Happy belated Boxing Day to all hoteliers. I hope everyone celebrated it with the spirit intended for the holiday.
Now, I don't know about you, but the only reason I had any idea Boxing Day even existed is because I would see it on a the calendar as the day after Christmas. I'm writing this blog only after a brief discussion about it in the newsroom and deciding to finally look it up.
As it turns out, as with many holidays, there are competing origins to Boxing Day, but there's a general theme of giving money and gifts to people in need. Looking through some online research — cough, Wikipedia and its references section, cough — the Oxford English Dictionary in 1743 defined Boxing Day as the day after Christmas when traditionally "tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities [a "Christmas box"] from their customers or employers."
You can look further into the origins and interpretations of Boxing Day and the different ways it's celebrated, but I have to say I like these two in particular. The first giving to those in need and the other to give to those who provide goods and services to you because of the relationship you have formed with them.
I think there's a strong connection here to those who work in hospitality. Hoteliers want to become an integral part of the communities they serve, building relationships both with guests who stay at their properties and the locals around them. We're a bit past how shops and inns used to work hundreds of years ago, when they were likely highly depended upon because they were the only ones in town and thus had stronger ties to the community, which also likely had a stronger sense of self.
Depending on the location and local community, there's potential for this practice to continue, but to do that, hoteliers need a team of people who can make it happen. That requires dedication, hard work and the right spirit. To find that and hold onto it requires making sure employees know they are truly valued, both in the effort they put into their work as well as the time spent on the job — including working holidays.
We celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in the U.S., and those holidays are at least in part focused on giving to others and being grateful for what we have. There's also GivingTuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which started in 2012 and is also focused on giving and improving local communities.
It'd be great if we could turn Boxing Day into a day in which employers celebrate the people who made their businesses a success through the year, a day when workers feel the appreciation of their hard work by their management.
You can reach me at bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com as well as LinkedIn.
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