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Change is in the air
As the hospitality sector continues to adapt and evolve to deal with the demands inflicted by Covid-19, long-term changes in traveller behaviour are being revealed. A recent report by STR reveals how aspects such as the booking process have been markedly changed and how travellers have started to prioritise safety, but not to the detriment of their own experiences.
A house in order
Stringent cleaning protocols have always been a vital, but inconspicuous facet of hotel life. Once seen as an operational basic, Covid-19 has only enhanced the importance of thorough cleaning methods, with hotel workers now responsible for safeguarding the health and safety of anxious guests. Will Moffitt talks to Marco Conte, resident manager at Hotel Principe de Savoia and Tanja Ahmed, housekeeping manager at Grand Hyatt Dubai and chair of the UAE Professional Housekeepers Association, about how cleaning is moving from the back to the front of the house, changing the role of the hotel cleaner in the process.
What we did in the pandemic
We have watched, appalled, as Covid-19 spread across the world over the past six months. Schools, factories and offices shut down in an attempt to halt the contagion. And with most people staying at home the foodservice sector lost its purpose – providing hospitality to the hungry and thirsty crowds. Among the wreckage there have been beacons of typical foodservice innovation and generosity. Tina Nielsen talks to some of the protagonists about how they have navigated the rough seas of lockdown.
A learning moment
Recognised by Time magazine as one of the world’s most influential people, Martin Lindstrom is the author of several New York Times bestselling books that have been translated into 60 languages, along with the upcoming The Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses, and Corporate BS. He shares his fears that the industry, and society as a whole, is losing its sense of empathy and common sense.
The point of no return
It is with a huge amount of relief that hotel owners and operators are seeing hotels reopen around the world, but there is a general acceptance that things cannot simply return to normal. One element undergoing fundamental change that comes with design is public spaces, as designers need to take social distancing and new operational requirements into account. Will Moffitt talks to Tom Ito, hospitality leader at Gensler, and James Dilley, director of Jestico + Whiles, about what form this might take for hotels currently under development and the retrofitting of existing properties.
A change of scene
It’s sink or swim for the hotel restaurant. Now is the time for hoteliers to get more creative than ever before and transform operations. Irenie Forshaw talks to director of restaurants and bars for UK and Europe at Ennismore, Lance Perkins, and vice-president for food and beverage strategy and development at Hilton, Emma Banks, about the changes that have been made so far and how restaurants are being reimagined for a post-Covid-19 world.
The picture of cleanliness
Cleanliness and housekeeping have not traditionally been boardroom-level topics of conversation among hospitality’s biggest hitters, but times have changed. Cleaning standards are no longer just seen as an operational basic; they’re the potential source of significant competitive advantage. But how are these changes manifesting themselves and how much should operators publicise practises that have traditionally been hidden from the guest? John Rogers, senior vice-president of brands and franchise operations, EMEA, at Hilton, and Michael Levie, COO of citizenM, share their thoughts with Abi Millar.
The world turned upside down
Having launched the Lonely Planet empire alongside his wife Maureen with the publication of their first guidebook in 1973, Tony Wheeler has witnessed his fair share of change in the travel and tourism sector. He reflects on the potential benefits, as well as challenges, arising from the global pandemic and stresses the importance of international travel as a force for good in the world.
A vision of well-being
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has committed itself to creating a better, healthier and less unjust world in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic through ‘Resetting the World with Wellness’, a movement that establishes a new vision with wellness at its core. As travel and tourism employees around the globe gaze into an uncertain future, senior research fellows at the GWI, Ophelia Young and Katherine Johnston, assess what the pandemic has revealed about current working practises and why employers must put wellness at the heart of how they rebuild their business cultures.
A wake-up call
As the self-branded ‘Hotel Financial Coach’, David Lund has worked in the sector for more than three decades, collaborating with some of the industry’s biggest brands. During that time, Lund has witnessed a lot of change, but none of it compares with the operational transformations he foresees as hotels begin to reopen.