To be great, a hotel needs a team -- both management and front-line staffers – with emotional intelligence. This means intuitive people sense, empathy, and genuineness.
There's the phrase "hospitality personality," which goes further than cheerfulness. That's important, but so are natural kindness, graciousness, humor, and joie de vivre. A person who quietly makes guests feel comfortable and important.
A great, five-star hotel employee also thinks things through. He or she has a sense of priority, attention to detail, practicality, follow-through and efficiency.