This month’s article comes to us from LUXXE CEO Craig Coughlin…
This is my take on Europe, Efficiency & The Future of Hotel Operations.
Firstly, there is something fascinating about experiencing hospitality through a different operational lens. Over the past few weeks travelling through France, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and London, I found myself doing what many hospitality operators probably cannot switch off from doing, observing the small details behind the guest experience.
I was noticing the workflows, watching service interactions and questioning operational choices. More importantly I was looking at room design. I was trying to understand and reflect on where simplicity creates efficiency and where over-complication can create friction.
The interesting part is that these observations were not limited to luxury hotels, some came from five-star international properties and others came from small independent alpine hotels with decades of history behind them.
What became very clear throughout the journey was that the smallest operational decisions really do have the greatest impact on the guest experience, at the end of the day. And more and more it became obvious that hospitality is at its best when it feels effortless, intuitive and really human.
Simplicity Is Often the Smartest Operational Strategy
One of the strongest operational observations came from something incredibly simple – bedmaking.
Across much of Europe, many hotels, regardless of star rating, have standardised bedding in a way that prioritises both productivity and staff wellbeing.
Single doona systems. Minimal layering. No oversized top sheets. Simplified presentation.
The result is operational consistency, faster room turnaround and reduced physical strain on housekeeping teams.
What stood out most was not the luxury level of the hotels, it was the consistency of the operational thinking behind them.
In hospitality, we sometimes confuse complexity with luxury but operationally, the smartest systems are often the simplest, especially when those systems reduce labour pressure while still delivering guest comfort, everybody benefits.
When “Luxury” Stops Serving the Guest
Travelling through parts of Europe also highlighted an interesting contradiction within modern hospitality.
Some hotels are investing heavily in aesthetics, branding and technology, while unintentionally overlooking the most practical parts of the guest experience.
I found myself in a beautiful boutique hotel in Switzerland crawling on the floor trying to find a power outlet beside the bed. In another, the only way to control the room temperature was through the television. Elsewhere, basic in-room comforts like kettles became operational policies rather than guest conveniences.
None of these are major issues independently but collectively, I really believe strongly that they raise an important question: At what point does operational policy start working against guest comfort?
Hospitality should not become so focused on controlling minor costs that it forgets the emotional experience of the guest. We have to remember that sometimes the smallest guest gestures like complimentary water, accessible charging points, intuitive room controls, and simply wanting to make a cup of tea in my room, create the strongest impressions – whether positive or negative!
The best hotels understand this balance exceptionally well.
Hospitality That Feels Human Again
The greatest takeaway from Europe, however, had very little to do with infrastructure or operations, it was the people. Across hotels, restaurants, train stations and tourism experiences, there was a noticeable sense of genuine hospitality.
Staff asked questions because they were interested and the conversations felt natural and personal rather than transactional.
There was less focus on “performing service” and more focus on making people feel welcome. That distinction matters.
As our industry increasingly introduces automation, technology and operational efficiencies, we must protect the emotional side of hospitality just as carefully as we protect profitability.
Guests remember how people made them feel far longer than they remember check-in procedures.
What I think Australian Hospitality Can Learn from my recent vacation:
This trip did not reinforce the idea that Europe “does hospitality better.” In many ways, Australia continues to lead globally in service innovation, design and operational professionalism.
But travel does create perspective and that perspective creates better operators.
What Europe reminded me of is hospitality is rarely about grand gestures and more about operational decisions made thoughtfully, consistently and with the guest experience at the centre.
The positioning of a power outlet. The simplicity of a bed design. The warmth of a welcome. The practicality of room functionality. The balance between efficiency and humanity.
These are the details that shape how guests feel and increasingly, they will continue to define the future of great hotel operations.
Because beyond the hotel lobby lies the real engine of hospitality.