How hotels are responding to hosting during COVID
Updated:
Covid-19 caused many problems to the tourism industry. One of the sectors suffering the most is the accommodation sector and hotels in particular.
Global forecasts estimate a loss of 100.8M jobs and a US$2.7 trillion decrease in GDP in the tourism and the travel sector (Garrido-Moreno et al., 2021), which makes the impact of COVID-19 5 times (!!!) worse than the financial crisis in 2008 (UNIDO, 2020).
This is the first global pandemic to hit the accommodation and hospitality industry in such a huge manner (Jiang and Wen, 2020).
As shown in the study - Airbnb and hotels during COVID-19: different strategies to survive, Unlike rental apartments, which can be more flexible and change the strategy of business and marketing, with hotels the situation was even more complicated, since most / all of them simply had to close (temporarily and some did not survive and the closure is permanent) due to the coronavirus During 2020.
This year, there are winds of hope, but it is so fragile and dynamic. For example, Hotels in Canada are used to accommodating large groups of guests and tourists, but during COVID (Canadian Organization of Visionary Innovation), this number will increase dramatically.
The event, which occurs once every few years, attracts visionaries from around the world to present their innovations, concepts, and ideas about where the future of technology might lead us.
This year’s conference will be held in Toronto and Montreal, as well as several smaller cities throughout Canada. While attendance numbers are not yet available, it’s expected that COVID will bring in over 50 000 people from around the world.
Keeping Guests Happy During COVID
Although there are countless restrictions placed on accommodations during this period, Hotels can do a lot to make their guests feel welcome, comfortable, and well taken care of.
To keep your clients happy, take advantage of all available amenities - like an in-house restaurant or gym - and offer services that extend beyond basic lodging.
Customer service is paramount here; your staff must be friendly and accommodating during periods of high business volume. Hotels can also help hosts find accommodations by working with temporary housing providers.
Ways to improve your guest experience during COVID-19
Choose quality partners that can understand your unique needs, for example, nearby food outlets and local transportation.
Be sure to communicate your requirements in advance. Let your guests know how they can contact you directly for special needs, emergencies, or other non-standard requests. In general and especially in a challenging period like today.
All this together with maintaining distance, using technological tools to reduce contact (for example, checking in without the need for a hotel representative), extreme care for disinfection and cleanliness, suggested stocking up on antibacterial gel, face masks, and hand soap to make sure all guests and staff will stay as healthy as possible.
Also make sure guests and staff present a vaccination certificate or a negative corona test, more flexible ordering options, and more.
Hotels need to convey as much confidence as possible and infuse an atmosphere of everything under control and despite the situation, we hotels adapt and do everything to serve our guests healthily and safely.