TOURISM GIVES US STORIES….IT MAKES US LIVE EXPERIENCES…

April 30, 2026 Traveller Times

By José Aleixandre

Almost always when we refer to Tourism, we talk about its importance due to economic contribution, to GDP, millions of visitors arrived, income per tourist, increase in the average income of the price per overnight stay….

As an “actor” who was active in the tourism world, a tireless apprentice and servant in this Spanish industry… I have opinions and I believe that today we overlook the guest too much because the feelings and hopes that we generate with our publications and idyllic promises awaken expectations that often disappoint the consumer…

I wonder if we are really aware of the damage that, as a consequence of disappointment, we cause to the consumer… and to ourselves, although we “don’t want to see it”.

I always thought of him… the consumer of course… as the true priority actor of the business we want to capture to turn into our client… But we don’t treat him as such or as a guest… that is the modern system to which many tourism businesses have evolved… and those realities, product of economic conviction, are implemented and remain, leaving the future client in the hands of extremely confusing disinformation that disorients him…

I can’t help but wonder if there are or are not, beyond the “starred” categories, hotels that provide “customer service” knowing what welcoming the guest is and how to please him during the stay… because that is the distinctive mark or brand that, in principle, we miss in this welcoming and spectacular country that is Spain…

I have always been convinced that “living tourism”… was the step to be able to “live from tourism”, a way or feeling of interpreting the business that enriched me and enriches me and to which the little or something I know, I learned from our great world and its people… from so many different “peoples and beings” with whose people I interacted…

I was interested in their ways of life as human beings and I am still interested in the human stories of their people… above all I pay attention to the “actors” of tourism businesses at all levels… And to the clients whose opinions interest me about whether they are demanding… they are teachings that become part of the shortcomings I have as an actor… who proudly interprets the “delivery of customer service” in a human, professional and responsible way as I learned… I think of the duty to project customer service so that they feel welcomed as a guest… their experiences in venues of our destinations still affect me as much as we have cut back on service today… there were also complaints from which I learned and learn to continue improving.

I am very fortunate to count today as friends… many of those who in their day were my clients and I had the honor of serving them as guests…

People who, when they visit the city where I live, honor me with their company to remember our friendship and, without being able to avoid it, talk about the hotel industry of the present… and what the current “path” we follow leads us to a great divergent roundabout.

Don Luis was telling me, today a friend who in his many stays was a regular client of the venue where I had the honor of serving him and meeting him… a noble, sensitive, seasoned human being, very tough as a character, great traveler knowledgeable of the value of his money… important client of many other hotels in different parts of the world, especially Spain…

I miss… my now friend Luis told me… the attention and services of professionals that as a guest I received and enjoyed… Pepe, is it modernism or decline… he snapped at me… but how much does it cost to feel proud of your work, to please the client with promptness and a diligent smile, or is it that receiving you at your entrance with a broad look and a welcome smile is a thing of the past… come on Luis… it’s not that either… it’s that today they are very busy and the data has to be entered into the computer… don’t be confused Pepe… because they didn’t park my car either, nor did they take my suitcases, nor after waiting at check-in did they take the luggage up… where are the amenities, the slippers, the bath towel… the bathrobe and the bathtub stopper… good grief Luis, don’t be surprised, that is a consequence of operations and their new systems… a necessary saving… come on Pepe, come on!!! what do you tell me about the minibar, the toilet paper, the intensity of the light or that they take the card out of the control “little box” so that the room doesn’t get hot or cold and maintains adequate comfort…

Perhaps the tidying of the room, turndown service, change of wet towels and a detail on the pillow, is that also saving… then Pepe tell me, what is it that I paid for? Because before I checked out and in at 12:00, later I checked in at 15:00 and now it is becoming fashionable at 17:00 and if I ask for a “late check out” they deny it or I pay for it and if I ask for a room change… they deny it of course… well Luis, you know, business profitability along with the consolidation of private life with work now predominates, it’s not like a short time ago… now the worker, in a bad mood, demands schedules and everything… everything becomes more expensive… and somehow you have to control and reduce spending to earn more money…

Luis was getting angry… as our meeting went on, remembering what he paid and received just three or four years ago, his notion of reality in terms of the quality-price relationship has been destroyed…

And Pepe adds, why don’t some of them remove the stars also according to what they are obliged to by regulation… My God Luis! what are you telling me… that seems unreal to me because if they are legally authorized for the establishment even if they don’t honor them, it must be for a reason… that’s how accommodations are in these times… and the consumer Luis has two options, you know…

Don’t tell me Pepe that the abandonment or sacrifice of qualities and the lack of trained and professionally educated staff influences the monetary profits of the businessman so much that in the hotel industry they prefer to lose clients to “hunt” captive consumers for work or passing tourists…

Well look Luis, there are many, many businessmen who interpret tourism like any other business and their thing is “rental and exploitation by rooms,” they don’t want nor are they interested in hospitality.

I understand you Pepe but… you are telling me that you are going to discard the culture of service… with a view to the well-being of the guest…

And that progress leads us to those innovative changes so lacking in service and deficient… Well friend Luis it is evident, although I am sure that someone will continue to fight for progress in human quality and services designed to give warmth of welcome and well-being to the guest and… since the “room renter” cannot be convinced… a brand must be created that distinguishes them as hospitality directed to the guest and identified as “W.G.” for customer services.