About Us

At HospIQ Consulting, we specialize in helping small hospitality businesses like hotels, resorts, restaurants, vacation rentals, and attractions improve operations, drive profitability, and elevate the guest experience. Based in the heart of the Ozarks, we bring hands-on industry experience and tailored solutions to clients across Missouri and the Midwest.

At HospIQ Consulting, we specialize in helping small hospitality businesses like hotels, resorts, restaurants, vacation rentals, and attractions improve operations, drive profitability, and elevate the guest experience. Based in the heart of the Ozarks, we bring hands-on industry experience and tailored solutions to clients across Missouri and the Midwest.

Why HospIQ…

To empower hospitality-driven businesses with practical, intelligent solutions that enhance guest satisfaction, team performance, and bottom-line growth.

Our Mission

We believe that hospitality is more than just service, it’s an experience. Through strategic consulting, process improvement, and personalized coaching, we help our clients focus on what matters most: their guests and their goals.

Meet Klayton

With over a decade of senior-level experience in hospitality leadership, resort operations, and food & beverage management, Klayton Dennis brings a rare blend of hands-on expertise and strategic insight to every client engagement. His career includes entertainment productions management experience with world-renowned cruise lines such as Carnival, Celebrity, and Princess Cruises; transformative leadership at Missouri’s hidden gem Stark Caverns; and hands-on hotel management roles at a new concept resort near Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and across the Missouri Ozarks.

Most recently, Klayton served as Hotel General Manager aboard the American Harmony, an American Cruise Lines vessel, along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, overseeing complex onboard operations with precision, care, and guest-centered strategy. With more than a decade of proven success in high-pressure, multi-departmental environments, Klayton brings unmatched insight into streamlining operations, enhancing team dynamics, and solving business challenges through innovative, data-driven systems.

Klayton founded HospIQ to be more than a consulting firm, it’s a partner to hospitality leaders seeking clarity, growth, and actionable results. His approach blends strategic foresight with operational immersion, delivering practical solutions that empower both teams and bottom lines. He founded HospIQ to give small business owners the tools, strategies, and support they need to work smarter—not harder.

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Our Process

Outline of a phone receiver and calendar with a checkmark, with text reading "Step 1 Free Discovery Call."

We begin every engagement with a complimentary 30-minute discovery call. This allows us to understand your business, listen to your goals, and uncover initial pain points or opportunities.

Icon of a clipboard with a checkmark, a magnifying glass, and a light bulb, with the text 'Step 2 Needs Assessment'

We’ll provide a brief assessment based on your current operations, objectives, and challenges. From there, we identify which service categories or custom solutions best fit your needs.

Line drawing of a document with a dollar sign and lines of text, accompanied by a pen, representing a business proposal, with the text 'Step 3 Custom Proposal' below.

You'll receive a personalized project proposal with clearly outlined scopes of work, timelines, deliverables, and pricing. We aim for clarity, transparency, and results.

Illustration of a laptop with a user icon and text "Step 4 Onboarding & Immersion" indicating a step in a process.

Once approved, we immerse ourselves in your business, whether virtually or on-site. We observe, ask questions, analyze systems, and engage with your team to gather actionable data.

An infographic showing a lightbulb connected to a flowchart, with the text 'Step 5 Strategy & Solution Development'.

We develop comprehensive, customized strategies aligned with your operational goals, brand voice, and customer experience vision. These strategies include SOPs, cost savings plans, marketing tactics, and more.

Guide showing step 6: Hands-On Implementation with an illustration of a hand holding a wrench.

We don’t stop at the strategy, we help you bring it to life. That may include staff training, SOP rollout, coaching sessions, or workflow optimization.

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Who We Help

HospIQ was created for independent hospitality operators looking for affordable, hands-on support in a highly competitive industry. Our clients include:

  • Boutique hotels and resorts

  • Family-owned restaurants and cafes

  • Campgrounds and RV parks

  • Vacation rentals and property managers

  • Tourist attractions and venues

If you’re looking for a fresh perspective or help building better systems, we’re here for you.

Our Services

  • Strategic and operational insight to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and increase efficiency in all areas of your hospitality business.

  • Customized solutions for restaurant, bar, or culinary programs, from back-of-house systems to front-of-house service.

  • Customized strategies to elevate the full guest experience, maximize revenue, and fine-tune operations across boutique inns, resorts, lodges, and vacation rentals.

  • Support for tour-based businesses, guided experiences, and activity-driven operations to improve guest flow, safety, and storytelling.

  • Integrated marketing services that support visibility, conversions, and brand cohesion.