The Quiet Power of the Janitor

Or: Why the real tourism talent doesn’t have a LinkedIn banner.

Tourism loves a good headshot. We celebrate the people in blazers holding awards, not the ones holding mops.

We’ve built an entire industry that applauds strategy decks while ignoring the humans who make the “visitor experience” possible: the janitors, landscapers, dishwashers, and front-desk legends who can talk down a Karen faster than an emergency PR firm.

And here’s the kicker: DMOs rarely even meet these people.

The housekeepers? Hired directly by STRs or hotels. The landscapers? Contracted by property managers. The cooks, drivers, and night-shift security guards? They’re the backbone of your destination’s brand - and most have no idea the DMO even exists.

We built an industry that calls itself “place-based” but never sits at the same table as the people who make the place work. Meanwhile, STR hosts shake hands with these humans every single day. They know the janitor’s name, the maintenance guy’s kid, the housekeeper’s rhythm, because that’s where the hospitality actually lives.

And yet, who gets the keynote slot? Someone who hasn’t cleaned their own coffee maker since 2014.

💡 Lessons from the Breakroom

1. Hospitality is a chain of humans, not a chain of command. Every broken link shows up in your TripAdvisor reviews. You can’t “strategic-plan” your way around a broken toilet and a bad attitude.

2. You can’t culture-train your way out of low pay. “Smiles per hour” isn’t a real metric, it’s a cry for help. Until we pay the people who are the experience, we’re just writing poetry about service while outsourcing the plot.

3. If you want loyalty, start with laundry. The people folding towels have more influence on your repeat visitation than your entire ad agency. They know exactly which guests are coming back and which ones left you a one-star rant about dust and disappointment.

4. Invite the real experts to the table. The humans who actually hear the guests at checkout. They’ll tell you everything you need to know about your brand, your leadership, and your town’s reputation… usually before lunch.

🖤 Meta Reflection

DMOs are out here debating AI campaigns and destination “alignment,” while the real alignment happens at 6 a.m. - between a housekeeper and a host who both want the guest to have a good day.

The irony? Those are the people keeping our five-star reputations alive while never being invited to the tourism table.

Maybe it’s time we move the table to the breakroom. At least the coffee’s better there.

Closing Note

We talk a lot about “elevating the industry.” The industry’s already been elevated — by the people who show up before us, leave after us, and do the work we pretend doesn’t matter. If tourism has a future, it’s because of them.

🖤 I’m Jenn Barbee, reminding you the real experts aren’t on LinkedIn. They’re on the clock.