Where "resilience" takes on a totally different meaning

When news of the coronavirus emerged last December, the conversation on the street was like “Oh, we've been through this before, remember SARS? “Or “We came back strong after the last terrorist attack, didn’t we?” And then, in late January 2020, the tone changed. Even those in their fifties began to say “I've never seen anything like this. This is really terrible.”

The coronavirus outbreak will eventually go away. When that will happen is uncertain. What is certain however is that post COVID - 19, returning to the original form and business model prior to the pandemic, may not immediately work for some…including for many in the hospitality trade.

Experts predict that the travel & tourism industry would take longer to readjust, depending heavily on passengers’ fears after the pandemic ends. It will be incremental growth at a painfully slow pace and will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen, even after 9/11, and, a lot of it will hinge on passenger fear.

People will likely be stir crazy when ‘stay-at-home’ orders are removed. However, been fearful of travelling by plane, almost everyone will seek to travel locally. This time though, it’s entirely different from a terrorist situation, like what we experienced on Easter Sunday last April.  Incidents like that push tourists away immediately. However, after a short period, local life springs back vibrantly. That’s when everyone talks about chasing domestic tourism and when people begin leaving their homes again, hoteliers that can reach these local guests will be better positioned to drive some revenue.

Reaching out will require a paradigm shift in accepting the new realities. Like the fear of flying, tomorrow’s customer is inherently afraid of high-touch spaces. No longer would they flock to be seen in the lobby of an international hotel lobby or take the elevator if pushing buttons cannot be avoided.

• Small will signal safety. The lack of size is itself a boundary that invites fewer human interactions and less crowded spaces: hence small or boutique hotels stand to gain.
• Properties that are in close proximity to one’s home and yet are located in a seemingly remote geographically appealing area with opportunity to pursue nearby leisure activities, will appeal to the staycations crowd.
• Hotels with large restaurants filled to capacity are a ‘no go’. Such hotels will need to redo their seating layout to increase the gap between dining tables / groups. (New York reduced venue seating to 50% of their capacity. It would be interesting to see how Sri Lanka enforces restaurants & bars to support social distancing).
• Staggered hours of dining may have to be applied to control traffic flow that otherwise can lead to mass groupings.
• Buffets are a concern. No longer will diners throng the food counters to jostle and peer over each other’s shoulders to see what’s available.
• Being served will replace self-service, where waiters in masks handing over disposable menus whilst wearing gloves will not be an uncommon sight.
• The curtain of invisibility on housekeeping will be lifted as the ‘theatre of cleanliness’ will take centre stage, with staff taking to regularly cleaning the front desk and lobby areas even during peak check-ins/check-outs.

The above are some of several tactics hotels and restaurants will need to adapt. Only those who accept and embrace the new resilience will be the ones that will move forward.

Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer,  Ex-Hotelier.

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