeding.

The most innovative training programs address this head-on by bridging the critical gap between individual contribution and leadership success. These programs go beyond technical skills to focus on emotional intelligence and personalized leadership style development, providing practical tools for new managers to excel in their roles.

When done right, the results can be remarkable. Grand Pacific’s New Manager Development Training, for example, facilitated four successful internal leadership promotions within its first year. By addressing the common pitfalls that lead to leadership failure in those crucial first 18-24 months, such programs transform high-performing associates into confident, emotionally intelligent leaders who drive team cohesion and guest satisfaction.

The key here is personalization – focusing on how leaders can recognize and adapt to the individuals they manage. Training them to identify and leverage their team members’ diverse strengths rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches benefits both leaders and those they lead.

When people feel seen, they feel empowered.

EMPLOYEE RETENTION: THE HIDDEN BENEFIT OF INNOVATIVE TRAINING

As every hospitality professional understands, employee retention is a constant challenge. It’s also where innovative training programs often deliver their most impressive ROI.

Consider the data – organizations with robust leadership development programs typically see significantly higher retention rates among participants. One striking example comes from Grand Pacific’s GRAND B.E.T. leadership program, which has maintained a perfect 100% retention rate among its 27 participants. Even more impressive, five graduates have moved up to General Manager positions, creating a tangible leadership pipeline.

But retention benefits aren’t limited to leadership programs. Some of the most innovative approaches I’ve seen target frontline staff, particularly those facing additional barriers to career advancement. Programs that address unique challenges faced by second-language English learners, for instance, can have extraordinary impact. By combining hospitality-focused language training with computer literacy and financial education, these programs build both job skills and life skills.

The key insight here comes from Boyd, who notes: “Sales training is about achieving results for the bottom line, but people training is about supporting the organization on every line.”

This perspective shift – from seeing training as a cost center to viewing it as an investment in retention and customer satisfaction – represents a significant innovation in itself.

EMPLOYEES AS AI EXPLORERS: THE NEW FRONTIER

The hospitality industry is now encountering a whole new world of training possibilities with artificial intelligence. I’m fascinated by how AI is becoming not just a tool but an entirely new skill set for hospitality workers to master.

AI isn’t about replacing people. It’s about empowering them. It’s like the Wild West right now – we don’t know exactly where it will go or what people can do with it. But those who explore it earliest will know it best and be the most prepared to use it and pivot with changes that come from it.

According to research by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, innovative AI applications in hospitality training are already emerging:

• Wyndham Hotels has introduced an AI-powered chatbot that handles routine staff inquiries, freeing managers for complex tasks
• Choice Hotels now uses adaptive learning platforms that tailor training to individual employee needs
• Best Western is leveraging AI analytics to track progress across properties, enabling data-driven training initiatives

What’s particularly interesting is how AI is shifting from being an optional add-on to a core competency. This mirrors what we’re seeing in other industries.

An internal memo from Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke was recently leaked that emphasized, “Using AI effectively is now a fundamental expectation of everyone at Shopify. It’s a tool of all trades today, and will only grow in importance. Frankly, I don’t think it’s feasible to opt out of learning the skill of applying AI in your craft.”

The memo points out something crucial about training: “Learning to use AI well is an unobvious skill. My sense is that a lot of people give up after writing a prompt and not getting the ideal thing back immediately. Learning to prompt and load context is important, and getting peers to provide feedback on how this is going will be valuable.”

The brilliance of this approach is training employees to not be scared of AI but to realize they become more valuable to the organization when they understand it and bring ideas for using it as a tool, rather than fearing it will replace their jobs. The most forward-thinking hospitality companies are already realizing this – the question isn’t whether to use AI, but how to train your people to leverage it in ways that enhance the human touch that defines hospitality.

THE HUMAN TOUCH: STILL THE HEART OF HOSPITALITY

For all the talk about technology and frameworks, let’s not forget what hospitality is really about: human connection. The most successful training programs I’ve seen never lose sight of this fundamental truth.

I love when companies focus on hiring for heart and training for skill. By prioritizing people with natural empathy and service orientation – regardless of their hospitality experience – and then using scenario-based interview questions, they find team members who genuinely care about creating memorable guest experiences.

This matters more than you might think. When guests provide feedback about what made their stay exceptional, it’s rarely about the fancy technology or the sleek processes. It’s almost always about a staff member who went above and beyond, who made them feel seen and valued.

The most forward-thinking hospitality organizations understand this balance. They use technology and structured frameworks to support and enhance human connections, not replace them. They invest in tools that free up their people to do what humans do best: connect, empathize and create moments of delight.
After all, a computer can process a room key, but it can’t make someone feel truly welcome.

THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY TRAINING

As I look to the future of hospitality training, I see several trends converging that will define the next generation of innovative programs:

Technology-Enhanced Learning: AI-driven tools will increasingly personalize learning paths, provide instant feedback, and simulate real-world scenarios for risk-free practice. Imagine virtual reality modules that allow staff to practice handling difficult guest interactions before facing them in real life.

Creative Partnerships: The most innovative organizations will forge unexpected collaborations – with educational institutions, specialty trainers like improv coaches, and experts from adjacent industries. These partnerships will bring diverse perspectives and fresh training methods.

Holistic Development: Tomorrow’s training programs will address not just job skills but life skills, emotional intelligence, and career advancement. This comprehensive approach recognizes that hospitality professionals need a broad toolkit to succeed.

Inclusive Design: As hospitality workforces become increasingly diverse, training must accommodate different learning styles, languages, and backgrounds. This isn’t just about translation – it’s about truly adapting content to be accessible to all. We can now think outside the plain white binder – using graphic design, video, and multi-media tools to make training materials engaging, interactive, and accessible to people with different strengths in absorbing information.

All these approaches share a common thread – they recognize that people learn differently, bring diverse strengths to the table, and thrive when training speaks to them as individuals rather than cogs in a machine. As we develop the next generation of hospitality training programs, the organizations that will excel are those that combine cutting-edge tools with deeply human insights. Because ultimately, innovation in training isn’t just about adopting new technologies or methods – it’s about creating environments where people can discover their potential and bring their best selves to work every day.

THE HEART OF HOSPITALITY INNOVATION

Hospitality innovation has a human heart.

The truly groundbreaking hospitality organizations are the ones investing deeply in their teams – creating comprehensive development programs, establishing clear pathways for advancement and empowering employees to master new tools, technologies and speaking up without fear.

They understand a fundamental truth that too many companies miss – your people are your innovation engine. When they feel valued, supported and equipped with the right skills, they’ll create the exceptional experiences that keep guests coming back.

So yes, invest in that software when it’s needed. Update those SOPs. But never forget that your most powerful asset is your people – and the most important innovation might just be how you develop them.

After all, in an industry built on human connection, people will always be at the heart of what we do.

Waterwheel Marketing is a consultancy and agency hybrid that designs and implements custom marketing solutions where brand, PR, advertising and content work together as an integrated ecosystem. Founded by Kelley Ellert, who brings 20 years of cross-industry experience, the firm works with clients in hospitality, travel, tech, B2B and nonprofit sectors. The company offers both strategic direction and hands-on implementation, with each engagement tailored to the client’s specific resources, operational structure and goals. Find her on LinkedIn @kelley-ellert or at waterwheelmarketing.com.