Learning to look ahead after learning from the past
Looking ahead requires a look back at what we have learned since the outbreak of the pandemic. How did we react? If we had to roll back the clock, would we have done things differently? Are we wiser now than before? A ‘before’ that is no longer there…where some things may never be the same!
For many of us, nay, to all of us in the business of hospitality, the learning curve that came with COVID-19, were not only steep – it came at a tremendous cost. Not only were the financial ramifications devastating, but also having to deal with uncertainty, anxiety, restrictions, constant changes, fearful employees, and stressed out guests, took a heavy toll.
Much has been said, time and again, about social distancing, mask requirements, enhanced cleaning and housekeeping. Besides all that, the key to successfully keeping your customer base during these traumatic times is to maintain an effective communication strategy that can significantly improve the vitality of your hospitality operation, build trust, and remain top of mind.
The importance of communicating, communicating, and communicating with guests cannot be stressed more. Let them know that you are spending your time effectively and that you are working hard on improvements which will make their next stay at your place safe and enjoyable.
But as much as you reach out to people assuming you’re covered your bases, remember, customers too have their own expectations in their head. Despite your compliance with health and safety best practices, some customers may feel upset by the very well intended protocols in-place, and see them as ‘restrictions’. At some point you may have to draw the line and tell a guest that these are requirements for the well-being of everyone present. How you express or handle the conversation with such customers, without it turning volatile is the challenge. Hence, the ‘new’ level of communication becomes a vital component of operations – one, that we in the industry never had to encounter before.
While it is critical to connect with guests, it is equally crucial to connect with employees. They too are surrounded by waves of stress, anxiety and fear in the workplace – not forgetting the challenges posed in delivering service either from behind plastic barriers or from a distance and wearing masks. Address issues swiftly, keeping your team and colleagues together, crafting new SOPs, setting those ‘to-do’ lists – all the time supporting your people when they shift and adapt to new directions. The balancing of acceptance of failure and rewarding success is pivotal during this turbulent period.
Hoteliers will need to focus on searching for new sources of business. For now, forget Pareto’s law, where the top 20 producing pre-COVID accounts may no longer be active or even be in business. Sales and Marketing initiatives will require reconfiguration. The absence of corporate travel, shift in ‘demand’ days becoming ‘slow’ ones, with only leisure travel on the horizon may necessitate rebuilding your strategy accordingly.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, ex-Hotelier
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