Why Design Thinking Matters in the Hospitality Industry

For a hotel to be successful, it must aim to capture every facet of the guests' multi-sensory experience, to create something memorable in every area from the service to the building.

Emotional engagement and authentic interactions between the hotel, staff, and guests need to become the new benchmark. More and more hoteliers are looking to design to find solutions to these challenges - using design thinking to reboot strategies is precisely where they need to start.

As hoteliers recognize that adapting to new approaches and methods of thinking is no longer an option but a necessity. 

The hospitality industry has started to integrate what we call the Design Thinking process - this means taking a wholistic view of product or service and the parts within, meaning not just the look and feel of it but also how it works. 

The shift towards Design Thinking relies on a human-centred methodology that concentrates on people rather than on products or technology to solve problems. Engaging with employees and customers, listening to them and understanding what matters to them, in my opinion needs to be the mantra for successful hotel managers.