I’m making room this week for a short story from my Sales Manager, Jules, it made me smile and says a lot about good hospitality.
It came from my Sales Manager, Jules, fresh back from Cala d’Or, Mallorca.
From the moment she landed, something felt different. At the hotel, there was a pride in service, from reception to breakfast to the housekeeping team gliding down the corridor with quiet purpose. You could feel it: hospitality wasn’t “just a job” there. It was a craft people took pride in.
And then there was Monica. She was the room attendant for Jules’s floor all week, six days on, one day off. On day one, she clocked the family’s rhythm.
By day three, when the boys were finally napping and the language barrier made timing clunky, Jules tried: “The boys are sleeping.” Monica smiled, nodded, and simply said, “Later.” No fuss, no sigh, no pressure. She returned when the boys were up, working around real life without making anyone feel like an inconvenience.
Every day, the room was immaculate, not just clean, but considered. Toys tidied in a way that made sense. Bedside tables squared away, but never sterile. You could tell she started each shift with fresh eyes, not autopilot.
And then came Monica’s day off. The room was still cleaned by a stand-in, but it didn’t feel the same. Corners were missed. The little systems that made family life smoother weren’t there. Nothing “bad,” just… ordinary. The change was noticeable because Monica’s care had quietly raised the bar. That’s what consistent excellence does, you only realise how high it was when it’s gone.
Before checking out, Jules went to find the General Manager to tell him about Monica. He listened, smiled, wrote her name down, and said he’d mention it in their next staff meeting. A small moment, but that’s how pride multiplies—one person noticed, another promised to amplify, and somewhere in that next briefing a team will hear that their quiet craft was seen.
Jules also got talking to the GM about his business and to no one’s shock Spain is feeling the same economic squeeze we are. Guests aren’t spending like they used to; outside of school breaks, many resorts and restaurants are painfully quiet. The cost-of-living crisis has tightened belts everywhere, not just in the UK.
That makes what Monica did even more powerful, because behind the scenes, teams are delivering high standards while bookings wobble, average spend dips, and every smile has to work twice as hard. This isn’t a local problem; it’s global. And it’s exactly why recognition, retention, and respect matter now more than ever.
Monica gave a masterclass without saying a word. For her, professionalism looked like flexibility, “later” is a brilliant service answer when it protects the guest, not the rota. The small stuff did the heavy lifting: a room can be clean and still feel all over the place; creating calm is an amenity. And then there’s consistency. Plenty of people can have one great shift; the best make great days for other people, again and again.
So here’s the lesson and the tiny challenge. If you ever feel that someone has gone above and beyond, tell them. If you can, tell their manager too.
Most hospitality roles operate within strict standards, checklists, SOPs, brand promises.
The irony is that when standards are high, truly excellent service can vanish into “that’s just the job,” and the humans behind it get missed.
That’s why we champion hospitality awards like our Chester Hospitality People Awards and shout-outs. They catch the quiet heroes. They remind teams that craft, care, and consistency are seen. They help our industry hold its head higher and attract the next generation, especially crucial when every destination, from Cala d’Or to Chester, is navigating the same cost-of-living headwinds.
In practical terms: say it in the moment with a genuine thank-you, log it where it counts by naming people in reviews and feedback, and when you can, nominate and celebrate them. Micro-recognition creates macro-pride.
To Monica, and to every Monica working behind the scenes, thank you. You’re the reason families switch off and trips run smoothly. You’re why my sales Manager enjoyed her stay in the hotel so much she couldn’t wait to tell me about Monica. Let’s be the guests, managers and teammates who notice and say something when service goes beyond standard. When we recognise great work, we lift the whole industry.
