Why Santa Might Be the Best Hotelier on Earth
Hello, Inclusioneers — Merry Christmas.
Every December, the world celebrates a magical operation that somehow runs flawlessly.
One night.
Billions of guests.
Zero delays.
Zero excuses.
Zero “we’ll get to it when we can.”
And yet… most hotels can’t get a pool lift working or deliver an accessible room without something going sideways.
I’m kidding. A little.
But not really.
Because if Santa designed a hotel, he’d wipe out half the competition by February.
And not because he has flying reindeer or a sleigh with infinite torque.
But because he understands something the hospitality industry keeps forgetting:
Systems—when built right—feel like magic.
And magic, when you peel it apart, is nothing more than intentional design.
So let’s take the metaphor seriously for a minute.
If Santa did design a hotel… what would it look like?
And what can we learn from it?
Grab some cocoa. Let’s dive in.
1. The North Pole Is a Masterclass in Operations
If any GM pulled off Santa’s workload on Christmas weekend, we’d give them a Nobel Prize in Hospitality.
Think about the complexity:
high-volume production
flawless inventory management
perfectly optimized routing
workforce coordination
peak-load operations under extreme constraints
And yet… no burnout.
No panic.
No scrambling.
No “we’re short-staffed today.”
Everything works because everything is designed to.
Santa’s magic isn’t magic.
It’s an operation so well-built that the result feels magical.
That’s what great hospitality is supposed to be.
2. Santa’s CRM Is the Gold Standard for Personalization
We laugh about the Naughty and Nice List, but let’s be clear:
It is the most powerful guest database in the world.
He knows:
your name
your preferences
your behavior
your history
And he updates it every year.
Compare that to how many hotels can’t remember whether you prefer feather or foam pillows.
Santa isn’t guessing.
He isn’t hoping.
He isn’t “doing his best.”
He is intentional.
Real hospitality isn’t reactive.
It’s anticipatory.
And the brands that master that will own the future.
3. The Real Brand Promise: “He Sees You.”
Santa’s magic isn’t gifts.
It’s presence.
He sees you.
He remembers you.
He considers you.
That’s what every guest wants—disabled or not.
Not special treatment.
Not grand gestures.
Just to feel:
“Someone thought about me before I arrived.”
I’ve had stays where that didn’t happen.
Where the design didn’t work.
Where I couldn’t get off the ship.
Where the system fell apart before I even reached the lobby.
Those moments stay with you.
And not because anyone meant harm…
but because nobody planned well enough to prevent it.
Santa doesn’t do “we’ll figure it out.”
He does “already done.”
Imagine if hospitality operated that way.
4. The Workshop Is Universal Design in Action
Picture the North Pole workshop:
clear pathways
intuitive stations
tools exactly where they should be
flow that makes sense
no clutter
no friction
no “figure it out yourself” moments
That’s universal design.
Not the checklist.
The intelligence behind it.
Santa doesn’t make things beautiful at the expense of usability.
He makes things usable in a way that becomes beautiful.
Good design disappears.
It just works.
Hotels forget that.
They build for photos.
Santa builds for people.
5. Santa’s Supply Chain Runs on Anticipation, Not Apologies
If a toy breaks: backup.
If a route changes: instant adjustment.
If a reindeer pulls a hamstring: next reindeer in line.
Meanwhile, one out-of-service elevator can shut down an entire building.
Santa isn’t perfect.
He’s resilient.
That’s the lesson.
Peak season isn’t a surprise.
Accessibility needs aren’t a surprise.
Holiday chaos isn’t a surprise.
Guest fatigue isn’t a surprise.
Stress points that are predictable should be solvable.
Santa solves them before they start.
Hospitality often solves them after damage is done.
6. How Hotels Can Adopt the Santa Standard
This isn’t magic.
It’s a mindset.
Here are three small shifts that would transform hospitality:
1. Optimize flow like Santa’s workshop.
Clarity is a design decision.
Confusion is an accessibility barrier.
2. Personalize like the Naughty/Nice List.
Not creepy.
Not complicated.
Just human.
3. Train teams to anticipate—not apologize.
Apologies don’t create loyalty.
Anticipation does.
The Real Lesson of Santa’s Hospitality
The older I get, the more I realize something:
Santa’s magic isn’t the sleigh.
Or the chimney.
Or the cookies.
It’s the intentionality behind it all.
Everything is built with care.
Everything has a place.
Everything has a purpose.
Everything supports the guest.
That’s the world I want to help build.
One where design includes.
Where hospitality elevates.
And where systems scale.
Because if Santa can deliver joy to billions in one night…
we can make sure every guest who walks into a hotel never feels like an afterthought.
Not once a year.
Every day.
Merry Christmas, friends. 🎄
—Mike