Revival Of Hospitality Industry In Post-COVID Landscape
The hospitality industry was one of the worst-hit sectors in the aftermath of the coronavirus storm. As travel and tourism were indefinitely disbanded owing to the global lockdown, the hospitality industry had a little option left but to bide its time and hope for things to even out in their due course. The Government of India has now deemed fit for various industries to emerge gradually from the rubble, provided they strictly comply with the various guidelines mandated by the health fraternity. With the COVID-induced lockdown severely arresting the hospitality sector’s operation and revenue proceeds during the lockdown months, the sector has a large and gaping void to fill.
Patience is virtue
As health authorities monitor the COVID situation with the utmost profundity, it is absolutely pertinent for hoteliers and hospitality entrepreneurs to patiently await the green signal. They must refrain from any reckless urge to recommence their operations unless instructed by the authorities as any hastiness on part of the sector can prove to be disastrous. The hospitality ecosystem in the country should abstain from pushing forth their services, no matter how tempting it may appear. Prudence dictates that it would bode well for all hospitality sites to open bookings till the end of the year and persuade their guests to plan for the future accordingly.
The game must change
The post-pandemic world will definitely call for a major transition from past policies. In the remarkably changed setting, the hospitality players will need to exercise flexibility on all refund and rescheduling policies owing to the massive change in consumer consciousness. The industry must ensure that all general policies pertaining to services, restrictions and regulations for the guests are thoroughly evaluated by the government. It should be open to receiving suggestions from various industry expert panels and their customers and adjust their operations accordingly. Due to the widely unknown nature of the novel pandemic, most proposals highlighting the next best move for the industry are frequently speculative in nature. Since it is akin to journeying across hitherto uncharted expenses, the best teacher in this scenario is the experience itself. The segment should assess and act with accord to the experiential feedback as necessitated.
Sanitisation is the key
Sanitisation and meticulous disinfection of all sites and premises and is undoubtedly the most essential factor for hotels across the world, currently. It is also important for hoteliers to realise that a brand’s sanitisation finesse holds an actionable selling point and they must convert into an object of review. Hospitality brands should request their patrons to review their sanitisation services on their websites, as it will be the single most crucial criteria on which businesses will be evaluated. It goes without saying that the sector should warrant uncompromised safety of all on-site staff, patrons, guests and visitors. The brand that unequivocally adheres to all the necessary safety and sanitisation mandates to the core will obviously emerge as the favoured market choice as the hospitality sector thrives on word of mouth.
Adapt and overcome
It is essential to expand operations and services with regard to the changing requirements of the present. This aspect can be better illustrated from the fact that Dmitri Syrkin-Nikolau, a pizza maker based out of Chicago, Illinois has ingeniously resorted to utilising his wood-fire oven to forge acrylic face-shields for the city’s doctors and nurses as part of their essential PPE kit. The pizza maker simply applied the same principles of baking pizzas to fashion protective equipment depending upon the need of the times. Similarly, hospitality brands instead of pivoting towards new business frontiers should instead seek to adaptively realign their services to objectively contribute towards social welfare. This is something that both customers and critics will appreciate the most.
This is a tailor-made time to experiment with the new demand channels as hotels can offer their rooms for offices, quarantine centres or research facilities owing to the need of the hour. Businesses that locate the optimum fit will witness monetary reprieve even in inertia and furthermore, aid in salvaging a safe draw in this economic hiatus.
The promising way forward
No matter the changes that are brought into the fold, brands must ensure that the desired communication pitches reach their prospective customers through social media and other marketing mediums. It will also help in easing clarity in communication with the guests if the hospitality sites outline the various precautionary dos and don’ts on interactive posters placed at various vantage points across the premises. Any sort of change that is brought about can be utilised as a selling point to attract both new and old clients. There is always a good chance that the various changes manifested might catalyse the discovery of a new target group.
Though the damage hurled by the pandemic to the industry was significant, to say the least, there is indeed a ray of hope that resonates across the sky. The damage can be undone and the losses can be recovered if the hospitality sector unites into a cohesive whole and embarks forward with utmost caution and wisdom.
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