The coronavirus pandemic hit the world hard.
Many industries are still reeling from its detrimental impact. An impact that will see nearly every industry changing the way they do business. The hospitality industry included.
And so, having come to terms with the new reality, we must press on and make do with what we have left.
For the hospitality industry, hotels in this case, pressing on would mean making some big changes in the way they operate.
Some of those changes include:
Cleaning And Sanitization
The number one priority of every business in the post covid-19 world is hygiene.
This is more so for hotels.
Hotel management will have to retrain their staff to maintain a high level of hygiene in the premises. There would need to be round the clock cleaning and sanitization, especially in places with high foot traffic.
In addition to that, hotel management should be open to complying with hygiene regulations given by the local health authorities. This would include the use of medical-grade cleaning materials that are approved for the purpose.
Guests would be on the lookout for hotels with the strictest sanitary practices and would pick hotels where they feel the safest.
Digitalize Process
Human contact is one of the many ways that the coronavirus spreads. And most of the daily operations in a hotel require a lot of human-to-human interactions.
For instance, checking in requires a person to pick up luggage, take payment with credit card, handover keys to guests, and so on.
In a post covid-19 world, hotels will have to go fully digital to reduce human contact.
This could mean:
- Receiving payments from guests before they get to the hotel.
- Automatic lobby doors.
- Mobile room keys.
This may even help hotels reduce the amount of staff that they need, hence maximizing profit.
Look Into Furnishing
Most hotels will have to look into their furnishing and make changes. This would include furniture, fabrics, and amenities in the guest rooms and lobby.
Some other sections and fixtures of the hotel will have to be removed like bars, light switches, and remote controls, at least for the meantime.
Additionally, guests may need to eat their meals in their rooms as opposed to a minibar or restaurant to avoid human contact.
Air Conditioning Upgrade
The coronavirus also spreads through the air. This is why many hotels will have to change out or upgrade their air conditioning system.
Although the virus isn’t considered airborne, it can be spread through droplets from coughing or sneezing. Therefore, every hotel would need an air conditioning system that can efficiently recycle the air in the premises. This means adequate inflow of fresh air and expulsion of stale air.
Make The Best Use Of Space For Social Distancing
Social distancing isn’t just a buzzword; it’s one of the major ways the world has used to flatten the curve.
Hotels in the post covid-19 world would need to put systems in place to ensure social distancing is maintained. This may include restructuring daily operations as well as reordering foot traffic within the hotel premises.
If you have a restaurant in your hotel, here are 5 self-service technologies that can help promote social distancing.
Analysing foot traffic inside the hotel will allow hoteliers to make the best use of available spaces and track occupancy. The data from the analysis will help check that everyone is keeping to the government social distancing regulations.
Disposing Trash And Handling Laundry
If there’s any time hotel staff will be at the highest risk of exposure, it’d be during laundry and trash disposal operations.
And so, it will be pretty important for hotel managers to put systems in place to ensure that staff are safe. Room service staff would be mandated to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling laundry or disposing trash.
PPEs such as face masks and gloves would become part of the ‘dress code’ for staff who handle these operations.
Furnish Guests With Information
To keep your guests safe you need to equip them adequate information about what to do and where to go within the premises.
Hoteliers can do this using pamphlets, brochures, or hand outs. They could also use voice prompts playing over a PA system to repeat certain directives to guests as they move around the premises.
Using voice prompts can save cost on printing large quantities of brochures or handouts. It will also reduce spread of the virus through the paper materials.
On the other hand, hotels can work with large scale printing outfits and get discounts on bulk printing.
In Conclusion
The post covid-19 world will not be too bad. Yes, there will be drastic changes in the way businesses will operate in the hospitality industry.
However, most of the changes may not last forever.
Humanity has battled more terrifying pandemic in the past and survived. We will conquer the coronavirus pandemic and hopefully will be able to return to some of the old ways of doing business.
A few things will stay the same though.
One of such things is the importance of data.
Customer data will always be highly needed to help businesses understand customer behaviour and run more profitable marketing campaigns.
In a post covid-19 world, hotel marketers will need the most accurate customer data they can get if they hope to help their business get back up financially.
And how can you get such data?
There are 2 ways:
- You could either ask each of your customers as they walk into your hotel premises. Or…
- You could use SpotOn Wi-Fi’s marketing & analytics tool.
With SpotOn Wi-Fi, you can gather customer data like name, email, and demographics and on autopilot.
Interested?
Why not contact us now and let’s get you filled in.
POSTED ON September 3, 2020Share:
