The global pandemic of COVID-19 has been impacting lives all across the globe. Probably the first time any epidemic has been taking a toll on people regardless of geographical boundaries. Coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19)has been affecting the lives of people in all nations. No country has been able to stay immune in this situation.
The situation has become so bad that every other day, new resources and businesses are collapsing. The death toll keeps on rising despite the lockdown imposed in several nations.
The primary reason for such an increment in the death toll is the undetected nature of it. There are not sufficient testing kits and no vaccination at all.
Hotel Business From The effect Of Corona Virus
Hotels and tourism-related businesses are getting profoundly affected during this pandemic period. People have asked to stop from gatherings and stay in lockdowns, which are creating a significant hole in the income of hotel businesses.
Reasons Hotel Business is Suffering in Coronavirus Outbreak
- National Lockdown has prohibited people from traveling
- A business meeting has been canceled leading to people not entertaining their visits
- Transportation is also on a lockdown which means that the last means of movement are also restricted
The shares of hotel businesses have been falling by 2% every passing week. With no marketing and committing to pay, the employees have created a massive gap in their income. Some people have been facing the worst crisis in their business history. This is the lowest downfall they have seen.
Although social distancing is good for the country, it is severely crippling the hotel industry with a huge blow. Even with help from the government, these businesses are facing a massive let down.
Hotels are releasing official statements about how they want to prioritize the health and safety of all their guests and travelers. Still, the economic blow is not out of anyone’s mind.
Sitting and cribbing about the pandemic would do less than nothing. Let’s help you out with a few solutions which will help your business survive in these tough times.
Take all Sanitary Measures | Hotel Business
When you study hotel management, the best colleges in Kolkata teach you what you should do.
- Use alcohol-based sanitizers
- Ask all your employees to wear masks
- Keep the minimal social distance from all your guests
- Sanitize the doors, floors, and familiar places as much as possible.
Offer Your Trusted Guests Gift Cards or Pre-Bookings
Every hotel has a set of guests who trust them and choose them over and over again. Your hotel might also have some set of guests who you can count upon. Even if not that, there can be one-time visitors who had a good experience and would not hesitate to visit again.
- The gift coupon or gift card should have some enticing offer, which will make them purchase it now.
- Keep the validity of that coupon to be lifetime so that customers feel secure while making the purchase.
- Market it as a holiday or vacation gift card so that they can gift it someone whose birthday falls in this pandemic period
Making a decent amount of sale for these gift cards would help you raise funds, which would help with paying the employee salaries for the time being at least.
Do Not Go for Sudden Price Drops
The hotel community needs to stick together at this point. You will need o talk with your competitors and peers and ask them to keeps the rate stable. After all, when he lockdown is over, and movement is healthy, it makes no sense to drop the prices extravagantly low.
If you look at past global or national crises where the hotel businesses suffered, never once did any hotel went ahead and dropped their prices to an extreme low. It just creates more suspicion among the people.
Therefore, tread lightly and do not hesitate to cooperate with your fellow hotel owners.
Managing Cancellations Wisely
The sudden lockdown must have bombarded you with tons of cancellations. Now, how you can manage them efficiently will make you different from an ordinary hotel.
A lot of people choose refundable bookings, in which case you are legally obliged to return them the money. However, in desperate times like these where the business is almost nullified, and you still have to pay employees, you need to take other measures.
In this way, you are ensuring the amount stays in your account and a re-visiting customer as well.
Do not forget to be polite, well-spoken, and kind to the people while taking up cancellations.
Market your hotel as a quarantine center as of now
Desperate times call for drastic measures. It is more accurate for hotel businesses than anything. You need to advertise your hotel as the epitome of sanitization and cleanliness. Tell your audiences that the food is delivered at doorsteps, and no human contact is made for 5 feet distance.
They can stay in their rooms safely and protected from the outside world. If people think that staying in a hotel would just cost more, then bring out discounts for long term staying and saying that you will not have to cook or clean on their own.
That would surely get some people to sign up. Also, let them know that particular floors or areas are sealed to ensure that not too many guests crowd and impact social distancing.
A couple of hotels in the USA have tried this, and their business is relatively stable. That is what you need to focus on right now.
Conclusion | Hotel Business
It surely is one of the most challenging times for everyone in the hotel industry. Being one of the highest earners of the nation, it has now suffered a big punch in the gut. Then surely, we can overcome this pandemic.
Try communicating with them by attaining a personal touch via emails, newsletters, social media posts, etc. Leave no stone unturned because this is your business at the frontline.
This surely is a crisis, but no crisis is permanent, and we can ride this on the other side by taking all the precautions. Make sure you keep the essential tips in mind, and your business will stay afloat on the other side of the Coronavirus outbreak.
