Hospitality Industry 2020 – The New Normal
The hospitality industry will bounce back, but it will do so with quite a few challenges as customer behavior and demands transform by the post-corona new normal. In the new normal, we will see the hospitality industry forced to change their norms and adapt to the new generation normal by re-looking at every angle of their business.
Pre-pandemic, a guest would probably let lack of sanitization slip by and still review a hotel/homestay decently well. However, post-pandemic, a lack of pristine sanitization SOPs will lead to strong negative reviews. Thus, in order to alleviate these fears, not only do hotels/homestays need to strengthen their housekeeping protocols, but also embellish it.
In the new normal, not just the hospitality industry but also other industries as well as personal safety is noticing a rapid paradigm shift in respect to hygiene. All companies/brands will have to be compelling with their hygiene and safety skills in order to lure guests. In the old normal, we would see brands enticing guests with attractive discounts but in the new normal, we could expect them to allure guests with attractive sanitization gizmos that they are used in order to maintain high levels of hygiene.
Hotels have to keep their common public areas shut for the time being. These include gyms, swimming pools, children’s play area etc. Considering guests won’t have access to these leisure activities, it makes you wonder whether one would even want to check into a hotel if they have to just live inside another four walls space in spite of travelling all the way to another city. However, homestays having their private pools and play areas will manage to provide these amenities and facilities more readily, helping them get a bigger and much deserved pie of the hospitality industry. With just a single caretaker, guests too will feel safer in a homestay as compared to a hotel. A private kitchen at your disposal makes it a cherry on the cake for guests looking for those mid night munchies without thinking twice.
As folks will be travelling together after almost half a year, the journey will be more worthwhile than ever before. Although, these trips won’t be taken as regularly as they used to be and we could see an end of micro-trips. More of experiential stays can be expected in the months to come, as families would be bonding more amongst themselves in their space due to touristy spots being shut for at least another six months we speculate.
In this Covid dilemma, it’s not just brands that have to play the role of honesty and transparency but the guests too have to be more truthful about their whereabouts & well-being. Concealing the truth about their ill health, just to avoid sabotaging their holiday could end up costing them not just their lives but also the lives of those who matter to them. Hence, being temperature screened at the time of check-in could be the last minute savior to them and their close ones.
With the hospitality industry slowly opening up state-by-state, one cannot resist but envisage what a second wave will do to this populous country, which is struggling to meet the ends with the first wave already. Nevertheless, the often-remarkable resilience of Indians is something to look forward to and we are certain that this too shall pass but how soon, only time can tell.
Pre-pandemic, a guest would probably let lack of sanitization slip by and still review a hotel/homestay decently well. However, post-pandemic, a lack of pristine sanitization SOPs will lead to strong negative reviews. Thus, in order to alleviate these fears, not only do hotels/homestays need to strengthen their housekeeping protocols, but also embellish it.
The guests too have to be more truthful about their whereabouts & well-being
In the new normal, not just the hospitality industry but also other industries as well as personal safety is noticing a rapid paradigm shift in respect to hygiene. All companies/brands will have to be compelling with their hygiene and safety skills in order to lure guests. In the old normal, we would see brands enticing guests with attractive discounts but in the new normal, we could expect them to allure guests with attractive sanitization gizmos that they are used in order to maintain high levels of hygiene.
Hotels have to keep their common public areas shut for the time being. These include gyms, swimming pools, children’s play area etc. Considering guests won’t have access to these leisure activities, it makes you wonder whether one would even want to check into a hotel if they have to just live inside another four walls space in spite of travelling all the way to another city. However, homestays having their private pools and play areas will manage to provide these amenities and facilities more readily, helping them get a bigger and much deserved pie of the hospitality industry. With just a single caretaker, guests too will feel safer in a homestay as compared to a hotel. A private kitchen at your disposal makes it a cherry on the cake for guests looking for those mid night munchies without thinking twice.
As folks will be travelling together after almost half a year, the journey will be more worthwhile than ever before. Although, these trips won’t be taken as regularly as they used to be and we could see an end of micro-trips. More of experiential stays can be expected in the months to come, as families would be bonding more amongst themselves in their space due to touristy spots being shut for at least another six months we speculate.
In this Covid dilemma, it’s not just brands that have to play the role of honesty and transparency but the guests too have to be more truthful about their whereabouts & well-being. Concealing the truth about their ill health, just to avoid sabotaging their holiday could end up costing them not just their lives but also the lives of those who matter to them. Hence, being temperature screened at the time of check-in could be the last minute savior to them and their close ones.
With the hospitality industry slowly opening up state-by-state, one cannot resist but envisage what a second wave will do to this populous country, which is struggling to meet the ends with the first wave already. Nevertheless, the often-remarkable resilience of Indians is something to look forward to and we are certain that this too shall pass but how soon, only time can tell.
