Peer Perspective: The People You’ll Remember

By Erin Springer

Several years ago, my family decided to change the way we vacationed.

Instead of returning to the same beach each summer, we started exploring somewhere new. Since 2021, we’ve packed the car, loaded the coolers, embraced the spirit of an old-fashioned road trip, and set out to discover different parts of the country. This summer, our journey covered 2,073 miles, several baseball stadiums, a handful of college campuses, and six very different hotels.

As Newport’s Senior Corporate Revenue Manager, I’ve spent the past nine years helping our hotels maximize performance through commercial strategy, forecasting, and revenue management. But before joining Newport, I spent more than three decades working across nearly every corner of the hotel business—from banquets and reservations to the front desk, sales, event management, general management, and, eventually, revenue management. This trip gave me the opportunity to experience hospitality from a different perspective: not as an operator, but as a guest.

It reminded me why I fell in love with this industry in the first place.

My hospitality journey began while I was in college at Auburn University, working as a banquet server. I quickly discovered that hotels were much more than buildings with rooms. They were places where celebrations happened, relationships were built, and every day brought something new.

Over the years, I worked in banquets, reservations, front office, sales, event management, general management, and eventually revenue management, where I’ve spent the last 19 years. Every role was different, but each shared the same purpose.

Serve.

One hotel where I worked had a simple motto: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” After all these years, I still believe that’s one of the best descriptions of hospitality I’ve ever heard.

Somewhere along the way, though, I realized I’d become so focused on doing the work that I had forgotten what first inspired me to do it.

This trip reminded me.

During ten days of travel, we stayed at a TownePlace Suites in Columbus, a Courtyard in Pittsburgh, a Hampton Inn in Cleveland, an AC Hotel in Ann Arbor, a Holiday Inn Express in Milwaukee, and a Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Every hotel delivered the basics I expected: clean rooms, working keys, fresh towels, and comfortable accommodations.

Those things matter.

But they’re not what I’ll remember.

What I’ll remember are the people.

In Pittsburgh, we were unexpectedly upgraded to a room overlooking the river.

In Cleveland, our plans changed, and we arrived hours before check-in. The front desk associate greeted us with a smile, found an available room, and welcomed us in early.

In Ann Arbor, a front desk associate stepped from behind the desk, personally showed me where to find what I needed, welcomed me to both his hotel and his city, and shared recommendations for our visit. Before we finished checking in, his General Manager stopped by, introduced herself, and sincerely welcomed my feedback.

In Milwaukee, I was greeted with genuine curiosity about what had brought us to town. In Chicago, the doorman, bell staff, and front desk team all took time to make us feel welcomed despite a busy lobby.

None of these moments were extravagant.

They were simply human.

Each interaction reminded me that while guests expect a clean room, what they remember is how they’re made to feel.

A smile.

A warm welcome.

Someone who listens.

Someone who genuinely cares.

Those moments stay with people long after checkout.

This trip also reminded me that our guests arrive carrying stories we may never know. Some are celebrating. Some are grieving. Some are exhausted after long days of travel. Others are creating memories with family, just as we were.

We have an opportunity to make each of those journeys just a little better.

Hospitality has become my career, and I love the work I do. But being on the other side of the front desk reminded me of something important.

Do the work with joy.

Serve with a willing heart.

The numbers matter. The standards matter. The operations matter.

But in the end, people remember people.

That’s Living Hospitality.