Jeroen van den Berg · 04 May, 2020

So what can we do, really? 

hotels during coronavirus pandemic

There's no denying, hospitality is in deep trouble. We're all living this coursed curve right now so I will spare you the customary paragraph on just how bad things are.

So what can we do to keep revenues coming in & team morale high? 

1. Prioritise the locals

Lockdown will be lifted in stages. Local residents will be out and about much sooner than foreign tourists are likely to want to jump on the plane. We have seen this happen in case of our clients in Asia and we will see it again in Europe and the US. Making today the perfect time to create a proper strategy for engaging with the local residents. Here are two ideas:

  • Create 'staycation' offers. Someone who lives in your neighbourhood may not want to spend a week at the hotel. But they will sure love a 1 or 2-night gateway, with a dinner and spa included. 
  • Take it a step further. Those who are not interested in spending the night will still want to celebrate the end of lockdown some other way. Make sure they celebrate at your restaurant or spa. Create experiences like Sunday Brunch, spa day access, etc., which can be easily sold as gift vouchers too. Contact us to discuss how to make this work quickly.

2. Food takeaway & delivery

Some of our clients, such as Can Bordoy, decided to keep skeleton services going. In this case, the hotel's restaurant, has been transformed into a 100% take-away & delivery model. It's Sunday Brunch with home delivery was a hit this Mothers' Day.

Could this work for you? 

3. Rooms becoming offices?

Slightly "out there", but we hear talk of converting hotel rooms into individual working spaces. Working from home may sound exciting at first, but after a few weeks of conference calls interrupted by children and cats, having an off-site room to lock yourself in for a day sounds like heaven. Have you considered renting out your empty rooms for this purpose only? This would be long-term day-use, so requiring little to none upkeep, but opening a lot of upselling opportunities (room service lunch, etc.). 

Do these ideas sound workable? We'd love to hear from you. Please email Kasia Pankowska and Kasia at hoteltreats.com to share your opinion and add more ideas to the list!