From Runways to Hallways: What hospitality lessons can hotels learn from airlines?

Picture yourself standing at an airport terminal, scanning flight information overhead: Delays, gate changes, boarding statuses, and all that.

Around you, a ballet of motion unfolds—bags rolling, staff coordinating, and passengers sprinting or dawdling on their way somewhere else.

There’s a rhythm to it, a pulse that tells a story… and not just about planes and schedules.

Now, imagine capturing that energy, precision, and intent, then bringing it into a hotel property or building structure.

You see, hotels and airlines share more than a handful of letters; they share a promise: Seamless, guest-centric journeys.

What if the secret to elevating hospitality lies in leaning into the way airlines operate?

Let’s take a look at these below!

Photo from Hoteliga

• The Utilization Mindset: Turning Idle Moments Into Opportunities

  Airlines run on razor-thin margins, so every empty seat or delayed aircraft represents lost revenue. Besides, they optimize turnaround times, personnel scheduling, and asset usage with surgical precision.

  Hotels, in contrast, hold assets (rooms) that can sit idle for hours.

  Imagine: A guest checks out at 10 a.m. and the next arrives at 6 p.m.—that’s eight hours of wasted potential!

  To avoid that, modern hospitality platforms can dynamically reassign inventory, offering day-use bookings or paid early check-ins.

  For example: Mews’s self-service kiosk detects room availability and enables instant paid access—turning what could be idle hours into profit and guest delight.

• Mastering the Upsell: Elevating Every Touchpoint Into a Moment of Value

  Ever noticed how airlines tempt you with baggage upgrades, priority boarding, lounge access right when you're checking in?

  Those ancillaries may be small extras, but they offer significant revenue opportunities.

  Hotels can borrow that playbook: Bundle breakfast, spa credits, or late-checkout into the digital check-in, pre-arrival messages, or kiosk workflows.

  Always remember that a seamless upsell—even for just a small add-on fee—creates choice and elevates guest experience while bolstering ancillary revenue without disruption.

• Lean into Loyalty: Building Emotional Equity, Not Just Repeat Stays

  Frequent-flyer programs aren’t just about flights; they’re also about status, recognition, and exclusivity. Points become currencies of belonging.

  Likewise, hospitality loyalty shouldn’t stop at room nights. Think tiered rewards: Upgrades, spa visits, F&B credits, or community perks.

  Independents might forge partnerships with local restaurants, experience providers, or urban services that reward guest interaction. Whatever the approach, it’s important to make the program meaningful, desirable, and emotionally resonant.

• Making Sustainability Meaningful: From Lip Service to Actionable Ethos

  Many airlines offer carbon offset options but uptake remains low, partly due to opaque programs that feel like greenwashing.

  Hotels, however, can visibly embed sustainability into the stay: Real-time displays showing how much waste was recycled, energy saved, or water conserved.

  After all, transparent, tangible metrics build trust and let guests contribute to something meaningful.

• Operational Efficiency: Automating the Mundane, Amplifying the Human

  Airlines streamline back-end operations—scheduling, boarding, cleaning, maintenance—to optimal efficiency.

  In hospitality, this means automation: Housekeeping task lists, virtual concierge messaging, and booking management.

  With tech handling routine workflow, staff gain time to deliver human connection. As Maya Angelou reminds us, how you make people feel remains the most enduring memory.

• Advanced Revenue Strategies: Thinking Dynamic, Contextual, and Guest-centric

  In aviation, dynamic pricing for add-ons is powered by AI that tailors price points to customer behavior and context—boosting purchase rates significantly.

  Hotels can mirror this through segmented guest profiles, booking context (business vs. leisure, group vs. solo), booking timing, loyalty tier, and more—and present personalized offers at optimal price points.

  This maximizes conversion without turning guests off!

• Training & Crisis Readiness: Cultivating Composure Under Pressure

  Airline crews train rigorously for emergencies—compartmentalizing under stress, acting swiftly, and being consistently trained to the same standard.

  Hospitality teams can benefit from similar rigor: Emergency protocols, role-specific training modules, de-escalation drills, and even scenario-based problem solving.

  When guests encounter unexpected friction—whether a plumbing leak or power outage—staff should respond calmly and empathetically.

  That’s hospitality that lasts in memory!

To sum it all up…

An airport terminal and a hotel lobby are both stages—spaces where movement, expectations, transitions, and emotions meet.

Airlines teach us how to choreograph those spaces with precision, empathy, and intention.

… and by adopting a utilization mindset, embedding seamless upsells, fostering meaningful loyalty, showcasing sustainability, embracing automation, personalizing revenue strategies, and training for high-pressure grace, hotels can turn ordinary stays into extraordinary experiences.

So next time you’re in transit, don’t just watch the departure board; watch the choreography also!

Then consider:

How can that choreography land beautifully where your guests rest?