As we are all well aware, hotels, guest houses, tour companies and the like are experiencing substantial revenue losses due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and “normal life” as we know it is essentially over. The after-effects of this pandemic will linger on for at least two years according to some experts and the fear of traveling and social distancing enforcement will not go away any time soon.
We face an extraordinarily challenging situation and it’s going to take creativity and solid planning to persevere. In a recent article published by Hospitality Net, Professor Ishmael Mensah suggests that hotels adopt survival strategies against COVID-19 and take destiny into their own hands, STARTING TODAY!
We love how he used the acronym COVID to explain each one of his 5 recommended strategies and believe it can be helpful to any accommodation establishment who needs to put a plan in place to tackle this crisis.
Here is a quick summary:
1. Cost-cutting: Managers must identify non-essential services and areas with significant declines in demand during this period and mark them for cost-cutting in order to minimize or eliminate losses.
2. Orderliness: The new normal includes social distance and health protocols which must be religiously adhered to. Orderliness here includes sanitation, health and safety as well as operational procedures.
3. Virtualization: Another aspect of the new normal is that we must as much as possible avoid social contacts and live in a virtual world. Fortunately, advances in Information and Communications Technology makes this possible to connect throughout the customer journey.
4. Integration: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every hotel. To deal with the pandemic, there is a need for hotels to integrate their efforts and embark on common programs that will benefit all hotels at a destination.
5. Domestication: The reality is that the tourists are no longer coming because borders and airports have been closed, cities are on lockdown, flight restrictions have been imposed and travel advisories have been issued. For hotels to survive, they must reach out to the local residents through innovative promotional packages.
If you have 10 minutes to spare today, go read the full article here.
Credit: Ishmael Mensah is an Associate Professor at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast.