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Hotels must not drop rates to
increase occupancy, instead they should adapt to ‘new normal’ - embracing
innovative technologies and being creative with offerings
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Global set of transparent hospitality standards
relating to health, safety and hygiene will be key in regaining trust of travellers
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2 June 2020: Developing
a global set of transparent hospitality standards relating to health, safety
and hygiene will be key to regain the trust of travellers in a post COVID-19
landscape, a panel of industry experts explained during the opening day of Arabian
Travel Market’s inaugural virtual event, ATM Virtual.
‘The Hotel
Landscape in a Post-COVID-19 World’ session which took place on
Monday 1st June, discussed the importance of hotel brands providing
both hospitality workers and consumers with confidence that their property, and
indeed the wider destination, is safe and secure to visit.
Tim-Cordon-senior-area-vice-president-for-middle-east-africa-radisson-hotel-group
The panel which was moderated by industry consultant Gemma
Greenwood, also included Tim
Cordon, Senior Area Vice President for Middle East & Africa, Radisson
Hotel Group, Christopher
Lund, Head of Hotels, Colliers International, Middle East &
North Africa, Simon
Casson, President of Hotel Operations, EMEA, Four Seasons and Raki
Phillips, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
Raki-Phillips-ceo-ras-al-khaimah-tourism-development-authority
“There has never been a global pandemic of this scale in
modern times, building confidence will be key as we look ahead to the
post-COVID-19 hospitality recovery. Not only is it important that our workers
have confidence that their health and wellbeing is of prime importance, but for
consumers too. They will need full reassurance that our properties are safe,
secure and following the highest standards when it comes to hygiene and
cleanliness,” said Cordon.
“Our properties rely predominantly on corporate and
business travel. So, having a global standard will be essential before we start
to see large organisations send their employees all over the world again. It is
important that everyone can understand that what’s being offered is consistent
and trustworthy.”
While the global pandemic has severely impacted the hospitality industry
worldwide, the MENA region alone has witnessed an estimated 42% decrease in
occupancy since March, according to the latest data from Colliers
International, with many people forced to cancel or postpone their travel plans
in the first half of the year.
Phillips said: “Our industry is very resilient and will recover
and for this reason it’s important that hotels don’t drop their room rates.
Tourists will come back, we are already seeing this in Ras Al Khaimah where we
are lucky to have large, spacious resorts with some offering private villas,
making the implementation of social distancing measures much easier. Hotels
need to adapt to a new normal with increased sanitisation at the forefront,
while being creative with their offerings and embracing innovative technologies
which can help differentiate them from their competitors.”
Travellers still want to go on holiday, but safety has now become a top
priority over price, location, facilities, and services. In
preparation for the resurgence, it is crucial hospitality companies can provide
consumers with peace of mind by implementing and virtually showcasing the
stringent hygiene and deep cleaning procedures performed rigorously across
their properties.
“One way of achieving this consumer trust, and I believe
the hospitality industry in the UAE is leading the way in this respect, is by
partnering with accreditation agencies such as the Bureau Veritas to ensure
your property is following disinfectant and sanitisation protocols implemented
by government bodies and abiding by the highest levels of hygiene. Passing
these audits provides your property with a label that guests can view and take
reassurance from,” said Lund.
“In addition, the implementation of immersive technologies
that provide potential guests with virtual 3D tours of properties, as well as
phone apps which allow you to enter your hotel room, change the temperature,
call the elevator, book excursions and order room service are going to be vital
in helping hotels recover and stand out from their competitors.”
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| Simon-Casson-president-of-hotel-operations-emea-four-seasons |
Casson added: “At Four Seasons we have been spending a lot
of time exploring how the new guest journey, from the moment they arrive to the
moment they leave, will look. While we are doing everything we can to ensure
the wellbeing and safety of our guests, it’s important that we continue to work
with our local partners, such as airlines, airport transfer providers and
activity and tour guides, to ensure they are abiding by the same level of
santisation and hygiene. Consistency across the entire experience is key.”
The hospitality industry will be a recurring
theme throughout the three-day virtual event and will include a series of
roundtables including ‘Will hygiene surpass price, facilities and services, in
the ‘new normal’ hotel experience’, ‘Effects that COVID-19 could have on
food-driven travel’ and ‘The Changing Face of Luxury Family Travel’.
The third and final day of the debut ATM
Virtual will feature an
interview with Wizz Air CEO, Joszef Varadi, taking place
from 10:00am – 10:45am GST (7.00am – 7.45am BST), while the International
Travel Investment Conference summit, will discuss sustainable
investment measures for the Middle East travel and tourism sector to restore
travellers’ confidence post-pandemic.
A webinar titled ‘What
are you doing to energise your operational performance?’, which
will discuss the power of data analytics in helping to maximise performance and
the responsible tourism session, ‘The
Implications of Covid-19 for Responsible Hospitality’, will
also take place on day three.
Concluding the event is the Influencers’ session titled ‘Make
Your Connection: Influencers as a Key Part of the Marketing Mix – COVID-19 The
Road to Recovery’. This session will feature a panel of
prominent travel and lifestyle influencers discussing the importance of
creating relevant, engaging, and impactful travel and lifestyle content in the
current climate of best practices. A special networking event focusing on the
Influencer Tourism market will follow.
