The Hospitality Industry has spawned many ancillary ventures, aimed at informing the Visitor, guiding them gently to venues of choice, removing the vicarious nature of travel – prompting, proselytizing, promoting, and promulgating everything a sophisticated Visitor will need to consider in their travels. 

One such enterprise, which recently has been written up in both the New York Times and the Boston Globe, features  the principals of the Company going about evaluating our Hospitality businesses in several major US cities.

They assess our lodgings, our restaurants and shops, differentiating between latte and cappuccino, thread count, dress code requirements, and the like.   Their style and taste is the Service they are selling, and their reviews and impressions are presented by a fictional character, a young, classy/sassy woman, who will traverse the vagaries of travel and provide sound advice and inspiration for classic luxury. 

What cachet, what a deal!  How can we get on this gravy train?

Both articles approached the venture a bit "tongue in cheek" as credentials and standards applied were suspiciously reviewed. 

If you are a bon vivant with extensive land holdings in Europe or an attractive woman you have instant credibility as a Taste-Maker and advisor to that high-end Consumer. 

But, what about the rest of us?  What a great idea.  If Brittany Spears can influence a generation, certainly we all have the ingredients to provide a similar service.

With that in mind, I introduce you to Jacques Joie (as in de vivre), your guide to Hospitality zest, promising to report the keen enjoyment for the pleasures of life, with a decided bias of the fictional traveler, Jacques Jois. 

A bit broken and battered but not bitter, he travels to the Destinations of the world by tramp steamer or thumb, bringing you the details on priceless experiences in Peoria, steamy nights in Dakar, and romance in Reykjavik. Iceland. 

A traditionalist, Jacques values a smile as more important than the coq au vin, a sincere expression of welcome more than a chocolate on the pillow, a clean bathroom more than the art deco lobby, and expectations met with absence of surprises. 

For a fellow, born and raised just off Exit 32 in Secaucus, NJ,  Jacques is the everyman, who needs no glitz or haute de cuisine – just give him an honest Hospitality Experience, emphasize Quality, service and pride, and he will trumpet your achievement around the globe. 

Armed with his recommendations, you can proudly exclaim to your friends, "That's so Jacques!" Look for his reviews in leading Travel and Leisure magazines and services.

John R. Hendrie
CEO, Hospitality Performance, Inc.
978-346-4387.

www.hospitalityperformance.com.