The Unseen Art of Luxury Hospitality: A Consultant’s Journey
For many, the idea of a luxury hotel consultant conjures images of perpetual holidays, champagne toasts, and endless pampering. Renae Leith-Manos, who holds this enviable title, often hears that she has “the best job in the world.” While she readily admits it’s a position many would covet, Leith-Manos reveals that the reality is far from a permanent vacation. Behind the opulent facades and impeccable service lies a rigorous, unseen world of meticulous observation and strategic development that most guests never even consider.
Leith-Manos’s path to the pinnacle of the hospitality consulting world wasn’t a straight line. Her academic journey began with a focus on English and politics, complemented by jazz voice studies. Upon graduating, she ventured into journalism, a career that saw her grace the pages and airwaves of numerous publications and networks. It was during her tenure with News Limited, a role that involved frequent travel between Adelaide and Los Angeles for celebrity interviews, that her fascination with the intricate workings of luxury hotels began to bloom.
This burgeoning interest soon led her to actively seek out opportunities to review new hotels and restaurants. The turning point arrived when she secured a full-time position at Vogue Entertaining and Travel magazine. It was in this capacity that the realisation dawned: “Oh, I could actually do this as a full-time gig.”
Leith-Manos draws a fascinating parallel between the hotel industry and the performing arts. “With my theatrical, musical background, I’ve always looked at hotels as theater,” she explains. “There’s a backstage, as there is in a theater. There’s a performance that you have to put on as a staff member. There’s a uniform, a costume you have to wear. So I always gravitated back to it.” This perspective highlights her unique ability to see the underlying structures and performances that contribute to a seamless guest experience.
After a period dedicated to raising her young twins, Leith-Manos found herself with more time and a renewed perspective on the hospitality sector. She began to observe recurring issues and inefficiencies within hotels and the broader hospitality landscape. This keen eye for detail, coupled with her extensive experience and established relationships within the industry, spurred her to establish her own consultancy business.
“I already had all the general manager relationships, and I started to sit down with them and say, ‘Look, are you aware that this is happening in your hotel?’,” she recounts. Her approach is deeply collaborative, beginning with an in-depth, one-on-one session with a hotel’s general manager. During these initial consultations, Leith-Manos provides coaching on media engagement and staff communication, and together they identify areas for improvement.
Her work extends far beyond management. Leith-Manos engages closely with hotel staff at all levels, aiming to cultivate an environment where employees are consistently “one step ahead” of guest needs. This involves fostering a profound understanding of the guest’s journey from arrival to departure.
The Art of Anticipation: Beyond the Obvious
“Just thinking and understanding what journey their guest is on. It’s not rocket science, but a lot of these small little things are missed,” she observes. Leith-Manos emphasizes the power of seemingly minor interactions, citing research that suggests even a brief moment of eye contact can have a tangible physiological effect on a guest. “So even three seconds of eye contact, the studies show that can change a guest’s blood pressure, believe it or not.” This underscores her belief that true luxury lies in nuanced, thoughtful service, often born from anticipating needs before they are even articulated.
While the perceived glamour of her profession is undeniable, Leith-Manos is quick to address the inherent challenges. The most significant downside, she notes, is the inability to truly switch off and enjoy a holiday when staying at a hotel. “There is a misconception that my life is a permanent vacation, but in reality, I like to say when I’m in a hotel, I’m the hardest working person there because I’m not relaxing by the pool, I’m watching,” she explains.
Her observational skills are honed to an exceptional degree. She meticulously assesses every facet of the guest experience.
- Service Efficiency: She observes the timeliness of service delivery, such as how long it takes for a requested towel to arrive.
- Staff Presence: Leith-Manos notes whether staff members are positioned appropriately and proactively attending to guest needs.
- Guest Sentiment: She closely monitors guest reactions, looking for signs of agitation or dissatisfaction, and identifying potential points of friction.
- Operational Flow: Her analysis extends to the seamlessness of hotel operations, ensuring that the guest journey is as smooth as possible.
“I don’t go to hotels to escape life, I go there to almost dissect it,” she concludes. This dedication to deconstructing and refining the luxury hotel experience is what sets Renae Leith-Manos apart, transforming a seemingly glamorous profession into a demanding and highly skilled art form.
