What Unreasonable Hospitality can teach us about attracting, retaining and engaging talent

Post in News on 21 January 2026

In his 2022 book, Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara recounts how Eleven Madison Park became the world’s best restaurant not by gastronomic brilliance alone, but by being more intentional. The food was exceptional, but it was the wider experience, the care taken over small, human moments, that created lasting loyalty. Guests didn’t just leave satisfied; they left with stories.

I believe that employee benefits face a strikingly similar challenge. Most organisations offer something broadly competitive. Very few design benefits with intent, and as a result, many benefits packages are technically sound, yet emotionally forgettable.

For HR leaders tasked with attracting, retaining and engaging talent, Unreasonable Hospitality shows that exceptional outcomes don’t just come from greater spend – they come from intentional design.

From competitive to exceptional

Guidara makes a simple but uncomfortable point: being “good” is rarely enough. In crowded markets, adequacy is invisible. Excellence, by contrast, is remembered.

Benefits strategy often defaults to benchmarking. The result is parity, not distinction. Employees may appreciate the offering, but they are unlikely to talk about it or factor it into decisions about loyalty or advocacy.

I think exceptional benefits should start with a different question. Not “what do others offer?”, but “what experience do we want our people to have when they need us most?”

Moments that matter beat blanket generosity

One of the most striking lessons I picked up from reading Unreasonable Hospitality is that the most powerful gestures are often small, but deeply personal – they become moments that matter.

Employee benefits are no different. Standard benefits rarely shape how employees feel about their employer. What does make a difference are benefits that show up at pivotal life moments: becoming a parent, caring for an elderly relative, dealing with illness or bereavement, returning to work after burnout, navigating menopause, or relocating for family reasons.

These moments are emotionally charged and often poorly served by rigid policy. Designing benefits that respond with flexibility, humanity and speed, creates disproportionate impact. Importantly, this does not require unlimited spend. It requires intent.

Empowerment beats policy

Guidara famously trusted his team to make judgement calls when delivering the guest experience. The rulebook mattered, but it was not the point.

If a company is unwilling to let anyone use benefits flexibly or line managers are unsure what discretion they have and HR teams become gatekeepers rather than enablers, employees learn that asking for help is risky or futile.

Exceptional benefits cultures invert this dynamic. Managers are trusted to flex where it matters. HR teams are encouraged to ask, “What’s the right outcome here?” rather than “Is this technically allowed?”

Consistency creates trust

Another subtle lesson from hospitality is that excellence must be repeatable. A single great experience is a pleasant surprise; consistent great experiences build trust.

In benefits terms, this means clarity of philosophy. Employees don’t expect identical outcomes in every situation, but they do expect fairness, transparency and good intent. When benefits feel arbitrary, generous in one team, rigid in another, trust erodes quickly.

Organisations that articulate a clear benefits philosophy, and reinforce it through leadership behaviour, create confidence. People believe that the organisation will “do the right thing”. That belief is itself a powerful benefit.

The commercial case still matters

None of this works if it ignores commercial reality. Exceptional hospitality was not charity – it was Guidara’s growth strategy. For HR and Finance leaders, the question is not whether exceptional benefits are expensive, but whether poorly designed and delivered ones quietly cost more than we realise.

What would “unreasonable” benefits look like?

As Unreasonable Hospitality shows, the difference between good and exceptional is rarely budget. The challenge for HR leaders is not to make benefits extravagant, but to make them intentional.

Malcolm Steel, Client Strategy Director of Mearns & Company, Chartered Financial Planners and Employee Benefits Consultants