The Smartest Leaders Ask: Would They MISS™ It?
We were working with a luxury hotel, and the brief was clear—costs had to come down. For months, we tracked electricity usage religiously. Each morning, the number of units consumed was shared in the daily briefing. We were squeezing every line item we could.
And then someone looked at the fresh flower budget. It ran into lakhs.
Sure, we all knew about the main lobby arrangement. But flowers were everywhere—lift lobbies, corridors, lounges, quiet corners of the hotel. Always fresh, always replaced.
We started small: reduced quantity, switched to more sculptural ikebana-style pieces, tried reusing arrangements, experimented with methods to keep the flowers fresh longer. But none of it moved the needle enough.
Then, someone said the unthinkable: “Let’s just remove the arrangements.”
You could feel the air change in the room.
No true-blue luxury hotelier would suggest that. We all know the role flowers play in creating ambience. But no one had ever asked the simple question:
Would you miss the flowers if they were gone?
There’s a deceptively simple question used by startups to gauge if they’re truly needed:
How would you feel if you could no longer use [product/service]?
With answer choices like:
Very disappointed
Somewhat disappointed
Not disappointed
If 40% or more say very disappointed, you likely have a strong product-market fit.
It’s a powerful, sobering question. Especially for startups or new initiatives. Forces clarity. Brutally.
This question is rarely asked in established businesses. We assume continuity. We assume value. We assume importance. But assumptions don’t create loyalty, relevance, or innovation. Asking “Would we be missed?” reframes the conversation—from delivery to impact. It shifts the focus from what you’re offering, to what would be lost if you disappeared. And in that loss lies the truth of your value.
In hospitality, we often get so caught up in SOPs, brand standards, and efficiency metrics that we forget to pause and ask:
Would our guests miss us, or just find another bed for the night?
Would our partners and vendors miss working with us, or simply re-route?
Would our teams be heartbroken, or quietly relieved?
Key Insight
This question isn’t just about services—it’s about significance.
The answers aren’t always flattering. But they are illuminating.
And they point directly to where your retention, innovation, and investment efforts should go.
Pertinent Examples
A spa head who quietly noticed that one therapist had clients rebooking only with her. She asked those clients, “What would you do if she weren’t available?” They said they’d stop coming. That therapist became a ‘retain at all costs’ talent.
A GM who discovered that one weekly ritual—a garden breakfast with a musician—was the emotional anchor of repeat guests. It wasn’t in any report. But guests would miss it.
A training manager who ran a pulse survey among HODs: “Which training session would you notice if it stopped?” Only one was mentioned consistently. That became the new core, and for the others, she worked hard on increasing value.
Experiments & Application
Internal Survey: Ask your team or key guests, “If this team/experience/service were gone tomorrow, what would you genuinely miss?” Look for emotional weight in the answers. That’s where your value lives.
Talent Mapping: Quietly ask HODs, “If you could only keep three people in your department, who would they be—and why?” Patterns emerge. So do your must-retain individuals.
Invisible Anchor Audit: Identify the small things that may seem ordinary, but if removed, would cause a quiet uproar. These are your sticky moments. Don’t overlook them.
To help leaders move from gut feeling to actionable insight, I offer the MISS Test—a four-part tool to evaluate any person, product, or practice for its true impact.
🎯 THE MISS TEST
MISS is an acronym. But more than that, it’s a filter for truth.
M – Memory
“Will they remember this a week later?” Memory is the first sign of emotional resonance. Will the guest remember that smile, that scent, that unexpected gesture? Will your team remember that meeting, that recognition, that tough but kind feedback?
How to test:
Ask guests about their stay a week later (follow-up email or call).
Ask departing staff what they’ll miss most.
Observe what people photograph or share—those are memory markers.
👉 In hospitality, memory equals mindshare. And mindshare leads to loyalty.
I – Irreplaceability
“Is there a true alternative?” Some things are good. Others are yours. Do you offer something guests can’t get at the hotel next door? Is there a way you do service, resolve problems, or celebrate team wins that is uniquely yours?
How to test:
Compare against competitors—objectively.
Ask, “If we stopped doing this, could they get the same feeling or result elsewhere?”
👉 Irreplaceability is your moat. It’s what protects your brand in a sea of sameness.
S – Subconscious Pull
“Does it evoke a feeling they can’t quite name—but know they love?”
This is where the magic lives. The warm lighting. The way the towel is folded. The exact way a waiter says “Welcome back.”
They may not notice it…But they’d feel its absence.
How to test:
Remove it quietly for a day. Watch for discomfort.
Ask returning guests or staff, “What feels different today?”
👉 Subconscious pull is where hospitality becomes theatre. It’s the craft behind the curtain.
S – Sacrifice
“Would they trade something else to keep this?” This is the ultimate measure of value. Would a guest give up their welcome drink if it meant keeping the pillow menu? Would a team member give up casual Fridays to keep weekly coaching?
How to test:
Run choice-based surveys: “If we had to drop one feature, which would you keep?”
Watch behaviors: what people are willing to wait for, pay extra for, or advocate for.
👉 When people are willing to make a trade to keep something, you’ve hit emotional gold.
APPLYING THE MISS TEST: 3 HOSPITALITY SCENARIOS
1. Team Culture
Use MISS to identify rituals and people worth protecting. Is your morning huddle remembered? Irreplaceable? Does the way you onboard new hires create subconscious security?
2. Guest Experience
Map MISS across your guest journey. What happens in the first 5 minutes of arrival that passes all four filters? What gets remembered a month later—and what doesn’t?
3. Service Recovery
Use MISS to determine which recovery gestures are worth institutionalizing. Was that handwritten apology note something they’d fight to keep? Are your managers solving problems in a way no chatbot ever could?
If the answer is no, then what?
2x2 Grid: Missability vs. Cost/Effort
Here’s a traditional tool to help you manage this better: A simple and effective 2x2 grid you can use to evaluate service experiences or gestures based on
Missability (how much a guest would miss it if it were gone) and
Cost/Effort (how much it costs or how hard it is to deliver):
Example Applications:
Welcome drink → Low Cost / High Missability = ✅ Keep
In-room check-in on tablet → High Cost / Low Missability = ❌ Kill or Repurpose
Fresh flowers in-room → High Cost / High Missability = 🔁 Reinvent (e.g., use a smaller, signature bloom)
Turndown service chocolate → Low Cost / Low Missability = ⚠️ Reconsider (can it be more unique or personalized?)
If you are still wondering what happened to the flowers? We removed them. We removed the flowers from the lift lobbies first. And nothing happened. No guest feedback. No team concern. Not a single “Where are the flowers?”
Next, we removed them from corridors and other public areas. Still nothing. Finally, we took them out of the lobby.
That’s when something shifted.
Guests began asking, almost wistfully, “Wasn’t there something here?”, “It felt different earlier…” It wasn't an outrage. It wasn’t even clear articulation. But something had changed. So the team pivoted. They created a striking display of fresh fruits—a pop of colour, a hint of scent, something guests could grab on their way out. It was generous, functional, and elegant. And it worked!
The lobby regained its soul—not through flowers, but through thoughtfulness.
One Actionable Step
This week, ask one version of this question—to a team member, a guest, or even yourself:
“If we stopped doing this, would anyone really miss it?”
The silence or the spark in the answer will tell you everything.
If you would like to run some experiments, please reach out to me - p.bedi@eclathospitality.com or whatsapp +91 9872000604 and I will help you set them up!
Want to 10X this for yourself?, ask the question: Would my team miss me or simply replace me with another manager?