Hostess

Hostess is a term with multiple meanings in English. Primarily, it denotes a person who hosts guests at a social event or gathering, and is the feminine form of host. The word traces to Old French hoste and Latin hospes, with usage historically indicating a woman who greets, receives, or manages guests in domestic, ceremonial, or public settings. In modern English, the term is often used for a woman who performs greeting, seating, and coordination duties in hospitality environments. In some contexts the word is becoming less gender-specific, with “host” used as a universal term.

In the hospitality industry, a hostess commonly handles front-of-house responsibilities such as greeting guests, answering inquiries, managing reservations, guiding seating arrangements, and assisting servers and management to ensure a smooth flow of patrons. The role can exist in restaurants, hotels, event venues, and conference settings. In aviation and other travel services, the older term hostess has largely been supplanted by titles such as flight attendant or cabin crew, though historical references to “hostess” remain in cultural descriptions of early commercial air travel.

Hostess Brands refers to the snack-food company known for iconic baked goods including Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, and Hostess CupCakes. The Hostess brand originated from early 20th-century American bakeries that became part of Interstate Bakeries Corporation. Following bankruptcy filings in 2012, the business was reorganized and revived as Hostess Brands, Inc. Today, the company markets a range of packaged snack cakes and related products under the Hostess name.