Hospitality spirit does not die: Sustaining, consolidating, and reshaping positive professional identity in times of crisis

Extreme industry crises disrupt hospitality workforces, yet many professionals sustain or reimagine their roles through resilience and purpose. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as an empirical case of prolonged disruption, this study examines how hospitality professional identities (PIDs) are sustained, consolidated, and developed under crisis conditions. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 25 hospitality professionals in the United States who remained or returned to the industry, the findings reveal a set of interrelated identity mechanisms through which crisis intensifies professional meaning-making, commitment, and belonging. These mechanisms inform an interpretive model of individual, collective, and meaning-based spiritual hospitality identities. Hospitality spirit refers to purpose- and values-driven identity grounded in an intrinsic calling to serve offering theoretical insight into how positive PID enables hospitality talent to endure crisis, remain committed, and sustain the spirit of hospitality work overtime.