Hospitality has always thrived on energy. It’s fast, emotional, unpredictable; and when it works, it feels almost magical. But as brands scale and margins tighten, that same energy can tip into disord ...

In hotels, the difference between a good stay and a great one often isn’t flawless execution. It’s emotional resonance. Guests rarely remember a seamless check-in or a perfectly folded towel. They remember how they felt.  

Hospitality has always described its teams as its “greatest asset”. Yet when margins tighten, people are often the first line on the cost sheet. That tension sat at the centre of the session “People: Humans or Headcount?” at Service 2026, a Tech on Toast event, where leaders challenged the industry to rethink retention, culture and performance in 2026.