Hey Beloved,
A few quick things first.
For the past two years I have been in a full experiment with hospitality. Feeling called by Romans 12:13: to take care of the saints, to practice hospitality, to be inventive with welcome.
That has looked like a lot of things.
A consulting and marketing agency using the lens of hospitality to drive relationship-driven results for brands across industries.
Advising the world's best track and field meet, the Prefontaine Classic, on building a VIP Hospitality experience worthy of the athletes they host.
Getting certified in Will Guidara's Unreasonable Hospitality framework and teaching leaders how to turn mundane moments into extraordinary ones.
Launching a retreat ministry with FCA to serve those who spend their lives serving others.
And yes… The lodge on the McKenzie. Still in the works. Big update coming very soon.
With all of these moving at once, I have had to find systems and tools to stay focused, present, and on point.
Which means AI. A lot of it.
ChatGPT. Claude. Manus. OpenClaw.
These tools are in my workflow every single day. And somewhere in the middle of all that usage, a thought started nagging at me. One I could not shake.
In the midst of using all these tools, we cannot let the tools get more attention than the people.
Let's dive in.
The Blame Game
A Skift article crossed my feed this week. An Accor executive warning that AI could weaken human connection.
And my first reaction was — of course. We know this.
But then I stopped.
Is it actually the technology weakening human connection?
Or is it our relationship with technology that is doing the weakening?
Because we have been here before.
Online booking and PMS systems weakened human connection. Self and digital check-in weakened human connection. QR codes instead of menus weakened human connection.
AI is just getting the current blame.
But maybe… just maybe technology is not the problem.
Maybe farming our care out to technology is the problem.
Maybe we weaken human connection every single time we let technology become an excuse to stop showing up.
Because I believe…
The threat isn't artificial intelligence.
The threat is artificial hospitality.
A simple practice: Identify one place in your work or home where technology replaced a human moment. Not to get rid of it but just to notice it. Awareness is the first step.
The Real Question We Should be Asking
This is not an industry conversation.
This is a posture conversation. A relationship conversation. One that applies whether you run a business, lead a team, or just want to show up better for the people in your life.
Because the real question has nothing to do with which tools you use.
DO WE ACTUALLY CARE?
Do we actually give a damn about the people who walk through our doors — whether that is a boardroom, a storefront, a restaurant, or our home?
If the answer is yes, AI and every tech before it can become a tool that brings us back to the beating hearts in our midst. Maybe even faster. More present. More prepared.
If the answer is no, no amount of technology saves us. We just hide behind it. Going through the motions. Saying the right words without meaning any of it.
That is artificial hospitality.
And it is not a technology problem. It is a care problem.
A simple practice: Think of one person you interact with regularly. It could be a colleague, a customer, a neighbor and ask yourself honestly: do I actually see them? Not manage them. Not serve them efficiently. See them.
The Tech Stack Was Never the Point
Hospitality was never supposed to be a tech stack.
The tech stack is just a set of tools so we can efficiently practice hospitality in the places we live, work, and play.
That is the reframe I keep coming back to.
The goal was never efficiency. The goal was always connection. And when we use our tools with that as the north star… When the sole intention is to get us back to the human faster, then the tools stop being a threat and start being a gift.
But that requires a decision most of us have not actually made out loud.
A simple practice: Before you open a tool or automation this week, ask one question: is this getting me closer to the people I serve or further away? Let that answer guide how you use it.
It Starts With a Decision
That the people we serve are worth showing up for.
That the beloved stranger at our door deserves to be loved well.
That care is not something we automate. It is something we choose.
Every single time.
I am still learning this. Still fighting the pull to let the tool carry what only a human can carry. Still choosing, some days better than others, to let efficiency serve presence instead of replace it.
That is the work.
That is what we are meant to do.
Here is to choosing it. 🧂
With gratitude, Nathan
P.S. I want to point you to a new resource coming from Will Guidara. It is the next iteration of his best-seller Unreasonable Hospitality. It is called The Field Guide and it richly illustrated and interactive workbook meets journal to help guide you into making hospitality a reality in your workplace.
It comes out in April and I encourage you to pre-order because if you do, you can unlock an opportunity join Will on a live, virtual call and Q&A. Details here » https://uhthefieldguide.com/
And if you want a guide to help you apply Unreasonable Hospitality, I would love to help. I promise you, it’s fun and has real impact. Reach out to me or schedule a call to talk.
