Toyin Dada Standing on Service Culture

Toyin Dada, a seasoned hospitality executive, has dedicated nearly three decades to understanding the dynamics of service culture within the industry. Her journey has taken her through various roles, including hospitality, operations, training, leadership development, and organisational capability. Despite holding multiple titles and accumulating extensive expertise, Dada prefers to describe her work simply as "People and Capability Development."

Her career has focused on helping individuals discover their potential and building their capability to perform at their best. She believes that organisational excellence is not accidental but is built through people, systems, culture, and consistent standards. Dada's work extends beyond the hospitality sector, as she now acts as a learning and development consultant, assisting organisations in identifying their needs, understanding what enables people to succeed, and creating the bridge between the two.

In today's hospitality landscape, the focus has shifted from merely delivering services to creating memorable experiences. While technical competence remains crucial, employees must also possess the ability to read situations, understand emotions, anticipate needs, and exercise judgement. Dada emphasizes that service delivery and hospitality differ significantly; the latter goes beyond transactions and involves how people feel in the presence of others.

She encourages her staff to approach each interaction by asking, "If this were my experience, how would I want to be treated?"

Dada's training methods often involve real-life situations, as she believes people connect more deeply with experiences than with instructions. A receptionist, for example, may check in dozens of guests daily, but for each guest, the moment marks a significant occasion in their life. Dada stresses that the employee must become part of the guest's experience by remembering preferences, anticipating needs, resolving problems discreetly, and showing genuine warmth.

Despite the growing expectations from tech-savvy customers, Dada maintains that technology should enhance hospitality rather than remove human connection. For the Nigerian customer, who values warmth, relationships, and personal attention, technology can raise expectations around speed and convenience, but the human connection remains indispensable.

The challenge lies in balancing technology and people, recognizing where each is most valuable, and creating a culture, systems, standards, and leadership that make excellent hospitality repeatable.