I must admit, I feel a little bad that I am only now featuring this book on Hospitality Net. Maggie Chen is a friend I have known for many years at EHL Hospitality Business School, and her latest work deserves much more attention. Hospitality Vibes is not just another industry book. It is a heartfelt and deeply researched exploration of what makes our sector truly unique. The insights she shares are, in my view, a must-read for hospitality students and professionals around the globe who want to understand how our industry can evolve with purpose.
The hospitality industry stands at a crossroads. Talent shortages, pandemic aftershocks, and rapid digitalisation have created what many describe as a perfect storm. Yet for Meng-Mei Chen, better known to her students and colleagues as Maggie Chen, this storm is not only a challenge but a catalyst for transformation.
In her new book, “Hospitality Vibes: The Positive Energy When People Interact With Like-Minded People”, Chen proposes an ambitious vision: an industry that transcends service delivery to become a generator of positive energy and meaningful human connections not just for guests but for employees and society at large.
From Service to Vibes
At the heart of Chen’s thesis is a deceptively simple shift in mindset. Instead of focusing solely on transactions and efficiencies, she calls for an emphasis on “vibes,” the positive relational energy that arises when people interact authentically and joyfully. This is more than a feel-good concept. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and her own cross-cultural observations, Chen argues that these human interactions can serve as the hospitality sector’s unique value proposition in an AI-dominated future.
Creating a connection, an emotion, or a meaningful exchange is not rocket science. It is what the human psyche has been designed for. Chen writes
Yet, in an increasingly digital and transactional world, such exchanges are becoming rare. Hospitality, she argues, is uniquely positioned to fill that void.
Hospitality as a “Third Place”
Chen draws inspiration from the sociological concept of “third places,” environments beyond home and work where people gather, feel a sense of belonging, and build community. Cafés, bars, and hotels have historically played this role, but she believes they can go further, becoming anchors of social connection in societies plagued by loneliness and alienation.
In this vision, entering a hospitality venue is no longer just about consuming a service. It becomes an opportunity for authentic human engagement, where both guests and employees leave more energized and fulfilled.
A Framework for Change
Hospitality Vibes outlines a practical framework based on three pillars:
- Design – Crafting physical and social spaces that foster connection. From open-plan bars to ping pong tables where CEOs play alongside students, Chen points to real examples from EHL campuses where design facilitates spontaneous interaction.
- Co-Creation – Empowering employees to move beyond “service providers” to become hosts and facilitators of experience. This shift not only enriches guest experiences but gives staff a deeper sense of purpose.
- Technology as Enabler – Using automation to free employees from transactional tasks, allowing them to focus on the relational aspects of hospitality which are the true differentiator in a digital world.
This framework has already inspired tangible initiatives. EHL has begun piloting Hospitality Vibes certifications and executive training programs. Circles, a Sodexo subsidiary, became the first certified organization, applying Chen’s principles to enhance workplace communities and employee engagement.
A Personal and Professional Journey
For Chen, writing Hospitality Vibes was more than an academic exercise. It was, as she describes, a therapeutic process born from her years of teaching and mentoring students, affectionately nicknamed ‘amigos,’ who inspired her search for an alternative future for the industry.
The result is a book that is part roadmap, part rallying cry. Chen hopes it will serve as a “smoke signal” to like-minded people ready to co-create positive energy within and beyond hospitality.
The Higher Purpose of Hospitality
As industries worldwide grapple with the implications of AI and remote work, Chen’s message resonates far beyond hotels and restaurants. She argues that hospitality’s DNA, its emphasis on people and relationships, positions it to lead in creating a more connected and vibrant society.
This higher purpose, she believes, could be the key to addressing both the guest experience and the industry’s persistent talent crisis. By redefining roles and fostering workplaces where employees find meaning and eudaimonia, the sector can not only retain its workforce but inspire them.
A Timely Call to Action
In a time when loneliness has been called a new pandemic, Hospitality Vibes is a timely intervention. It challenges leaders to see beyond efficiency and KPIs and embrace hospitality’s potential as a force for human flourishing.
For Maggie Chen, the future of hospitality lies in its oldest strength: the power of human connection.
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