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- Title: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
- Author: Will Guidara
- Narrator: Will Guidara
- Length: 08:37:12
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 25/10/2022
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- Genre: Business & Economics, Management & Leadership, Business Development, HR & Office Administration
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
The first time I truly understood unreasonable hospitality, I was sitting on a plastic stool in a Bangkok night market, watching a street vendor carefully wipe condensation from my Singha beer before handing it to me with both hands and a bow. That unexpected moment of respect in an unlikely place – that’s the essence of what Will Guidara captures so beautifully in “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect”, an audiobook that’s as much a philosophy treatise as it is a business manual.
Listening to Guidara narrate his own journey with Eleven Madison Park felt like being invited to the most intimate kitchen table conversation. His voice carries the warmth of someone who’s both polished thousands of wine glasses and comforted heartbroken line cooks at 2 AM. There’s a particular rhythm to his narration – the measured pace of a maître d’ explaining the evening’s specials, the sudden bursts of enthusiasm when describing their most outrageous hospitality stunts (like turning the dining room into a beach for disappointed vacationers).
The book unfolds like a multi-course tasting menu of wisdom. Early chapters about transforming EMP’s culture reminded me of working in a Oaxacan mezcaleria where the owner would gather us before service to share stories about each agave’s terroir – not because it affected our pouring technique, but because it connected us to something greater. Guidara’s philosophy that ‘a busser should think like an owner’ echoes that same belief in dignity through purpose.
What makes this audiobook special is how Guidara’s voice cracks with emotion when describing their snow day miracle for the family who’d never seen snow. You can hear the years of accumulated joy in his pauses – the silent spaces between words filled with the clatter of silverware and champagne corks popping. His narration transforms business concepts into something visceral; when explaining their radical partnership between kitchen and dining room, you can practically smell the brown butter and hear the sizzle of the pass.
The most compelling sections explore what Guidara calls ‘bespoke hospitality’ – not just anticipating needs, but creating moments that rewrite expectations. His story about secretly recreating a guest’s childhood Italian kitchen for her birthday dinner transported me back to that Bangkok street vendor, to a ryokan in Kyoto where the innkeeper noticed my worn hiking boots and left fresh insoles by my tatami mat. These aren’t business strategies; they’re acts of love disguised as service.
As a travel writer, I particularly appreciated Guidara’s global perspective on hospitality. His anecdotes about learning from Tokyo’s meticulous sushi bars and Parisian cafés mirror my own discoveries – how the best Moroccan tea servers pour from impossible heights not for show, but to aerate the mint just so. The audiobook format amplifies these cross-cultural lessons, with Guidara’s voice shifting subtly when describing different hospitality traditions.
If there’s a limitation, it’s that some operational details might feel overly specific to high-end restaurants. Yet even these sections contain universal truths – like his ‘black pepper rule’ (notice when someone declines pepper once, so you never offer it to them again) which I’ve since applied to remembering my podcast guests’ coffee preferences.
Compared to similar leadership audiobooks like Danny Meyer’s “Setting the Table” (also wonderfully narrated by the author), Guidara’s work stands out for its radical empathy. Where others discuss systems, he sings an ode to humanity – not just how to make guests feel valued, but how helping your team grow becomes its own form of hospitality.
The production quality matches EMP’s standards – crisp audio that captures every emotional nuance, with pacing that makes complex business concepts digestible as amuse-bouches. It’s the rare business audiobook that deserves a Michelin star for performance.
For anyone who’s ever made a bed, poured a drink, or handed change across a counter, this audiobook will transform how you see those moments. After listening, I found myself leaving handwritten notes for my Airbnb guests and remembering my barista’s kids’ names – small acts that suddenly felt revolutionary. Guidara makes you believe that any interaction can be a michelin-starred experience if infused with enough care.
With a renewed belief in the poetry of service,
Marcus
Marcus Rivera
