I met Cassie at the Excel Hospitality Show earlier this year and she kindly gave me a copy of this book. I made myself wait until I had read every page before I said anything about it publicly. So here we are. I am not a hospitality professional. I am a businesswoman who, with my husband, is opening a community pub in a tiny Scottish village that lost all four of its pubs. I came to this book as an outsider to the industry and it did not matter one bit. Every page felt like it was written for exactly what we are trying to do. I have pages highlighted, circled, and scribbled on throughout. The Five Pillars framework is simple, practical, and genuinely powerful. I have used it to build our entire one page business plan. The chapters on belonging, identity, and telling your story hit particularly hard when you are trying to open a pub that a whole community has been waiting for. What I love most is that Cassie does not pretend it is easy. She is honest about the hard parts, the burnout, the doubt, the moments where you question everything. That honesty makes the practical advice land so much better. If you are opening something, running something, or trying to remember why you started something, read this book. Then read it again with a highlighter. Thank you Cassie. Port William's pub will be better for it.

Her book is totally on point "Stand Out Hospitality" so very very worth a read.

my mind now full of ideas thanks to Cassie’s book being my half term read. Definitely grab a copy, relevant for all industry sectors not just hospitality.

Why buy this book? This is a book on the history and the authors story of The Why and Their Why. Why do we love this Great British institute of the pub and hospitality in this country and how did it begin? How do you navigate with a rapidly changing environment/trends and social media, especially in the world of independent hospitality? This book unfolds all of this for you, not with statistics or number crunching but bringing you back to your purpose your Why and your Why to continue. To remind you of your love of it and why you wanted to begin in the first place. Told through the lived experience of the author, the very highs and lows and even the mediocrity in between. To find your connection and community and the same for your customers, to keep them coming back and for you to maintain your sanity. After all unlike a large corporation you, as independent business owner are navigating and in charge of ALL of the departments and wearing many hats in one day. Its a book for humans about humanity, how we socialise and how that continues to change and how to adapt and keep the love of what you do.

I read this book at a time when my business was getting me down, I needed a break, a boost and a reminder that this is all ok - these are all normal feelings for hospitality! It gave me some inspiration, some hints, tips, tricks of the trade and made me check in with myself. An essential, simple read for anyone working in or running a hospitality business - there are reflections, emotions, actions and hugs buried within these pages. Buy it!

I’ve really enjoyed reading your book. Some great insights and written from the heart – really inspiring. It’s made me want to go out and get back into operations again… not sure if my family would agree that’s a good thing, but never say never!

Having been recommended this book I wondered what more could be said that hadn’t been covered in hospitality books before. I was pleasantly surprised to read something that resonated so clearly with the reality’s of hospitality at the level most of us experience it. It’s not another story of CEOs and Michelin stars, instead focuses on small businesses, single operators and what it takes to succeed without the burnout. For anyone in the Industry that’s just starting out leading a team or needs a reminder of why they choose hospitality and how to get the spark back, this is a must read.

I genuinely loved Stand Out Hospitality. Cassie has a way of cutting through the noise and reminding you what hospitality is really about: people. The book feels practical but also heartfelt, full of real examples and ideas you can use straight away. What I appreciated most is how Cassie brings clarity to something many businesses overcomplicate. It isn’t about gimmicks or trends, it’s about consistent, thoughtful service that makes people feel valued. If you work in hospitality or lead a team, this is well worth your time. Cassie really understands her craft.

Everyone here should buy it. You articulate what we all know but never have the chance to reflect on fully enough to put words to. So on point, there's not a sentence, paragraph, position or statement you make that I wouldn't support and celebrate

I just wanted to say thank you so much. It really echoed the way I feel about hospitality. There were parts where I laughed, parts where I cried, but all the way I was nodding along! It would be the book I would have written, if I had the words!! Chapters 8 and 9 really resonated with me. Fantastic reading. Thanks again

I’ve just finished Stand Out Hospitality and, honestly, wow! you’ve created something really special. I’d never considered hospitality through the lens of Tony Robbins’ six core human needs before, but it makes complete sense. It really landed for me. While there’s so much practical and valuable insight throughout the book, what surprised me most was how often I found myself drifting, in a good way, back to why I fell in love with hospitality in the first place. After years in this industry, I think we can easily forget why we started. Reading this reminded me that when we reconnect with that “why” as leaders, things actually become a lot simpler and more human. I also found your personal story fascinating. I’m sorry to hear about some of the challenges you’ve faced, but it’s clear they haven’t held you back if anything, they’ve shaped something incredibly meaningful. A truly great read. Thank you for sharing this. I’ll definitely be recommending it to others who I know will get as much from it as I did.

I believe passionately about creating true belonging through sharing a purpose and ultimately creating tribes. Your focus on kindness is so needed now more than ever, particularly with operators being kind to themselves first. A great read and powerful foundations for future success.

Such a thoughtful perspective on the true essence of hospitality standards.

I've just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it! Great read and one I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in this sector! 👍

I have just finished reading Cassie Davison, MBA, FBII brilliant new book Stand Out Hospitality and to quote Cassie: “selling food and drink has always had its place, the hospitality industry we know today is built around something deeper: the human need to belong, to connect, and to contribute”. This is our industry’s real value and should be celebrated!

I was hooked from start to finish. Stand Out Hospitality is insightful, thought-provoking, and refreshingly practical. I took away so many ideas I can apply straight to our Airbnbs

Part history lesson, part business advice, part love letter to hospitality, this book is a must read to remind us why we do what we do and help us to do it better!

Cassie Davison captures the beating heart of hospitality – the people, the purpose, and the promise of belonging. Stand Out Hospitality is essential reading for anyone serious about leading with care and creating places people never want to leave. This book is one our industry has been waiting for. A thoughtful, actionable framework that reconnects leadership to empathy and excellence. Every independent operator should have a copy.

Cassie’s belief in the power of hospitality to transform lives is like fuel for those who need to believe it too

I recognised so much from my own experience. The approaches are practical, grounded, and real. A thoughtful, credible read for anyone who’s been in the industry a while.

Bold, honest, and full of heart. It felt like sitting down for a proper chat with someone who just gets it. The personal stories hit hard — and the way Cassie names burnout, doubt, and the messy bits no one else talks about is genuinely powerful.

Great book told from a true life experience and so valuable to anyone in the hospitality Business

A brilliant must read! Honest, raw and above all amazingly helpful and inspiring. 5⭐️

I'm going to leave you this year with a recommendation for a present if you know anyone who earns a living at the coal face.Whether they be a waiter, a washer upper a barman or a manager. they could benefit from reading "Stand out hospitality" by the brilliant Cassie Davison, MBA, FBII . Reminds me muchly of "Setting the table", Danny Meyers game-changing hospitality book of a couple of decades ago. Big companies could do worse than order a few boxes to send out to their managers, it's a really thoughtfully put together and thought provoking collection of ideas. Unlike Danny's excellent book however this is written from a UK perspective, and although Macdonald's operators could benefit from reading it, it's a pubs book really.

WOW! What a book! A Christmas gift from my kids, who know all too well how hard Dad works! Of course, I'm working right through this festive period, and always have & actually love it, but hence I'm still only half way through the book, but as book reading goes for me, this is record breaking progress to be page 103 in after a week... Anyway big takeaways so far, for me: A great few lines on "When business partnerships drift" as someone in business with just shy of a ten people, you realise the mad balance partnerships take... are we pulling in the same direction? A great chapter around "Stand Out" and specifically the noise you have to endure as an operator - "the risk of becoming just another" and "the room of ten" but above all my favourite so far: "surround yourself with excellence" And at this time of year, the chapter "Overwhelm, the weight we carry." which also includes a summary of 7 Common Mistakes we in Hospitality often make... well Cassie - you've just reminded not to repeat them, and sometimes that's exactly what a book does for us, helps us realign and check-in within oneself. Hospitality followers - this is a must read!

I met Cassie at the Excel Hospitality Show earlier this year and she kindly gave me a copy of this book. I made myself wait until I had read every page before I said anything about it publicly. So here we are. I am not a hospitality professional. I am a businesswoman who, with my husband, is opening a community pub in a tiny Scottish village that lost all four of its pubs. I came to this book as an outsider to the industry and it did not matter one bit. Every page felt like it was written for exactly what we are trying to do. I have pages highlighted, circled, and scribbled on throughout. The Five Pillars framework is simple, practical, and genuinely powerful. I have used it to build our entire one page business plan. The chapters on belonging, identity, and telling your story hit particularly hard when you are trying to open a pub that a whole community has been waiting for. What I love most is that Cassie does not pretend it is easy. She is honest about the hard parts, the burnout, the doubt, the moments where you question everything. That honesty makes the practical advice land so much better. If you are opening something, running something, or trying to remember why you started something, read this book. Then read it again with a highlighter. Thank you Cassie. Port William's pub will be better for it.

Her book is totally on point "Stand Out Hospitality" so very very worth a read.

my mind now full of ideas thanks to Cassie’s book being my half term read. Definitely grab a copy, relevant for all industry sectors not just hospitality.

Why buy this book? This is a book on the history and the authors story of The Why and Their Why. Why do we love this Great British institute of the pub and hospitality in this country and how did it begin? How do you navigate with a rapidly changing environment/trends and social media, especially in the world of independent hospitality? This book unfolds all of this for you, not with statistics or number crunching but bringing you back to your purpose your Why and your Why to continue. To remind you of your love of it and why you wanted to begin in the first place. Told through the lived experience of the author, the very highs and lows and even the mediocrity in between. To find your connection and community and the same for your customers, to keep them coming back and for you to maintain your sanity. After all unlike a large corporation you, as independent business owner are navigating and in charge of ALL of the departments and wearing many hats in one day. Its a book for humans about humanity, how we socialise and how that continues to change and how to adapt and keep the love of what you do.

I read this book at a time when my business was getting me down, I needed a break, a boost and a reminder that this is all ok - these are all normal feelings for hospitality! It gave me some inspiration, some hints, tips, tricks of the trade and made me check in with myself. An essential, simple read for anyone working in or running a hospitality business - there are reflections, emotions, actions and hugs buried within these pages. Buy it!

I’ve really enjoyed reading your book. Some great insights and written from the heart – really inspiring. It’s made me want to go out and get back into operations again… not sure if my family would agree that’s a good thing, but never say never!

Having been recommended this book I wondered what more could be said that hadn’t been covered in hospitality books before. I was pleasantly surprised to read something that resonated so clearly with the reality’s of hospitality at the level most of us experience it. It’s not another story of CEOs and Michelin stars, instead focuses on small businesses, single operators and what it takes to succeed without the burnout. For anyone in the Industry that’s just starting out leading a team or needs a reminder of why they choose hospitality and how to get the spark back, this is a must read.

I genuinely loved Stand Out Hospitality. Cassie has a way of cutting through the noise and reminding you what hospitality is really about: people. The book feels practical but also heartfelt, full of real examples and ideas you can use straight away. What I appreciated most is how Cassie brings clarity to something many businesses overcomplicate. It isn’t about gimmicks or trends, it’s about consistent, thoughtful service that makes people feel valued. If you work in hospitality or lead a team, this is well worth your time. Cassie really understands her craft.

Everyone here should buy it. You articulate what we all know but never have the chance to reflect on fully enough to put words to. So on point, there's not a sentence, paragraph, position or statement you make that I wouldn't support and celebrate

I just wanted to say thank you so much. It really echoed the way I feel about hospitality. There were parts where I laughed, parts where I cried, but all the way I was nodding along! It would be the book I would have written, if I had the words!! Chapters 8 and 9 really resonated with me. Fantastic reading. Thanks again

I’ve just finished Stand Out Hospitality and, honestly, wow! you’ve created something really special. I’d never considered hospitality through the lens of Tony Robbins’ six core human needs before, but it makes complete sense. It really landed for me. While there’s so much practical and valuable insight throughout the book, what surprised me most was how often I found myself drifting, in a good way, back to why I fell in love with hospitality in the first place. After years in this industry, I think we can easily forget why we started. Reading this reminded me that when we reconnect with that “why” as leaders, things actually become a lot simpler and more human. I also found your personal story fascinating. I’m sorry to hear about some of the challenges you’ve faced, but it’s clear they haven’t held you back if anything, they’ve shaped something incredibly meaningful. A truly great read. Thank you for sharing this. I’ll definitely be recommending it to others who I know will get as much from it as I did.

I believe passionately about creating true belonging through sharing a purpose and ultimately creating tribes. Your focus on kindness is so needed now more than ever, particularly with operators being kind to themselves first. A great read and powerful foundations for future success.

Such a thoughtful perspective on the true essence of hospitality standards.

I've just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it! Great read and one I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in this sector! 👍

I have just finished reading Cassie Davison, MBA, FBII brilliant new book Stand Out Hospitality and to quote Cassie: “selling food and drink has always had its place, the hospitality industry we know today is built around something deeper: the human need to belong, to connect, and to contribute”. This is our industry’s real value and should be celebrated!

I was hooked from start to finish. Stand Out Hospitality is insightful, thought-provoking, and refreshingly practical. I took away so many ideas I can apply straight to our Airbnbs

Part history lesson, part business advice, part love letter to hospitality, this book is a must read to remind us why we do what we do and help us to do it better!

Cassie Davison captures the beating heart of hospitality – the people, the purpose, and the promise of belonging. Stand Out Hospitality is essential reading for anyone serious about leading with care and creating places people never want to leave. This book is one our industry has been waiting for. A thoughtful, actionable framework that reconnects leadership to empathy and excellence. Every independent operator should have a copy.

Cassie’s belief in the power of hospitality to transform lives is like fuel for those who need to believe it too

I recognised so much from my own experience. The approaches are practical, grounded, and real. A thoughtful, credible read for anyone who’s been in the industry a while.

Bold, honest, and full of heart. It felt like sitting down for a proper chat with someone who just gets it. The personal stories hit hard — and the way Cassie names burnout, doubt, and the messy bits no one else talks about is genuinely powerful.

Great book told from a true life experience and so valuable to anyone in the hospitality Business

A brilliant must read! Honest, raw and above all amazingly helpful and inspiring. 5⭐️

I'm going to leave you this year with a recommendation for a present if you know anyone who earns a living at the coal face.Whether they be a waiter, a washer upper a barman or a manager. they could benefit from reading "Stand out hospitality" by the brilliant Cassie Davison, MBA, FBII . Reminds me muchly of "Setting the table", Danny Meyers game-changing hospitality book of a couple of decades ago. Big companies could do worse than order a few boxes to send out to their managers, it's a really thoughtfully put together and thought provoking collection of ideas. Unlike Danny's excellent book however this is written from a UK perspective, and although Macdonald's operators could benefit from reading it, it's a pubs book really.

WOW! What a book! A Christmas gift from my kids, who know all too well how hard Dad works! Of course, I'm working right through this festive period, and always have & actually love it, but hence I'm still only half way through the book, but as book reading goes for me, this is record breaking progress to be page 103 in after a week... Anyway big takeaways so far, for me: A great few lines on "When business partnerships drift" as someone in business with just shy of a ten people, you realise the mad balance partnerships take... are we pulling in the same direction? A great chapter around "Stand Out" and specifically the noise you have to endure as an operator - "the risk of becoming just another" and "the room of ten" but above all my favourite so far: "surround yourself with excellence" And at this time of year, the chapter "Overwhelm, the weight we carry." which also includes a summary of 7 Common Mistakes we in Hospitality often make... well Cassie - you've just reminded not to repeat them, and sometimes that's exactly what a book does for us, helps us realign and check-in within oneself. Hospitality followers - this is a must read!