Field Notes from Hospitality
On a recent trip, I became curious about how a large hotel actually operated. These are field notes from hospitality—lessons on clarity, alignment, communication, and how work really flows in practice.
Editor’s note: This piece sits within Cultivated Studio as field ethnography — observations of how work actually functions in a high-velocity service environment. It reflects Cultivated’s core themes of clarity, alignment, and momentum as universal patterns across industries.
Field Notes from Hospitality
I’m a people watcher by nature.
When I travel, I notice how places work—not just how they look.
On a recent trip, I became curious about how a large hotel actually operated. I spoke with a manager and watched how the system of work unfolded across a day.
There were quiet lessons everywhere.
Huddles Are Human, Not Agile
Every morning, managers met for a short huddle
— cleaning, maintenance, food, entertainment.
Fifteen minutes, strict.
Issues taken offline.
Then each leader cascaded alignment to their teams.
No Agile framework.
Just humans aligning around the day.
Clarity, then alignment, then action.
