How the Pineapple Became the Hospitality Industry Symbol
There is no fruit more distinctive or ubiquitous to pop culture than the pineapple. From its rough exterior to its crown-like spikes, the pineapple is hard to miss. However, most people aren’t aware that the pineapple’s rise to prominence began in hospitality. That crown was no coincidence as it was regarded as the king of luxury and status. Hosts were desperate to get their hands on one in order to impress guests. Unfortunately, through the years the pineapple’s origin story has faded into obscurity and been forgotten.
It’s time to dust off the throne and bring the pineapple back to its royal glory. However, to fully understand and appreciate the tropical fruit’s story, we have to start at the very beginning.
The Pineapple’s Juicy History
The pineapple’s story began in 1493 with Christopher Columbus. In the Caribbean, he and his crew encountered the strange and distinctive fruit. Despite its rough exterior, the pineapple was an instant hit. Delicious, refreshing, and juicy, it was determined that this was a fruit fit for the finest. Columbus sent the pineapple back to Europe where his enthusiasm was quickly shared, and it became the talk of the town. Everyone wanted to get their hands on it, including royalty. King Charles II even posed with a pineapple for one of the first “unboxing portraits” in modern history.
Soon, the pineapple became a symbol of status, but not just because of its royal endorsement. Despite booming demand, supply was low. It was incredibly hard to get your hands on a perfectly fresh pineapple. Transporting the fruit from the Caribbean was a long and difficult journey and they were often kept in hot, humid conditions. This meant that ships that managed to successfully arrive in Europe often delivered spoiled and rotten cargo. Only a combination of favorable weather and swift ships could supply the perfect pineapples which were acceptable to be displayed in front of guests.
A Hospitable Tradition
The pineapple soon became the “it” accessory for hosts. Any host who presented a whole intact one clearly demonstrated how much they valued and appreciated their guests. Expensive, exotic, and rare, the pineapple made guests feel special and welcomed. It was so coveted that people would even rent the fruit for a brief chance to impress their guests. The pineapple showed that hosts were willing to go to any lengths to demonstrate exceptional generosity and accommodation. And that’s what excellent hospitality is all about.
Bringing the Pineapple into a New Era of Hospitality
At Flexkeeping, we want to bring that “Pineapple Excellence” to hotel technology. The pineapple was a tool that helped to reflect the passion that hosts felt for their guests. Through our hotel operations software, we want to be the modern-day “pineapple” and make it easier for staff to provide excellent service to their guests. Too often, hospitality operations become bogged down in details, which prevents staff from focusing on the most important aspect of hospitality: guests. Our partners are unquestionably dedicated to their guests, so we want to support and celebrate that mentality by making it easier to deliver on. Our vision is to become an integral part of operations management so that their staff worry less about daily tasks and can firmly focus on guests’ experience.
As the pineapple demonstrates, true hospitality begins and ends with your guests.
At Our Core
We are an hotel operations software that expedites and automates daily operations and staff communication. Simply, we are the hospitality technology to help you and your staff run your property better. Founded by an ex-housekeeper, we are a collection of former hospitality employees that want to create a product to help everyday workers do their jobs faster, better, and easier.
Communication is key. Hospitality workers should have access to a seamless way to send and receive information related to their responsibilities and daily hotel tasks. Management can also benefit from improved communication since it means less pressure to oversee all hotel operations. By providing software solutions, we can help take the stress out of many aspects of daily hospitality operations. Our features help hospitality workers focus on their primary objective, spending less time on tasks and more time on guests, ensuring their stay is nothing less than perfect.
With Flexkeeping, hospitality workers today should feel the same way that colonial hosts did back then with the pineapple. Confident and empowered, utilizing the most modern tool in hospitality to deliver guests the best experience. While the pineapple might have represented exclusivity centuries ago, today, offering exceptional guest service should be something that’s accessible to everyone.
To all our partners, present or potential, we want to be the “piña” to your “colada” so everyone can enjoy the refreshing taste of exemplary hospitality.
Chat with us to see how Flexkeeping can help you run your property better.
