The future of the Hotel Industry post Covid-19

Team Udayavani, Aug 31, 2020, 4:25 PM IST

The current pandemic crisis caused by Covid-19 will have lasting effects in the hotel industry worldwide. Normal restaurant operations have screeched to a halt around the globe

Like so many industries, hospitality will also see both subtle and substantial shifts in the post-pandemic era

Hotels have a key role to play in ensuring that domestic travellers feel safe and to achieve this they will have to come up with a plan

For the sector to bounce back once the operations resume, the industry has to come up with new policies and concept and reboot its services, giving priority to health and hygiene.

Hotels will now be chosen basis the levels of safety and hygiene instead of the fancy perks. Thermal screening at entry gates, display of ‘safe’ status in Aarogya Setu app for staff and guests, wearing of masks for everyone will be mandatory for hotels.

The main consideration post Covid-19 will be on health and safety which translates into hygiene and sanitation issues of the hotel. The key is to provide physical evidence of the hotel’s concern for health and safety.

Also, Trust will play a huge role in travel recovery globally, hotels will have to set up certain safety protocols. For example, Singapore has launched the “SG Clean” stamp and reputed hotels such as Accor have publicly launched ramped up cleaning protocols across their properties.

Experts also suggest the use of technology to limit human interaction. Hotels can have self check-in procedures etc

According to ET, as most of the customers are demanding for touchless features, guest mobile apps should be able to connect to all buttons and switches in the room to avoid using fingers for touch. It would include controlling the room temperature, switching on lights, controlling the temperature of the shower, remote for the television etc

Cloud technology and machine learning algorithms can both significantly enhance the efficiency of any restaurant operation and ensure services are best tailored to meet guests’ needs.

Amid the pandemic, travellers are worried about any future uncertainty and Hoteliers can mitigate this with flexible cancellation and re-booking policies.

Also, the staff positioned should be experienced, multi-skilled and loyal employees. Self-service as far as possible should be encouraged to reduce human contact.

Amid this, there has been debates over whether people are willing to travel or not. But, as reported by Live mint, A global future travel survey conducted in April 2020 by Preferred Hotels &amp reveals people want to travel with around half of the people ( more than 50 percent) across countries worldwide.

The survey reveals that 75 percent of respondents plan to travel with family, having spent so much time apart; they are ready to reunite with loved ones. It added that more than 50 per cent people intend to travel regionally or domestically while 40 per cent still want to travel to another continent.