Industry Happenings
HFTP Pivots In-Person Events to Cyber HITEC
HFTP | July 13, 2020
Attendee safety concerns, global travel restrictions and uncertain guidance drive decision to transition from in-person to virtual event. The online event, which will offer education and vendor interaction, will become available on October 27, 2020 and run for one month. AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA (July 13, 2020) — Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) announced today that October’s “Best of HFTP” in-person events will pivot to a virtual “Cyber HITEC.” The in-person event, which included HITEC San Antonio, HFTP Annual Convention, Entrepreneur 20X and Club Forum, was scheduled for October 26–29, 2020 in San Anto...
Travellers Should ‘Wear to Care’ in the New Normal Says WTTC
July 13, 2020
London, UK: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called upon all travellers to don protective face masks to show they ‘wear to care’ in the new normal of travelling. As countries transition from lockdowns to reopening their borders, the wearing of face masks helps signal the return of safer travels, while also providing personal protection for users as well as those around them. The advice from WTTC in favour of mandatory mask wearing comes from evidence that countries which are recovering faster and avoid second COVID-19 spikes are those where the use of face masks have been widely enforced and encouraged. Following...
How Big Hotel Brands Have Stepped Up Their Hygiene Game
July 13, 2020
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have rattled the tourism and hospitality industry. The cancellation of flights, conferences, events and hotel reservations have left the industry in sharp decline, with planned travel down 80-90% and global losses estimated at $300-450 billion. So how can hotels prepare, and step up their hygiene protocols to make their establishment safe and trustworthy? What can smaller hotels and lodging providers learn from the best practices of other hotels who are leading the way? 1. Set clear protocols The first step is to be very clear about the safety guidelines and protocols for your establishment – incl...
Economic Theories on COVID-19’s Impact on Hospitality and Tourism
July 13, 2020
Fever, dry cough, and tiredness. These are the COVID-19 symptoms according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet those are also the textbook symptoms that the world economy is experiencing today. What is missing is a small footnote that says, “By the way, watch out for the return of the Say’s Law”. If we were at the doctor’s, we would then ask: “Is it serious?” The answer would be: “It depends, we don’t know much about it!” Well, why not? COVID-19's negative impact on the aggregate demand and aggregate supply The COVID-19 crisis, like the 2008 crisis, led to a substantial drop in demand: customers don’t consume, gu...
Hilton Introduces Hilton EventReady With CleanStay, Setting New Standards for Event Cleanliness and Customer Service
Hilton | July 13, 2020
SINGAPORE - For more than 100 years, Hilton hotels around the world have set the stage for the world’s most coveted and important meetings, events and entertainment gatherings – from star-laden award shows and movie sets to energetic political conventions, global conferences and wow-worthy weddings. Today, that tradition continues – even at a safe distance. To address safe group travel practices and evolve today’s event experience, Hilton today announced a global, industry-leading cleanliness and customer service program specific to meetings and events. Hilton EventReady with CleanStay is the next phase of the company’s recently ...
Change Is on the Horizon: What’s Next for Marketing in a Post-Pandemic World
Alan Young | July 9, 2020
It is time to shift from "here's why you should buy this service/product" to "here's how we can help" By Alan E. Young Around the world and across industries, marketers now face arguably one of the toughest challenges of their careers. There is, after all, no universally established gold-standard for marketing during a wide-spread pandemic, because a global crisis of this magnitude is hardly ‘textbook’. As the media coverage so often reiterates, we now find ourselves in uncharted territory. Although the importance of brand agility and frequent innovation is well-understood by business owners and B2B marketers, the coronavirus pan...
Hotel Operators Must Be flexible, Be Lean and React Quickly to Change, Says HVS Webinar Panellists
HVS | July 9, 2020
09 July 2020, London: Financing the cost of re-opening the hotel sector was the hot topic tackled in the second hotel webinar organised by global hotel consultancy HVS, legal firm Bird & Bird, EP Hospitality and AlixPartners, which was held yesterday [8th July]. The seminar, with nearly 350 industry executives attending, kicked off with an overview from EP Hospitality chief executive Chris Sheppardson, who said that Covid-19 was “the greatest catalyst for change for the last 60 years”. It’s vital, he said, to share information and communicate as noone has ever experienced anything with such a far-reaching impact.AlixPartners’ m...
Oyo to Focus on Europe, Southeast Asia, India Markets as Travel Restriction Ease
July 9, 2020
Hospitality startup Oyo will focus primarily on European markets, Southeast Asia, and India for fresh bookings as these regions open up domestic air travel and hotels, said a top company executive. Rohit Kapoor, chief executive India and South Asia at Oyo, said its focus markets in the next few months will also depend primarily on country-level occupancy rates and on other parameters including the extent of spread of covid-19 in each geography. The hospitality unicorn has suffered significant damages because of the pandemic, forcing it to cut back expenses and lay off thousands of employees across markets, including Japan, China and its...
Distressed Deals in India’s Hospitality Biz on the Rise
July 9, 2020
Owners of hotels and resorts are dialling real estate consultants in desperate efforts to sell their properties amid the demand destruction in the tourism and hospitality industry from the coronavirus pandemic. These properties, which have gone on sale in the past two months, are valued between ?50 crore and ?500 crore each, and include some of the top domestic and international hospitality brands, according to industry officials. High overheads such as accruing interest on loans and fixed establishment costs have made it untenable for these owners to continue running these properties, they said. “Prospective sale transactions are ava...
Impacts of COVID-19 on the Boston and Cambridge Hotel Industry
July 8, 2020
By RKG Associates and Pinnacle Advisory Group For 2019, Pinnacle Advisory Group estimated that Boston and Cambridge hotels generated nearly $2 billion in rooms revenue, based on a total supply of nearly 25,700 rooms, an average occupancy of 81.4 percent and an average daily rate (ADR) of $259. Over 13,300 people are employed in the hotel industry sector in Boston and Cambridge. Due to the pandemic and the stay-at-home requirements starting in March of this year, demand for hotel rooms has dropped precipitously. On March 31, Governor Baker began a provision of lodging that was defined as a COVID-19 Essential Service, allowing hotels in th...
Hotel Marketing in the Summer of Covid
Larry Mogelonsky | July 8, 2020
By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com) With a vaccine far off, the balance of 2020 and some of 2021 will find us working under a powerful Covid cloud. Marketing is still needed, though, as it’s the lifeblood for driving awareness and generating demand. The summer months and early stretch of fall are critical for maintaining your current audience as well as finding new ones closer to home. While each property will have its own unique circumstances, there are some generalities that you can use to guide your budget planning. Below is a guide, not in any particular order of priority, split into those programs you should av...
Metro Detroit’s Hospitality Industry Employment Hits Record Highs Before COVID-19
The Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) | July 8, 2020
DETROIT, July 8, 2020 - Metro Detroit's tourism and hospitality employment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic reached record levels in 2020 and it was ranked as one of the largest industries in the region and statewide, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau said today. A study by the Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) and commissioned by the DMCVB in February, found that before the pandemic hit, tourism and hospitality contributed 463,840 direct jobs to the metro Detroit economy. Additionally, another 23,000 indirect jobs were tied to hospitality. In a normal year, tourism and hospitality make up about 25 percent of all metr...
Hotel Sentiment Survey Results: What Does Re-Opening Look Like During a Pandemic?
Nicki Graham | July 8, 2020
By Nicki Graham In a recent survey conducted at Cendyn, we spoke with hoteliers from across the globe and asked them how they are managing their re-opening strategy during a global pandemic. As a reminder to all, hotels are in different situations across the globe – not every hotel is closed right now but many were closed for a significant time and are just re-opening or planning to re-open, albeit at a limited capacity. There are also a number of hotels that are closed for the foreseeable future. This survey is focused on re-opening strategies for hotels across the globe and what their priorities are during this uncertain time. We look ...
Covid Uncertainty Does Not Discourage European Hoteliers
Thomas Mielke | July 8, 2020
By Thomas Mielke As the UK prepares for reopening the hospitality industry, AETHOS sought to get a clearer picture of the sentiment amongst branded as well as independent hotel operators. The idea – to contrast the mood of the British hospitality industry with that of a country where hoteliers have already had a little ‘head start’ due to the earlier lifting of restrictions. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Unsurprisingly, with UK hospitality businesses still in lock down at the time of writing, operators felt little sense of control of the situation at hand. Unclear policies and regulations, and questions around the timing...
The Shorter The Better: ‘Quickie Trips’ Are Trending as a Majority of Americans Look to Travel This Summer With Added Precautions
Hotwire | July 8, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2020 - After months of quarantine, Americans are reporting feelings of isolation, burnout and that they are in need of a break, but have yet to take one. A new survey* conducted by online travel site Hotwire® reveals 62% of Americans haven't taken a vacation day since the start of COVID but interest in local travel and shorter trips is rapidly growing. In fact, 72% of Americans are still planning or are interested in summer travel this year, despite taking added precautions to stay healthy. As people slowly look to test the travel waters, Hotwire has teamed up with brain-health expert and New York Times Best Selling A...
Millennial Influencers Will Be Indispensable in Travel Sector Recovery, Says GlobalData
GlobalData | July 6, 2020
Elite and young independent travelers are crucial to the recovery of the travel sector as they are likely to be the first tourists to embark on international travel, however according to a survey by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, *35% of Gen Z and *48% of Gen Y are still extremely concerned about COVID-19. Many travel and tourism influencers are drawn from this traveler group, and what they think of and write about in their travel experiences can be highly useful to travel marketing and so they will be indispensable for destination recovery if utilized effectively. Johanna Bonhill-Smith, Travel & Tourism Analyst...
WTTC Cautiously Welcomes Government’s Decision to Re-Open England’s Borders
July 6, 2020
Gloria Guevara, World Travel & Tourism Council President & CEO, said: “WTTC cautiously welcomes the government’s decision to relax the international arrival rules on July 10 to enable travellers and holidaymakers to travel again. Consumers and those who work within the Travel & Tourism sector have been eagerly awaiting this news. “However, there has been a disappointing lack of co-ordination to ensure the same rules apply at the same time across the whole of the UK. We have learned from the past that a lack of coordination between governments and with the private sector causes long-lasting travel disruption, higher costs ...
Global DMC Partners Shares Insights From Virtual Industry Panel on the ‘New Normal’ for Meetings and Incentives
Global DMC Partners | July 6, 2020
Washington, D.C. – July 6, 2020 – Global DMC Partners (GDP), the leading global network of independently owned destination management companies (DMCs) and creative event experts, held a virtual open forum on Wednesday, June 24. Facilitated by GDP President and CEO Catherine Chaulet, the panel discussion, The Meeting Planner’s New Reality in the “New Normal,” addressed the new challenges that planners face due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s short- and long-term effects on the meetings and events industry. The featured panelists included Becky Cavanaugh, Associate Director, Medical Meetings and Events, Syneos Health; Elliott Grant, Dire...
Data Shows Negative Hotel Guest Reviews Increase During Pandemic
Lodging Interactive and Commingle:Engage | July 6, 2020
PARSIPPANY, NJ – July 6, 2020 - Lodging Interactive, a full-service digital marketing, social media engagement, and reputation management agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry shares its findings on guest reputation management during the COVID-19 pandemic and the results show negative guest reviews are on the rise. “As leisure travelers kick off their summer vacations, we thought it would be useful for hotel operators to consider the guest review data we’re seeing come through our Commigle:Engage reputation management services,” said DJ Vallauri, Founder, President and CEO of Lodging Interactive. “We looked at 100 c...
Safety, Communication, and Sensitivity
The Penn State School of Hospitality Management | July 2, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The COVID-19 pandemic has put intense pressure on the economy, but it has hit businesses in the hospitality sector especially hard. Though these times are unprecedented, hospitality operators have faced a series of crises this century including terrorist attacks, power-grid failures, financial crises, and other epidemics. What can be learned from industry responses to these crises that can inform how to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and unforeseen, future problems? To answer that question, Penn State School of Hospitality Management doctoral student Anqi Luo and Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Asher Director and a...
Benchmarking Can Help Restructure Debt, Avoid Closures
STR | July 2, 2020
During a recent webinar on the impacts of COVID-19 on European hotels, STR Managing Director Robin Rossmann drew on his experience at Deloitte and shared with viewers an important practical application of benchmarking. No hotel has escaped the COVID-19 pandemic unscathed, which may make performance benchmarking appear less important. Rossmann warned against such complacency, reminding listeners, “that day will come” when lenders and lessors undertake restructuring analyses. When that happens, benchmarking will be more important than ever. Downturns cause financial distress Downturns of any nature can cause hotels or hot...
Unconstrained Voices – Staying Positive in the Face of Adversity
Klaus Kohlmayr | July 2, 2020
By Klaus Kohlmayr For everyone whose lifeblood is the hotel industry, the last few months have been heartbreaking. Of course, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc and unimaginable pain and hardship for countless people around the world, but we could never have imagined seeing the entire world stop traveling completely. I experienced this disruption firsthand while on vacation in New Zealand, having to scramble to find a safe place to “shelter” for an extended period of time, with travel restrictions and flights changing literally by the hour. Despite being trapped Down Under—mind you, I can think of far worse places to be stuck in limbo—m...
Tourism Tidbits: Fundamental Questions to Ask When Developing a Tourism Business Plan in an Age of Pandemics
Dr. Peter Tarlow | July 2, 2020
By Dr. Peter Tarlow Traditionally, the summer months are a great time to see where one’s business is headed and what future challenges it will have. In this period of rebuilding after so much of the tourism has closed down, the need for a new and updated business plan is more important than ever. Perhaps the number one reason why a tourism business fails be that business a place of lodging, an attraction, a place of dinning, or a form of transportation, is the lack of a well thought through business plan. All business ventures are risky, but as we have seen in this period of pandemics, tourism businesses often have special challeng...
Do Not Let Covid Infect Your Brand
Keith Kefgen | July 1, 2020
By Keith Kefgen The first thing that came to mind when Marriott International furloughed two-thirds of its corporate and property staff was – Is this going to severely impact the Marriott brand and the relationship with their most important asset: PEOPLE. Many blue-chip companies in hospitality, gaming and travel followed suit. These same companies have spent untold millions over the past decade building both a customer and an employment brand. Would their reputation be severely impacted in ninety days? I sought the expertise of my friend Anshuma Lal, founder of branding agency Human Made NY, to weigh in on the issue. Here is what she ha...
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Today's News
HFTP Pivots In-Person Events to Cyber HITEC
Economic Theories on COVID-19’s Impact on Hospitality and Tourism
Hospitality Financial Leadership: The Paper Can’t Talk
How Big Hotel Brands Have Stepped Up Their Hygiene Game
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