Hospitality

I hear this a lot: “Well, of course you could afford to pull those tricks at an expensive restaurant.” And I always think: Are you sure you can afford not to? It’s true—these gifts cost money, in labor if nothing else. But I’m my dad’s son, and I reviewed the Dreamweaver line item in the P&L every month with an eagle eye. There was never any... See more

People often confuse hospitality with luxury, but I could have given that table a bottle of vintage Krug and a kilo of caviar, and it wouldn’t have had anywhere near the same impact. Luxury means just giving more; hospitality means being more thoughtful.

Too many businesses don’t really understand that the core of their business is making people feel good. Whether it’s walking into a store or a restaurant, or being on an airplane, most people go through life hoping that good things will happen to them, and they return to businesses that make those things happen.

Tom’s swing for the fences may have turned out to be a great business move, but his focus was always on her, and that’s a good thing for all of us to remember when we’re giving a gift — whether to win someone over, win them back, or simply to show them how much we care. Don’t give them the gift you want them to want; give them the gift they... See more