More Than Comfort
There’s a foundational principle in hospitality: Good service is invisible, but bad service is glaring.
In other words, when tiny details are perfect, they form a seamless background. When they are flawed, they become the entire picture.
We see this all the time in homestay. When a host is there to pick up a student on time, it’s almost taken for granted; when they’re late, it’s a catastrophe. The same is true when the house is clean and tidy, the temperature is comfortable, the food is tasty. These are all background issues to the most important thing in homestay: the relationships. But when these details are neglected, they become proxies for lack of care and attention in those relationships.
I was reminded of this principle recently in a different context: the launch of my first writing retreat. It was in June 2026, and I couldn’t have been more excited about it! As we approached the date, my co-facilitator, Morag and I focused on a number of details—finalizing the catering, designing the workshops, selecting the tea, making sure there are nice towels, and even buying robes for our guests for the sauna.
We also conducted pre-retreat calls with each writer, and I was struck by a pattern that emerged.
The writers weren’t focused on the catering, the tea, or the towels. They were focused on having time to write.They were looking for progress on the page, for creative transformation.
Hearing this, I could assume that the details of the environment are just a backdrop to their writing goals. But that would be a mistake, because transformation requires a physical space, and physical comforts are part of the process. Our writers are leaving their everyday lives because they want to carve out time, but also space, and they know certain places change the quality of our thinking and our creative process.
This is why we decided to run a soft launch with a group of friendly writers who, in exchange for their honest feedback, will get to participate at a deep discount. At this "First Draft" Retreat, we focused on the generative, creative stage, getting the ideas down. We were figuring out the details, gathering input to help us make our first round of edits.
The hope is that by the time we host our second retreat in September, the details will be part of the background. But it will be a beautiful background, one that communicates our values before we say a word, one that nurtures creativity, reflection, peacefulness. One that says we care.
What about you? When you’re being treated to a service—whether it’s a hotel, a restaurant, or your doctor’s office—what details matter to you?
