Dr. Jeffrey Obomeghie, a hospitality expert, author, educator, and president of the International Hospitality Institute, discusses what it takes to succeed in a hospitality career and where he sees the industry heading.
Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in the hospitality industry?
I started my career in the hospitality industry three decades ago. I started as a front desk agent at a hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. I did not plan to stick with the industry. My aspiration back then was to become a writer, but I was not ready to starve for my art! I needed a job that would pay the bills while I was searching for a publisher for my novels.
My backup career plan was to become a politician or an educator if writing did not work out. But what was supposed to be a temporary job turned into a career. I fell in love with the hospitality industry; I found myself well-suited to the industry because I love to talk, engage with people, and listen to them. I was soon promoted to a management role and eventually became a general manager. Later, I moved on to corporate roles such as vice president of operations, divisional vice president, chief operating officer, and chief executive officer.
It is interesting how life takes us on a journey and lands us in places where we did not think we would end up. Remember, I said I wanted to be a writer, educator, or politician? Well, I managed to become a published author of several books of fiction and nonfiction. I also became an educator supporting the global hospitality industry. I am the current CEO of the International Hospitality Institute, founder of the International Hospitality Hall of Fame®, publisher of the Global Hospitality Magazine™, and former chairman of the Hoteliers Guild Academy of Hospitality Arts. I am also the chairman of the board of directors of St. Justine Hotels, the ultra-luxury brand.
I am passionate about promoting and supporting education in the hospitality industry, an industry that is dear to me. I love to encourage young people to consider careers in the industry. Last year, I was recognized by Business Anecdote Magazine as one of the Top 10 Most Influential People in the Hospitality Industry, one of many honors I have received in my career. That was rather humbling. It was also humbling to receive positive feedback from readers about my novel, “Dead or Alive.” That book was described by Kirkus Reviews as “a razor-sharp crime tale” with a “superlative hero.” The message here is: Do not stop working hard even if nobody notices your efforts. You are not a failure if you are fighting for your dream. It is only those who are unwilling to fight for their dream that fail.
As you can tell, I wear many hats. However, the hats that I am most thrilled to wear are that of educator and evangelist for the hospitality industry. I have been shameless in promoting the industry. A career in hospitality will open a world of opportunities. To quote Dr. Seuss: “Oh, the places you’ll go!” Although a college degree will help, you do not need one to start in the industry. Some CEOs in the hospitality industry do not have college degrees, but they managed to reach the pinnacle of their careers. That speaks to the potential of the hospitality industry.
My organization, the International Hospitality Institute (IHI) is focused on providing learners worldwide with access to hospitality education. Many of our learners are under-resourced and come from economically challenged countries. The International Hospitality Institute has created the International Hospitality Institute’s Educational Foundation (IHIEF) to provide scholarships and recognition programs for the global hospitality industry.
For more information on our work, visit InternationalHospitalityInstitute.com and IHIEF.org. I am proud of the work that IHI and IHIEF are doing to support the global hospitality industry.
Education has always been important to me. As a lifelong learner, I went back to college because I wanted to earn a Ph.D. My goal was to become more involved in hospitality education. I picked up a few degrees along the way and am now completing another master’s degree at Columbia University. Anyone who has the time, interest, and means to earn a college degree should pursue a degree! Education is the greatest gift we can give ourselves; it cannot be lost or stolen.
What are some key strategies for improving the customer experience in the hospitality sector?
There are many strategies that companies and leaders can adopt to improve the customer experience in hospitality. Personalization is one approach. Know your customer. What do they like? What do they dislike? What do they like to buy? If they have children, what do their children like? If they have pets, what do their pets like? If you run a restaurant, you should know when the customer last visited, their seating preferences, their food preferences, and whether they like their martini with an olive or their rum with diet Coke or regular Coke. If they are staying in your hotel, you should know what floor they prefer to stay on, what type of pillows they like, when they typically eat breakfast, their favorite wine or soda, their favorite department store, and their favorite baseball or basketball team. You may ask, “How will I find out all these things?” Easy! By engaging with the customer — by showing interest in them and learning their story.
Create an experience that is unique to the guest, that recognizes and incorporates the guest’s preferences. Be over-the-top! Go far beyond the expectations of the guests. Metaphorically speaking, we must reach into the skies, pluck out a star, and hand it to our customers. We must dazzle them! Being over-the-top is delivering a bouquet of roses when the guest is not even expecting a single-stem rose.
Create magic at the first and last impressions! How you welcome the customer into your establishment will set the tone for the rest of their visit. How you usher them off when they depart will leave a lasting memory. Make the departure experience just as magical and memorable as the arrival experience. Stay connected to the guests while they are in your establishment to make sure that they are being taken care of brilliantly. Solicit feedback from your customers while they are still using your service or establishment and before they depart. Then follow up again, after they depart. If they identify a service defect, apologize and rectify the issue, and then offer some sort of compensation to the customer. Remember, if you do not take care of your customers, your competition will.
When it comes to customer service, A is the only grade that matters; there is no room for B’s and C’s. If you are not wowing, you are not winning, and if you are not winning, you are losing.
What technological advancements do you believe will have the most significant impact on the industry in the future?
Robotics for doing repetitive and tedious tasks like cleaning, stocking inventory, and prepping or chopping food. Robot delivery for moving packages, products, produce, and equipment. AI for analytics and for creating tools and processes for the industry. AI assistants for personalization and customization. VR and AR for presentations, displays, event space, and room showings. Smart energy management and Smart Room technology to control multiple devices and room fixtures. Other technologies that will have significant impacts include digital cashless tipping, mobile payments, digital wallets, contactless check-in, smart energy management, Bitcoin technology, and biometrics for keyless access.
How can hospitality leaders foster a positive and productive workplace culture?
Be authentic; bring your authentic self to work every day. Lead by example. Demonstrate the highest level of ethics. Be known as someone who does what is right, especially when it is difficult. Embrace the idea of shared governance; let your team have a voice in the decision-making process. Encourage people to give feedback and applaud them for doing so. Let your team understand that it is okay to make mistakes. Set a good example by sharing your mistakes and failures with your team; tell them what you learned from your mistakes or failures. Promote psychological safety in your company. Embed critical reflection into your organizational processes.
Be an active listener; if you listen to yourself talk more than you listen to others talk, you are talking too much and not listening enough. Recognize that empathy is a gift that we should all embrace. Be willing to be vulnerable; be willing to share your story with others. Be a great storyteller; the best leaders are storytellers.
Can you share a memorable experience from your career that had a significant impact on you?
A guest died of suicide in a hotel that I managed as general manager. It was heartbreaking. His death reminded me of how ephemeral life is, how a person can be alive and vibrant one minute and dead the next. It is an incident I will never forget. That incident reminded me of how I need to make the most of every day that I am alive. It fueled my desire to live a purposeful life that is dedicated to serving others.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in the hospitality industry?
Be humble. Be curious. Be positive. Be caring. Be willing to learn. Learn as much as you can about cultures that are different from your culture or the dominant culture. Be tolerant and patient. Be prepared to work hard. Be prepared to be rewarded for your hard work. Be prepared to deliver 100 smiles and shake 20 hands in one day. You will be delivering hospitality not only to your guests but also to your coworkers.
Hospitality is about people interacting with people; hospitality is the business of people. Hospitality is the art and science of people. Hospitality is about empathy; be willing to embrace the gift of empathy. Hospitality is about communication. Talking is to communication what apples are to oranges; talking and communication are two different things. Anybody can talk, but not everybody can communicate. Effective communication requires active listening, social and emotional intelligence, and empathy.
