Why We Need to Disconnect Sometimes
I just got back from two weeks in the South of France with my family. Very limited Slack (I wish I could have say zero..). No dashboards. No half-days sneaking in email.
Just time. Space. Sun. Kids. "Apero" with friends.
And honestly? I didn’t realise how much I needed it until about day 6, when my brain finally stopped racing.
It made me reflect on something I think a lot of hotel leaders struggle with: we’re always on. And it’s not sustainable.
I Didn’t Feel Burned Out... Until I Stopped
Like many people in our industry, I pride myself on output. Helping clients hit targets. Spotting patterns in data. Thinking ahead of the market.
But somewhere along the way, I continue to confuse constant thinking with clear thinking.
About halfway through my holiday, I noticed something strange: I started having better ideas. Not forced, not scheduled, just emerging. Strategic stuff. Creative stuff. Questions I hadn’t made space to ask in months.
Turns out, my brain just needed some slack in the system.
Pausing Helped Me Zoom Out
I wasn’t staring at reports or obsessing over RevPAR or distribution issues. But I was thinking about:
- What’s really driving performance in the hotels we work with?
- What decisions have I been postponing?
- What do I want Q4 (and 2026) to feel like, for my team and myself?
Those thoughts didn’t come during the year’s busiest weeks. They came while walking through a small village market, or floating in the sea watching my kids playing in the waves.
Sometimes distance is the only way to see clearly.
We Talk About Performance but Forget Recovery
If you work in revenue management or hotel leadership, you're measured by results. Fair enough. But let’s be honest:
- Our industry celebrates hustle.
- We reward responsiveness.
- We don’t give much space to pause, reflect, or reset.
But high performance needs both output and recovery. Just like athletes train and rest, leaders need time offline to stay sharp. You can’t optimise if you’re always reacting.
The ROI of a Proper Break
Since coming back, I’ve noticed real differences:
- I’m making faster decisions: because my head is clear.
- I’m delegating better: less caught in the weeds.
- I’m more present with clients and the team: not distracted by 10 other tabs.
And most importantly: I feel grounded again.
That’s a word we don’t use enough in business. But it’s key to resilience. And if the market turns, or volatility spikes (as it always does), grounded leaders don’t panic. They steer.
A Small Nudge to You
If you’re reading this and you haven’t disconnected in a while, not a “working holiday,” but a real one, consider this your nudge.
You don’t need two weeks in Provence. Even two days offline can help. But here’s the trick: you have to actually switch off.
Let your brain slow down. Let your nervous system reset. Give yourself space to think without pressure.
You might be surprised what comes up.
One Last Thought
When I talk to high-performing GMs or revenue directors, they’re rarely struggling because they don’t care or aren’t skilled.
More often, they’re overloaded. Tapped out. Running at 100% capacity, all the time.
My takeaway from this break is simple: disconnecting isn’t a luxury, it’s a leadership tool. And I’ll be using it more intentionally going forward.
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