The human touch that's so important for hospitality - Murray Thomson

If you think about the best experiences you’ve had while travelling, I’m almost certain those memories will include a person. It might be a friend, a family member, a tour guide, server, or concierge – there’s a connection there that has played a key part in making that experience so memorable.

We travel for many reasons – for business, leisure, to relax, to explore – and people, the human connection, are why we have the experiences that we do.

One of my absolute best experiences while travelling was at a newly opened hotel in the Mediterranean. I was having dinner with my wife and 10-year-old daughter at the hotel’s restaurant. The server, on realising my daughter had never eaten with chopsticks before, kindly took the time to show her how to hold and use them properly. She didn’t have to do that - she could have given my daughter a fork - but in that action, she made a true, individual connection with someone that still remembers it years later.

We have some of the greatest experiences when people take the time to invest in us as a guest, when they give us a reason and a desire to return – and the pandemic has compelled us to crave that human connection even more. That time may be rewarded with a thank you, a smile or a recommendation.

Murray Thomson, General Manager, Dalmahoy

The seamless check-in staff at an airport desk, the breakfast chef who remembers you take an egg-white omelette and the reception staff who effortlessly serve up a welcome drink with a smile when you’re one of many guests at a busy check-in – small encounters like these are what we aspire to create at the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club. We know that notable experiences come down to human exchanges, and that’s one of the reasons why our people are so important to us.

We invest in our people to ensure those connections are continued across the whole guest experience at Dalmahoy. We are incredibly lucky to have a solid track of longevity in tenure here, and with that, a lot of knowledge and experience has grown as the resort has evolved.

Hospitality was one of the worst-hit industries during the pandemic and the pressure on the labour market means we have to be imaginative about recruitment. We’re bringing new people in from different industries, being creative about where we find them, and always hiring on personality and the ability to make more of these important human connections. Then, we take our new team members on a cultural journey, showing them what good service looks like at Dalmahoy, where there are opportunities to connect, surprise, delight, and transform a guest’s stay into an experience.

One of the best things about a human encounter is that we can learn from it – from the experiences and connections we give and those we receive, and then use them to better our own experiences, something we strive to do every day for the benefit of each and every guest. After all, people vote with their feet, and a great connection means they’re much more likely to come back.

Murray Thomson, General Manager, Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club