Travel, in the words of Stephen Joyce, chief executive of Choice Hotels, has become spectacularly inhospitable.
“For a significant number of travellers, it is so bad that going to the front desk and seeing a friendly face who says something nice to you is so odd an experience that the hotel business – when it does it right – is actually providing therapy to the travelling public,” he says.
Mr Joyce is making a semi-serious point about the vogue for self-service check-in desks and other changes to hospitality that fit the needs of travellers looking to save time and money, but which might not necessarily make the experience terribly pleasant.