Creating a comprehensive hospitality definition is important because the sector is broad and diverse, including many different types of businesses and organizations. This article provides a clear and detailed explanation of what hospitality is, what the word itself means, and how it is applied in the modern world.

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What Is the Definition of Hospitality as a Concept?

To create a comprehensive definition of hospitality, it is first important to explore what it means as a concept. The word ‘hospitality’ itself has emerged from the Latin word ‘hospes’, which means ‘visitor’, ‘guest’, or ‘stranger’, and this is a good starting point when creating a working hospitality definition.

Essentially, hospitality is the reception of visitors, guests, or strangers. More specifically, it refers to the provision of hosting services. It describes a positive relationship between the host, acting with goodwill, and the guest, who most commonly seeks food, shelter, safety, and/or entertainment.

Hospitality is about extending a welcome to a visitor and providing them with some form of comfort. A good way to think of the objective of hospitality is to view it as providing a ‘home away from home’ for people to enjoy.

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What Is the Definition of the Hospitality Industry?

One of the most common contexts in which the word ‘hospitality’ is used is when describing the hospitality industry, so it is critical that any good hospitality definition or explanation also touches upon this.

In simple terms, the hospitality industry can be described as the section of the service industry concerned with guests’ reception and the provision of pleasant guest experiences. It is a broad category, which includes the provision of temporary guest accommodation, as well as the provision of food and drink services. However, beyond this, the hospitality industry also includes events, attractions, and tourism agencies.

This means that hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cafes, cruises, tour operators, catering businesses, and travel agents can all be described as part of the hospitality industry.

What Is the History of the Hospitality Sector?

Aside from settling on a clear hospitality definition, truly understanding hospitality requires an awareness of the history of the hospitality sector. As a concept, hospitality stretches back thousands of years. Before it existed as an industry, travelers would often need to rely on the kindness of strangers residing in the locations they visited.

This gradually led to the development of inns, taverns, and similar premises specifically designed to receive guests. These would often include stables to look after horses for travelers. By the 18th century, an organized hotel industry began to emerge, offering more professional services for visitors.

Improvements to transport, including the development of cars, trains, and passenger planes, further boosted this emerging industry. This has led to the almost constant growth of the hospitality industry, as barriers to travel have been removed and international travel has become more and more affordable for people and businesses.

Understanding the Meaning of the Hospitality Industry

To truly pinpoint an overarching hospitality meaning, it is worth taking the time to get to grips with what it means to specific groups. The sections below explore why the hospitality industry matters to people.

Jobs

The hospitality industry provides jobs for many people, and given that the definition of hospitality is broad, it stands to reason that a diverse range of jobs are available. The roles on offer span from customer service-based roles, to event planning roles, and roles associated with food and drink preparation.

Of course, on top of this, hospitality management jobs are also highly sought after and often well-paid too. Providing livelihoods for so many people is just one of the many things that help give the hospitality field meaning. Still, the sheer range of career opportunities highlights hospitality’s value as a concept.

Customers

Customers are the most immediately obvious beneficiaries of the hospitality sector. Thanks to the idea of hospitality, travelers can visit a new location and find accommodation, food, drinks, and other services that help to provide comfort, safety, security, and entertainment.

That said, the aforementioned hospitality definition means that travelers are far from the only customers that benefit from hospitality. After all, locals will regularly visit bars, cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants, and they are also likely to benefit from the presence of nearby entertainment venues too.

Economy

Reading a hospitality definition may initially give the impression that the hospitality industry only benefits customers and employees. Still, the reality is that hospitality has wide-ranging effects on everyone within a particular location because it is a major contributor to almost every economy in the world and the global economy itself.

Hospitality is estimated to contribute more than 10 percent of the total global GDP. A healthy hospitality industry within a particular location will help attract visitors, and these visitors will then use local transport, spend money at local businesses, and create demand for new infrastructure.

Hospitality Definition: The Difference Between Hospitality and Tourism

Now that you are equipped with a definition of hospitality and its importance, it is also worth identifying the distinction between hospitality and tourism. As stated, hospitality is focused on the reception of guests and the provision of relevant services, but this does not always involve significant travel.

By contrast, the tourism industry is focused on the short-term movement of people from one location to another and, specifically, movement away from where people usually reside. A good way to understand tourism is to understand that to be a tourist, you must travel away from where you live and stay there for more than 24 hours.

There is a significant crossover, however. For instance, hotels form part of both the hospitality industry, because they are focused on receiving guests, and the tourism industry, because they are places where travelers can stay. Yet, there are differences too. For instance, tourism also includes airlines, railways, and other transportation services.

What is the Definition of Hospitality Management?

Hospitality management refers to the management of businesses within the hospitality sector, or the management of departments within those businesses. Those in hospitality management positions are leaders within their field and are tasked with running businesses or departments efficiently, optimizing profit, and meeting customer needs.

As the hospitality definition is broad, this also means there are many different hospitality management career paths for people to explore. For instance, managing a hotel or restaurant significantly differs from managing a travel agent. At the same time, there are also more specialized roles, such as hotel housekeeping management or customer service management.

Managers need to keep pace with the latest hospitality technology and trends and are ultimately responsible for the performance of their business or department. People reach management positions in different ways, such as through industry experience or by acquiring a relevant qualification, like a hospitality degree.

Hospitality and the Customer Experience

The hospitality definition provided makes it clear that the reception of guests or customers is fundamental, and hosts need to ensure that these customers have a pleasant experience. This means keeping up with the latest hospitality trends, delivering excellent customer service, and using the most up-to-date technology.

You can learn about the importance of the customer experience and specific ways to improve this experience within hospitality businesses by reading “8 Ways to Improve Customer Experience in the Hospitality Industry”.

Understanding Digital Hospitality Trends

One thing that needs to be referenced in any complete hospitality definition is the focus on meeting customer expectations. Of course, these expectations are continually changing, so it is vital to keep pace with the latest digital trends, from the rise of the Internet of Things to the emergence of virtual reality.

You can read more about the major digital hospitality trends disrupting the industry and shaping customer expectations in the article “Key Digital Trends in the Hospitality Industry”.

Channels for Finding Hospitality Jobs

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the hospitality industry and a clear definition, you may seek a job within the sector. Various channels can be used to achieve this, including hospitality job boards, the websites of hospitality businesses, and specialist recruitment agencies.

Learn more about each channel, including a list of some of the best job boards, websites, and recruitment agencies to turn to, by reading “Hospitality Jobs: Overview of All Channels to Find Your Next Job”.

Having a clear hospitality definition to refer back to can be essential for anyone looking to work in the industry because it helps to refocus efforts. At its core, hospitality is about receiving guests, making them feel welcome, and providing them with food, shelter, comfort, safety, and/or entertainment.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.