OUR FIELD
NOTES

Last updated in February 2026

The Living Study

Field Notes is The Guest Whisperer’s ongoing study of emotional hospitality.

Part research.
Part reflection.
Part archive.

It gathers observations from our riverside cabins — places where hospitality is not theorised, but tested in practice.

A Living Laboratory

The cabins operate as living laboratories.

Real guests.
Real weather.
Real use.

Each stay reveals something:

  • Where the nervous system settles

  • Where cognitive load lifts

  • Which details are remembered

  • Which gestures build trust

Field Notes captures these patterns, not to romanticise them, but to understand them.

The cabins are more than places to stay. They are our living laboratories - spaces where the art of emotional hospitality is tested, observed, and refined.

Every guest leaves behind traces of their story…

Sometimes in words on a page.
Sometimes in silence.
Sometimes in gestures that ripple long after they’ve gone.

What Repeats

Across years of guest books, certain themes surface consistently:

Calm.
Light.
Belonging.
Unexpected rest.

The language varies. The feeling does not.

“Perfect. Just stay in and don’t leave the Boathouse - watch the tide and enjoy the peace.”

“This place has been a lovely tonic for us during a difficult time.”

These are not testimonials.
They are signals.

From Observation to Practice

For hosts and hotels, Field Notes reveals the patterns beneath the praise.

It examines:

  • Why certain rooms regulate faster

  • How small changes alter behaviour

  • Where restraint outperforms abundance

  • How emotional depth translates into loyalty

Many insights emerge through tiny experiments - small, reversible adjustments made and observed over time.

An Ongoing Inquiry

Field Notes documents learning in public.

What we notice.
What we test.
What surprises us.

Hospitality evolves. So does this study.

Read On...

“The best hosts hold space, notice the detail, and leave room for the guest to become part of the story.”

Research with a Human Pulse

Alongside these reflections, we’re conducting qualitative research - a quiet data set with a human heartbeat. It’s a way of measuring not just satisfaction, but sentiment.

TGW’s research draws on more than 400 guest stays, using text analysis and field observation to identify emotional patterns:

  • 73% of guests mention calm or peace.

  • 61% mention light or view.

  • Over half describe a sensory detail - sound, texture, or scent - as their lasting memory.

Together, these notes and numbers form the foundation of our ongoing study into what makes a place feel as though it belongs to you, even temporarily.

“We’ve absorbed the peace, the calm, the ease, and loved looking at found items. I’m going home to re-sort my kitchen shelves.”
- Jenny & Pete

“Wow - what an amazing place. I’m writing this at the table watching the tide come in, with the morning sun reflecting off the water and wading birds looking for their breakfast.”
- Unnamed guest

Emerging Patterns

Most guests describe not luxury but feeling: stillness, texture, rhythm.
Their words reveal the emotional architecture of a stay — the invisible structures that create calm, trust, and belonging.

Our current research explores:

  • How light, ritual, and sensory cues influence emotional restoration.

  • How physical imperfection can heighten comfort.

  • How memory and material intertwine to create intimacy.

“The best hosts hold space, notice the detail, and leave room for the guest to become part of the story.”

From Reflection to Practice

These reflections form the foundation of TGW’s practical work — the tools and guides that help others begin their own journey toward emotional hospitality.
From the data, the diary, and the lived guest experience come resources designed to help you host — or lead — with more depth and awareness.

Tools & Resources

For those looking to begin — or begin again.

  • A reflective print workbook for hosts at a crossroads — part mirror, part map.

    DOWNLOAD GUIDE

  • Short films and conversations exploring the emotional art of hosting.

  • Collected essays, studies, and reading lists on hospitality, psychology, and design.

  • Seasonal reflections and quiet insights from the TGW world — delivered slowly.

Start here…