The COVID-19 pandemic shook the lodging industry particularly hard and turned many hotel businesses upside down. But, like a shaken snow globe, the post-COVID-19 landscape may be as good or even better than before the pandemic — because people are, and will always be social animals.
And whether they prefer a big-city hotel run by a global chain, a lodge at a ski resort, or a quiet bed-and-breakfast, people will always want to “getaway.”
Hotels will first have to focus on cleanliness and safety certifications, and technology will be a big part of how that is achieved, “Pre-COVID, all these tech features were offensive in nature,” Perez-Alvarado said. “They’re defensive now. You better get on it.”
As data from travel advertising technology company Koddi show, safety matters:
But eventually, that might change, as people will likely start refocusing on convenience if they haven’t already.
Basically, what COVID-19 did was remind those in the hotel business of a fundamental business principle: Listen to the customer. “Making the guest feel comfortable, no matter the situation, is and always will be the aim of a hotel and its staff,” said Terry King, a regional director at the technology, security, and investigative consulting firm Guidepost Solutions.
The knockdown punch:
For Hilton, which offers nearly a million rooms in more than 6,200 properties across 118 countries, second-quarter revenue per available room — or RevPAR, a key financial metric in the hotel industry — tumbled 81% from the same period a year ago, as the company swung to a net loss of $430 million from net income of $260 million.
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