The travel and hospitality industry lives inside a trillion-dollar illusion: the belief that loyalty is something you can buy with points, perks, and programs.
It isn’t.
After decades and millions of miles, I’ve learned something that every brand, hospitality or otherwise, needs to hear:
Loyalty doesn’t come from your points.
It comes from your people.
And not the ones you expect.
Most hotels operate under what I call the front-desk fallacy, the idea that loyalty is built at check-in. That’s where guests hear about their “status,” their “benefits,” and maybe get a slightly better room. It’s a ritual of politeness, not belonging. A transaction wrapped in a smile.
The truth is, loyalty happens far from the front desk. It’s built in the hallways, behind the bar, in the restaurant, and in all the quiet places where your people turn routine moments into human ones.
It’s the bartender who remembers your drink.
The housekeeper who notices how you like your room.
The server who knows your comfort meal and asks about your family.
Those small gestures of care do what no app, no algorithm, no loyalty portal ever could:
They make people feel seen.
Loyalty isn’t built through benefits. It’s built through belonging.
Because while technology can remember your preferences, only people can remember you.
So if you’re leading a brand, repeat this mantra daily:
“It’s the people.”
Then go prove it.
Empower your teams to notice, to connect, to care.
In a world racing toward automation, the most radical act left is still the simplest one.
Be human.