Hospitality changes our world, one interaction at a time.
Refining brands and developing new ones for hotels, resorts, restaurants and f&b operators.
State of Hosting
The hospitality industry is facing a perfect storm — and the root cause of every crisis is the same thing: people don’t feel like guests in their own workplaces.
Workers leave because they feel invisible. Guests leave because they feel like transactions. Revenue declines because loyalty collapses when people aren’t made to feel genuinely welcome.
The solution to a 74% turnover rate, a 7% consumer spending drop, and a looming 8.6 million worker shortfall isn’t a new app, a new benefit package, or a new pricing model. It’s The Host Mindset™ — the ancient practice of making every person in your orbit feel genuinely seen, valued, and welcomed.
And it doesn’t just apply to hospitality. It applies to every organization, in every industry, that has decided that how people feel is a business outcome worth caring about.
Turnover & Retention
74%
annual staff turnover — roughly 5× the cross-industry average of 12–15
#1
Highest quit rate of any sector in the U.S. economy
65%
of hotels still report staffing shortages despite raising pay
1M+
new hires in January 2025 alone to replace 781K departures — in one month
8.6M
projected worker shortfall by 2035 — 18% below required staffing
$5,864
cost to replace a single hourly worker
Burnout & Mental Health
4 in 5
hospitality professionals have faced mental health challenges during their career
47%
of frontline managers say they are burned out
64%
of managers report employees have quit specifically due to burnout
57%
cite under-resourcing as their primary stressor — up 21% from 2024
2x
more likely guest-facing workers experience depression vs. other sectors
Engagement
31%
of hospitality employees are fully engaged in their jobs
69%
of shift workers say schedules change without warning
98%
report working overtime, with 75% given insufficient prior notice
Consumer Spending
−7%
planned monthly spend on restaurants in Summer 2025
$90
average weekly dining spend in 2025, down from $115
81%
plan to eat out less due to perceived price increases
69%
eating more at home; 85% cite saving money as the reason
−2.3%
independent restaurant sector shrank in 2025 as closures accelerated
+6%
“food away from home” prices rose Jan 2024 – Sep 2025
What We Do
Brand, Mission & Culture
Articulate the “why” that drives every decision — hiring, menu design, guest communication, and the thousand small choices in between.
Guest Experience Audit
Operator-level walk-throughs and mystery visits across front- and back-of-house. Diagnostics that move the needle.
F&B Programming
Menu strategy, beverage programs, service standards, and training for bars, restaurants, and hotel F&B.
Leadership & Team Development
Coaching for GMs, executive chefs, F&B directors, and emerging leaders. Keynotes, off-sites, and 1:1 advisory.
Pre-Opening & Repositioning
Hands-on support for new properties or properties that need a reset. From hire plans to opening day to year one.
Who We Are
Steve Fortunato and Alejandro Guzman — two hospitality operators with 57 combined years across luxury resorts, restaurants, and bars. Keynote speaker. Thought leader. Operators who have walked every floor we advise.
We started roomforty to design intentional hospitality experiences — retreats, private dinners, corporate offsites. Hospitality Consulting is the natural extension: bringing that same standard to the operators building the next generation of guest experiences.
How We Work
- Discovery Audit. A fixed-fee, 2–4 week engagement. On-site walk-throughs, mystery visits, team interviews. You get a prioritized action plan — not a 40-page deck.
- Project Sprint. Defined scope, defined timeline. Rebuild a bar program. Rewrite service standards. Re-onboard a leadership team.
- Ongoing Advisory. Monthly retainer. Regular on-site time. On-call access for the leadership team.
WHO WE WORK WITH
- Independent hotels and resorts
- Restaurant and bar groups
- Hospitality investors and ownership groups
- Pre-opening teams