No matter your socioeconomic status, we have all been knocked down a few levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs — some more than others, but universally we have all taken a hit.

Wherever we were on the hierarchy in the first quarter of 2020, we’ve all shifted our focus down to the lower levels of the pyramid. Safety is on everyone’s mind. Isolation has caused us to realize our need for love and belonging. And sadly, meeting physiological needs is a struggle for far too many. Recognizing these changes in consumer motivation as we rebuild the industry is an opportunity to redefine hospitality for the better.

This time last year many of us were climbing high on the pyramid: “living our best life,” drinking wheatgrass, paying an arm and leg for boutique spin classes and celebrating made-up holidays like #nationalcupcakeday to populate our Instagram feeds.

In the hospitality industry, we were riding the demand curve longer than expected. Hotel and food and beverage conglomerates were concocting niche brands for that “untapped” guest. Developers were complaining about the shortage of materials brought on by skyrocketing demand, and finding staff was a big concern.

The tipping point was inevitable, but nobody could have predicted the massive cliff-dive turn of events.

Fast-forward a year and that Kardashian-esque excess seems trivial. People are worried about having enough money to pay for groceries and rent. They don’t feel safe. They are worried about their health, violence, political unrest and the security of their personal information. They are realizing more than ever how important spending time with loved ones is to them.

As for the hospitality industry, things have come to a screeching halt. Other than massive layoffs and furloughs with no end in sight, it’s been mostly crickets.

Yet, this seeming dumpster fire we’re in has the opportunity to transform us and our industry for the better. Here’s where some of those opportunities lie.

A pause to consider what’s important and redefine the good things in life can isolate priorities that may have been out of whack or may not play well post-COVID-19. Understanding how Maslow’s safety and love/belonging affect our guests and team members now can be a focus to renew personal and corporate priorities. Applying those ideas to our industry may be exactly what sets leading hotel companies apart.

In addition to spending more of our time at home, we’ve been spending more time outdoors — from exercising to socializing and dining out. Outdoors is where people feel safe and find love/belonging right now. Consumers will retain the way they value open-air bars and restaurants, farm-to-table food and beverage offerings, and living plants for décor. Opportunity lies in the delivery of exceptional outdoor experiences in our hotels and restaurants and bringing the outdoors into our operations.

Feeling safe encompasses far more than our physical being. Building trust with our guests, and providing them with safety, will be more complex and nuanced post COVID-19.

We distrust the news and worry about the food we eat and the products we buy. We don’t always feel safe online sitting in front of our laptops or scrolling through our phones. We are concerned about the security of our private information. Polarization and political discord make us uneasy or afraid, more divided and excluded. Cybersecurity was a focus prior to COVID-19, but now, the bubble of safety throughout our systems will be even more critical.

Our hotels implemented a new definition of “clean” during the pandemic. As we welcome guests newly emerging from lockdown, our hotel teams will need to refine the challenging requirements implemented during COVID-19 so that even the most particular guest, and team member, feels safe.

Guest service is about giving guests a sense of belonging and being cared for at our hotels. With both guests and team members reemerging from the virus, our hotels have two populations rebuilding this level of Maslow’s Hierarchy. As important as it is for team members to understand that the pandemic has affected guests in ways that will call for even more empathy and patience, management has to strengthen that sense of love/belonging for team members who have been affected.

Loyalty programs are as much about belonging to a special group as they are about securing free travel. Trust, safety and belonging are ascendant for guests moving up Maslow’s Hierarchy in this highly uncertain time. That adds nuance to the drivers that connect guests to hotel companies through loyalty programs.

The generations of consumers who rediscover hospitality this year will overcome the fears of 2020 and retain the way they have come to value love/belonging as they move up the Hierarchy. The hospitality companies who take advantage of new opportunities will have leaders who explore from Maslow’s peak.

Because of the lessons of 2020, we will find guests who want to leave this earth better than they found it. They will value authenticity, transparency, inclusivity and social and environmental responsibility.

Waiting for things to return to “normal” is a one-way ticket to irrelevance. If we lean into what the universe is trying to tell us and prune away that which is not serving us, together we can find opportunity in the lessons from Maslow’s Hierarchy and rebuild the industry we all love on a stronger foundation.

Together in Hospitality.

Lauren Marshall is the Director of Membership & Marketing for the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), the leading source for global hospitality expertise.

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.