The Heart of Hospitality: Great Hotel and Restaurant Leaders Share Their Secrets

I own and manage a busy and growing spa and salon in Ann Arbor (Vis-a-Vis Spa and Salon, if you’re in the area). For me, I found The Heart of Hospitality to be one of the most useful business books I’ve read in some time. I think any business that has customers (and that’s pretty much all of us) will find it equally useful. Not to mention encouraging. It’s both fact-based and a real pick-me-up. What makes reading this book so great is, basically, two separate elements. First, the knowledge within it, which he’s gathered from a pretty incredible cast of hospitality leaders as well as his career and insights as a customer service practitioner and consultant. Second, it’s that he writes in a wonderfully personable way that makes you feel less like you’re reading another business guidebook and more like you are getting the chance to sit down with an expert and chat about hospitality over coffee. Though he explains models and theories, he always illustrates them with real-life experiences, many of them at some of the greatest customer-serving businesses in the U.S. (and, in a couple of cases, outside the US as well). As a single location spa owner from Ann Arbor, it’s very easy to think, “I could never get my business to function at the level of the Ritz Carlton or one of the other five star companies profiled in The Heart of Hospitality.” But that’s not at all the feeling I got from the book. I felt the author was gently yet firmly (and often, humorously) showing me and any reader that it can be done—and how to do it. While every reader and every situation are different, I doubt that anyone could read this book without thinking, “I could use this in my own business—and it would make a transformational difference.”

Having read several of Micah Solomon’s books, including Your Customer is the Star; High-Tech, High Touch Customer Service and Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit, I looked forward to reading The Heart of Hospitality. Not surprisingly, The Heart of Hospitality captures the essence of the important steps that the best of the best in the hospitality industry take every day. As an Operations VP for a contract dining company, I always look for ways to make what we do less transactional and more focused on delighting and engaging our customers. In The Heart of Hospitality, Solomon provides ample real world examples of companies and people doing just that. Solomon shares insights from a vast range of interviews he has conducted with the who's who of the hospitality industry. Having now read The Heart of Hospitality, I am grateful for the material that is presented. The writing is inspiring and the anecdotes that are woven in to the lessons in each chapter are presented in an authentic (and often hilarious) way. This is a great book. Highly recommended.

I’m sitting at a top car dealership in Seattle as I write this. I’ve never been one to have my car serviced at the dealership, but after buying my car here, it just seemed right. I pay more, but for some reason, it doesn’t matter to me. And I found this to be a real mystery. Until today... I just finished reading Micah Solomon’s new book, The Heart of Hospitality. And now I know why I bring my car here. It’s because of how they anticipate my questions and needs. How they are using the BUBL method as I wait in the lounge. How they have hire the right people (probably using the WETCO formula. Love his acronyms) and train them to strive to say "yes.” (I could go on and on) Solomon’s book opened my eyes to these seeming “unscripted and effortless” actions and how they can be quantified and measured to ensure an amazing customer experience. And he does this in an easy to read and memorable way with stories, examples, clear strategies and easy to remember acronyms. I’m a business owner myself and have always known this is an extremely important aspect of running a business, but I, for the most part, try my hardest hope for the best. Now I have a clear strategy that I am really excited to implement. Can’t recommend this book high enough.

This book is an enjoyable, interesting read. I have 30 years in Customer Service Leadership roles with top tier companies and I learned several actionable new ideas from this book. Micah Solomon brings his wit and insights together in a delightful manner. The information provided is well organized and logically presented. Unlike many other books about customer service, this one doesn't read like a textbook. It's a great balance between concepts and practical examples that bring those concepts to life. I can also say that while this book is focused on the hospitality industry, the principals here apply to just about any industry. I highly recommend this book.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in stepping up their customer service And improving their clients experience. It’s straightforward and has very good actionable insights. I require all of my managerial staff to read it and implement the wisdom it provides from many experts in the field.

I love this book: If you are thinking about to enhance your hospitality skills, this book gives to you the main basis to do it. In the present world were everything is being doing virtually, a bit of humanity can make a difference. The buying process was succesful. I have no complains.

I am working on starting my own social media marketing agency that will work with hotels. I was looking for information on the industry and what is important to focus on. I think this book overdelivered. The advice in this book could fit into a very expensive course, but it's very affordable and easy to read. Big thanks to the author!

Sehr gut geschrieben, aufschlussreich und enthält viele Ideen und Gedankenanstöße. Ich kann es jedem empfehlen. Sicherlich auch auf andere Berufsfelder anwendbar.

I loved the book. The structure, language and content are great. Even if the ideas and solutions can be applied in the whole hospitality industry, it is more about high-end luxury 4°°°° and 5°°°°°° hotels which is an important point.

I bought this for my son because he is in the hotel industry and I knew it was his passion. His feedback is that it came to him at the right time and may have been the best gift he has ever gotten!

Great insights into the world of hospitality, coming from the very best in the industry. It also provides some perspective into what changes you could be expecting in the near future.