I will keep my rants for some other day. Let’s talk about the topic at hand today.

On 24th November 2021, South Africa reported a heavily mutated version of the coronavirus — Omicron. And today, it is fast spreading all over the world.

According to various reports, Omicron has been confirmed in more than 25 countries and the number of cases are expected to spike significantly.

Now, amid all of these hotchpotches, there are rising concerns in the hospitality industry — Will omicron bring a pause to the hospitality sector’s recovery? What will be the effect of Omicron on the hotel industry?

Well, there’s no solid answer to this.

However, I will try to break down some points from this entire shebang to help you stay informed and prepare (just in case).

Current Happenings Around the Omicron Variant

Experts from all around the world are trying to determine the ins and outs of omicron. But what has surprised everyone is a case from Hong Kong.

The omicron variant spread among two fully vaccinated travellers across the hallway of a Hong Kong quarantine hotel, a report states.

This has raised several concerns regarding the omicron’s mutations which may affect vaccine effectiveness and increase its transmissibility.

Restrictions are back again

While many nations are still focusing on reviving their economy, various European countries have taken strict measures by imposing restrictions.

Several reports state that recently, more than 10,000 new Omicron cases have been confirmed in the UK. Scientific advisers have warned the country that hospital admissions could reach 3,000 each day if a lockdown isn’t implemented by January 1.

Witnessing this new covid-19 variant surging across the United Kingdom, Germany has become the latest European country to ban most travellers from Britain. However, German nationals and residents will still be allowed to enter from the UK under certain guidelines.

These are just examples of two nations. There are other countries as well that are enforcing new and strict covid protocols in an effort to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

Are Travellers Rethinking Their Vacation Plans?

This is a very tricky situation to talk about.

So, before I go about it with solid insights from the industry, I would like to write what I am witnessing.

I am from India and while I am writing this blog, the number of Omicron cases have crossed the 200-mark here. 

To be honest, this is frightening for me and for a lot of people I am sure. However, all I can see is people travelling whatsoever. Even I have plans to visit a hill station this new year and I am not calling it off.

You must have understood what I am trying to point here.

People have been longing to travel. And now when they are vaccinated and getting a chance to do what they love, they are all game for it.

This sounds a little sentimental, but it is actually happening. There’s no exaggeration!

To put it simply, people who want to take risks to travel have already taken it and are likely to continue doing so.

Do Hotels Need to Worry?

According to a report, even during the first week when the Omicron variant was detected, it didn’t seem that anything had majorly torpedoed how hotels run. 

Now to answer the question of whether hotels should be worried, I would say both YES and NO.

The reason why hotels should be worried

Even if people are travelling (or at least, intending to step out) the RISK of getting infected is still out there.

And guess what?

As per a recent report, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has sent out a letter to all Indian states and Union Territories (UTs), mentioning Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.

Once travellers start getting infected, a fear will emerge, resulting in people either travelling less or not travelling at all.

Not just that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on 14^th December 2021 that the Omicron variant may trigger a massive wave of infections that peaks in January.

This is why travel restrictions are again coming up in various countries (like I mentioned above). And this might make hotels experience torpedoes in terms of business.

Now, let’s talk about the other side of the story

We all know that it’s been just a few days that Omicron was reported, and it is a very early stage to generalise about the nuts and bolts of this variant. However, many doctors and experts have said that preliminary findings indicate Omicron is milder than the Delta variant.

Meaning, it drives a sense of relief in both hotels and travellers.

Leading infectious-disease specialist, Anthony S. Fauci has also said that travel certainly presents risks; however, vaccinated and boosted people can still go ahead with their trips. They just need to make sure that they are following precautions.

How Can Hotels Be Prepared to Deal With Omicron?

This, without a doubt, is the most burning concern. I am sure, amid all the news around the Omicron, hotels must be wondering if there’s another pandemic incoming. If that’s the case, how can hotels be prepared?

The bitter truth is, if Omicron continues to spread, even at the rate it is spreading now, hospitality will inevitably be hit again.

However, I am being optimistic. And looking at the current scenario, it might not be havoc like the first covid outbreak.  

But again, hotels need to brace themselves up and lay a solid blueprint to tackle the pandemic.

1. Focus on local

If you have been catering to guests from different states and countries, then you might want to shift a bit of your focus to your local guests. The reason is that; the restrictions might get imposed on international or interstate travel. So, you need to have a backup plan to keep your hotel minting revenue.

Segments like staycation and workation are now trending, and people from your region might be interested in booking a stay with your property.

2. Learn from your past mistakes

Next up, start analysing your data from the time when your hotel was hit by the pandemic. This is supremely imperative because you have to understand what went wrong back then, what are all the strategies you missed out on.

3. Start working on your budget

The year 2022 is around the corner. It is definitely the right time to start preparing your budget and hotel demand forecast amidst Omicron. This will help you have an idea of what the industry might look like. And accordingly, you can prepare your operations strategies.

4. Revamp your cancellation policies

There are chances that travellers might start cancelling their trips if the new Omicron variant continues to create panic. So, start working on your cancellation policies.

Word to the wise: Even though your focus is on generating revenue, do not make your policies so harsh that it impacts travellers. Have a sympathetic yet strategic approach towards it.

5. Incorporate contactless technology 

Many hotels stopped using contactless solutions, thinking it’s only necessary for the covid episodes. However, that’s not the case. Travellers today are more inclined towards hotels that offer contactless check-in and check-out. So, make sure, you’re still making the best out of this sought after hotel technology.

6. Start implementing strict hygiene measures

This goes without saying. Hygiene and hospitality go hand in hand. Period.

If your property isn’t spick and span in all aspects, then you’re certain to face repercussions. And amid this ongoing covid scenario, hotels need to up their hygiene game.

7. Reassure your guests/potential guests

Now, this is more of a marketing-centric task. You have to use every possible platform to spread the word about your hotel’s safety measures and ensure safe booking amidst Omicron.

Let people know that your top priority is always the guest, and to make them happy, you’re walking all the extra miles.

8. Start cost optimisation at your property

When I am saying cost optimisation, I am not saying that you have to discard amenities or let go off your staff. It is something that many hotels fail to master.

Recently, I wrote a very detailed blog on cost optimisation and I highly recommend you to give it a read.

9. Work with revenue management experts

Revenue management is the backbone of a hotel business. When you start working with experts, you increase your chances of generating better revenue and also stay afloat during shortcomings.

Currently, things are uncertain for hospitality businesses and working with revenue managers will enable you to reap benefits even during covid times.

These are just a few points to help you get started with your prep phase. There’s an in-depth blog, especially for hotels to recover from the pandemic. You can give it a read and follow the mentioned strategies.

COVID-19 Survival Kit For The Hotel Industry

The post Will There Be Any Effect of Omicron on the Hotel Industry? appeared first on eZee Absolute.

We are pretty sure, things would never be the same after this phase ends. As rightly said, it’ll be the “NEW NORMAL” that we’ll be living in.

Social distancing, preferring to stay at home, a contactless journey; that’s what people would favor most. Hence, the most important thing currently is, to “survive” and plan the future of your business.

So, we have come up with a COVID19 SURVIVAL KIT for hotels to help you keep your business alive and future-ready.

Basically, these are a list of resources that would help the hospitality industry to overcome the difficulties that COVID-19 brings.

We advise you to refer to each one of these in detail and accordingly plan the best for your hotel business. 

How Hotels Can Be Safe from Coronavirus?

Post this pandemic, as a hotel, there are a lot many preventive measures that you will have to adapt and ensure the safety of your guests. So here, we have given a detailed explanation on the what, why, and how of COVID-19 and which preventive measures should hotels take to assure a safe stay to your guests.

How to Keep Your Hotel Business Safe From COVID-19?

Presently, you might be experiencing a bad time in your business with low to zero occupancies. However, there are still a lot of important things that you should focus on to keep your hotel business safe from this deadly virus. Here, we have listed some simple and adaptable measures that hotels can take to keep their business safe from this downtime.

Strategies to Lift Your Hotel Business After COVID-19 Outbreak

Earlier this year, who would’ve imagined that 3 months into this new decade, global travel will be shut down? Nonetheless, we all are aware that the hospitality industry is the most affected one currently; with no sign of hope when people would resume travel. So, here are some best strategies for you to prepare and lift your hotel business after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Smart Cost-Saving Ideas for Hotels

Efficient operations in hotels are dependent on how well you manage your expenses. And, currently, with no business coming in, we’re sure “saving costs” would be the first thing to consider. Thus, for having a successful business in the near future, here’s how this blog would be beneficial to you. Check out the best cost-saving ideas for hotels and implement the applicable ways to reduce it at your property; ensuring maximum profits.

A Complete Guide to Hotel Email Marketing

Emails have been an evergreen marketing strategy for any business and are the most common means of communication currently. It helps you to engage and connect with your existing as well as past guests in a much simpler way. So, while practicing social distancing, this is the best way to stay connected with your guests and keep them informed about the in and out of your hotel. Here’s where this comprehensive guide to hotel email marketing will help you to understand its importance and rightly implement it at your property.

Simple Steps to do Social Media Marketing for Hotels [Free Templates]

Social media marketing for hotels can do wonders if done right. Needless to say, there are an immense number of users on social media that can give you great business opportunities. And, at present, it is the safest and effective way to engage with your guests. Thus, while you’re not occupied with operations right now, it’s the perfect time for you to focus on it, improve your presence, and promote your property. Here, as a part of the COVID19 survival kit for hotels; you can find out some great ways to make the most of your hotel business through social media.

Read here

A Complete Guide to SEO for Hotels [FREE Checklist Inside]

In this digital age, having a website has become a necessity for hotel businesses. As we know, most of your audience lands on your website through the search engines. So, it is absolutely necessary to appear on the top of the search engine results.

Moreover, the better your online presence is, the higher will be your bookings. And, now, as you have plenty of time to invest in your business, this is exactly what you can focus on. So, our COVID19 survival kit for hotels includes a complete guide on how to improve your hotel website by performing SEO; through some simple and actionable steps.

How to Effectively Design Hotel Booking Confirmation Email? [FREE Templates Inside]

Confirmation emails are very important as they give an acknowledgment to your guests for the booking they have made. However, not just sending an email is essential, instead, sending the RIGHT one is more important. And, we are sure you must be doing so. But, now is the right time to re-check if your confirmation emails have all of these necessary details. For this, we have designed a complete guide that shows you how to make the best hotel reservation voucher along with some ready-to-use free templates.

Read here

How to Respond to Negative and Positive Hotel Reviews? [FREE Templates]

Reviews are the face of your hotel. It can be good or bad. But, they are a great way to promote your business, it’s branding as well as attracting more guests. So, why not focus on that now amid your lockdown time? All you got to do is respond to them well and on time, thus providing a great customer experience.

Check out if you have missed responding to any of your previous reviews. If so, this blog will guide you all about how to respond to hotel reviews (especially the negative ones) along with some free templates inside.

Read here

Proven Ways to Increase Low Season Hotel Occupancy

Low seasons can make or break a property, particularly if budgets are already tight. And, if your hotel is already operating on threadbare profit margins, any significant dip in bookings and revenue can spell disaster.

Because of this outbreak; we are sure that you may face a low season crunch even after the pandemic has receded. So, we want to share a great way to attract more bookings at such times in this COVID19 survival kit for hotels. All are proven strategies to help you come across as a winner in these tough times.

Powerful Hotel Pricing Strategies to Implement

With no pricing strategy, it is almost impossible for hotels to grow successfully in the hospitality industry. So, if you don’t want to lose your customers and competition in the market once the lockdown ends; then start thinking on the RIGHT room pricing. Here, we have listed the effective pricing strategies for you to implement and understand better with some great examples inside.

Best Hotel Promotion Ideas You Can Use

If you don’t promote your business it will definitely die. And, if you don’t do so now, your guests would probably forget you by the time COVID-19 ends. However, if done in a proper way, it’ll help you to attract more guests as well as enhance your business revenue in the near future.

So, for you, here are the sure-fire ideas of hotel promotion. Start applying them now to make your business future-ready.

Great Ways to Increase Direct Bookings on Your Hotel Website

Commission-free bookings are of course more profitable than those coming from OTAs. In a post COVID19 era, direct bookings would earn higher importance; mainly because they’d lower your guest acquisition cost.

So, in this COVID19 survival kit for hotels, we’re sharing some of the best ways to increase direct bookings on your website along with ways to save up on your OTA commissions.

Hotel Digital Marketing Strategies to Get More Bookings

Hotel digital marketing, nowadays, plays a vital role in revenue generation for hotels. Having said that, in today’s era, most of the guests search for a hotel online i.e metasearch engines, social channels, Google, Yahoo or so.

Thus, to get more bookings post the COVID-19 phase, it is crucial for you to be where your guests want you to be. And, this can be done when you apply some great digital marketing strategies that we’ve listed here. Go through each of these and see which ones can be most effective for you.

How to do Upselling in Hotels? [Remarkable Ways Inside]

Upselling is a great opportunity to enhance the average revenue that a hotel makes from its guests. Doing so can help you to encourage your guests to pay more for a similar but higher quality product.

So, this is a great way to cope up with the expenses that you’ve lost during these months of lockdown. It’ll guide you here, on what it is, its benefits to hoteliers, why should you do so, and what are the various ways of upselling in hotels.

Practical Methods to Increase Repeat Guests at Your Hotel [Easy to Apply]

Naturally, post the pandemic it’ll be difficult for you to attract new guests to your property. So, repeat guests would work the best during that time. And, as we are aware that, repeat guests are like an investment for a hotel.

The more the investment (your loyal guests), the more will be the return (business ROI). In this COVID19 survival kit for hotels, this blog will help you in applying some powerful tips to increase repeat guests at your property as well as get better business profitability.

Ways to Improve Hotel Guest Experience

Right from the time when your guests have booked their stay, until they are leaving your hotel, and even after that; guest experience plays a very crucial part. Moreover, if your guests are happy, they would possibly recommend others to visit your hotel; thus gaining more guests as well as revenue.

So, not only after the pandemic, but even later this is one very important thing that you should focus on to achieve greater business. Explore some great ideas here to improve your hotel’s guest experience.

How to Reduce Last Minute No-show & Booking Cancellations at your Hotel?

Naturally, when you receive a booking, you would sometimes come across no-shows or cancellations by your guests (the reasons could be any). Also, we know, lately, you have experienced a lot of booking cancellations. And, we are sure you don’t want that to happen anymore. So, here are some ways through which you can reduce your last minute no-shows and booking cancellations at your hotel.

Essential Hotel KPIs to Track Your Performance [Free eBook]

Any business, big or small needs to watch its performance periodically to evaluate its success. The key performance indicators (KPI), therefore, are used at various levels to determine the overall success of your business.

Moreover, once things settle down and your operations are back on track, you should definitely analyze and focus on measuring your hotel’s performance at various levels. To help you with it, in this blogpost (eBook), we have listed the most essential hotel KPIs along with tips and actionable steps.

Read here

Top Hotel Revenue Management Strategies to Adopt [BONUS Inside]

Revenue management is all about selling, the right room to the right guest at the right moment at the right price and on the right platform. Moreover, it is a process of analyzing your customers’ demand and offering the best rates to them.

Thus, to optimize your revenue and attract more guests, post the pandemic; here are some solid hotel revenue management strategies that you can adopt to make the most of your business.

Read here

The post COVID-19 Survival Kit For The Hotel Industry appeared first on eZee Absolute.

It has already done a lot of damage and it’s time we give it a back seat. 

We just can’t let it run our lives and businesses. 

It is time to take up the charge and get back on our toes.

The entire world is getting back on its feet, and so is the travel industry. 

It is natural to wish that every room in the hotel gets occupied. But such a booming start isn’t realistic. 

However, you can surely prepare for a decent start, if you reopen with the right measures listed in the article.

Let’s prepare your property to all corners:

1. Follow the statutory requirements

Very few countries in the world have flattened the curve significantly and opened their boundaries to travelers. Whereas some countries will lift the travel bans in the coming months. 

On that note, most countries would issue COVID-19 preventive measures regarding cleanliness, physical distancing, and communication. 

And you have to follow all these measures before you reopen your property.  

Well, we have already gathered those guidelines officially issued by different countries and OTAs here.

Out of the statutory guidelines, the two important things that you need to focus is on:

 Improvising Your Cleanliness Standards

It is a crucial requirement to keep your hotel safe from COVID-19. 

• As you already know, the virus lives on any surface for a maximum of 8 hours. Have a practice at your hotel to sanitize common touch-points such as the door handles, the reception area, the front desk, or elevator buttons.  

• As an alternative, you can also apply plastic insulating films on the elevator buttons, and change it every day. 

• Trolleys carrying luggage have to be sanitized before sending them to rooms. 

• Avoid having carpets at the hotel’s entrance. 

• If you have an in-house restaurant, ensure the cleanliness of your kitchen and dine-in area. 
  • Buffet should be avoided totally. You can promote the ‘Grab & Go’ or ‘Pick up from the door’ trend. 
  • Avoid keeping the crockery and cutlery, tablewares such as salt and pepper shakers, toothpick holders, sugar containers, tent card holders, menus, and bill folders. If you wish to keep them, then they should be cleaned and sanitized at least 3-4 times a day.

Maintain Physical Distancing

You and your staff should maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet generally. Here are a few ideas that will help you manage the crowd at your property: 

•  Avoid handshakes. Practice the new way of greeting your guests-  Namaste. 

• You should restrict guests’ entry to the common areas of your property like the pool, spa, gym, and conference rooms for a certain period. 

• In case you don’t want to restrict, then maximum capacity is generally based on three square meters per person. Also, maintain at least six feet of distance between lounge chairs at the pool.

• You have to make markings at a sufficient distance to manage the check-in queue or crowd at your hotel premises.

• Limit the number of people in elevators, escalators, and lifts. For escalators, allow one person on alternate steps. 

Keep an eye on all the areas of your hotel through surveillance cameras and ensure that physical distance is being maintained.

2. Encourage the use of masks, gloves, and sanitizers 

Mask is the most important safety measure to keep oneself safe from being infected with the virus. 

• Your hotel entrance should have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions.

• You should allow staff and guests to enter your hotel only if they are using face covers/masks.

• Mask has to be worn at all times inside the hotel. Keep sanitizers and surgical masks in each hotel room. 

• You can provide your staff members and guests with surgical masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol), and gloves to wear.

• Install the alcohol-based hand rub dispensers at your front desk, reception area, in-house restaurant, cafe, meeting rooms, or hotel lobbies. You can also keep big bottles of sanitizers at all these places. 

• Standees, posters, and audiovisuals on preventive measures for COVID-19 are to be displayed clearly. 

Unless the COVID-19 drug is discovered, the only rescue you have are – masks, sanitizer, and gloves. 

3. Create and share your hotel’s own guidelines

At present and even in the coming times, their foremost concern would be safety instead of luxury or comfort. So your primary concern is to implant trust in your guests’ minds. Only that will help you to receive bookings. 

And it’s not difficult! All you have to do is make them aware of all the preventive measures for your property.

• It is very important for you to develop your hotels’ own COVID-19 guidelines, in which you have to mention all the precautionary measures to ensure guests’ safety. 

• Have a dedicated page made on your website to highlight all the steps. 

We’ve created FREE COVID 19 webpage content templates for you. Select the template from here, and we'll add the page on your website at NO COST.   

• Promote them on your property’s social media handles and OTA profiles.

• You can also email your guidelines for reopening to your guests. 

Basically, taking enough measures is not enough, you have to share them; so that your guests can have confidence in your property. It is the most essential part that will get you bookings after reopening.

4. Participate in Safety Programs

This is one essential tip that you can consider taking part in once your hotel becomes operational.

Recently MakeMyTrip and Goibibo have launched MySafety and goSafe programs for hotels respectively. It will enable you to give a surety to your guests that your property is safe from COVID-19.

• Under this program, your hotel will be physically audited by Deloitte personnel for compliance with important safety and hygiene as advised by WHO and the Government.

• This will provide a better discovery of your property on both these OTAs.

• Besides, on completion of the audit, your hotel will be qualified for MySafety and goSafe safety badges on both platforms.

• You can even highlight them within your hotel’s premises, on your website as well as other offline platforms.

Such programs might cost you a bit, but they will definitely reap good returns with time. On top of that, it would create trust amongst your potential guests and drive them to visit your property.

5. Introduce contactless services

You will also be scared to touch any surface if you move out of your house; so will your guests. That is why you have to make your guest’s journey completely contactless. Here are a few things that you can do: 

• Hotels can adopt technology like a mobile concierge app or guest self-service portal, that reduces the physical contact of guests with staff. 

• You have to replace physical keys with digital keys that let your guests open their rooms from their mobile.

• For the room service orders, request your guests to pick up their meals from the doorstep to avoid physical contact.

• Adopt vending machines to provide toiletries or other amenities to your guests. 

• Encourage digital payments.

We’ve created a complete guide on how hotels can deliver the contactless guest experience. You can download it and understand how you can provide a complete touch-free stay.

COVID-19 has mandated automation in our industry, and all businesses have to accept this change.

5. Train your staff 

Your staff will be the primary point of contact for your guests; so it is of utmost importance to train them on how to cater to guests post COVID-19.

• Though 99% of your staff must be fairly familiar with the precautions. We would still recommend you to arrange a meeting and make them aware of the present scenario of your region. 

• Educate them about the preventive measures that they should take on your hotel premises. 

• Also, brief them about the official guidelines provided by your regional tourism board. 

• Ask them to avoid any physical content with guests or any other staff members and strictly follow your hotel’s own guidelines.

• Train them to deal with guests who are not following the hotel’s basic guidelines. 

Your property needs to have all measures in place to protect staff and guests during interactions with each other.

6. Take care of your guests and staff

Apart from the statutory measures, you have to be extra cautious when it comes to safety. 

• Have the infrared thermometers at your front desk to conduct temperature checks on all guests. Your staff can request all your newly arrived guests to measure their body temperature via a thermal scanner placed near the entrance. 

• If you find any guests who are unwell with any symptoms of fever, flu, or respiratory problems, ask them to consult a doctor immediately.

• Only asymptomatic staff and guests shall be allowed after the thermal screening.

• People above 65 years of age, people with multiple medical conditions, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.

These are easy-to-adopt practices and essential requirements to reopen hotels. Following these practices and sharing them will definitely help you revive your business.

7. Store your guests’ data

You should maintain accurate guest records which include name, ID Proofs, their nationality, travel history and security camera tapes. 

These records should be kept for a minimum of 90 days. It is very important to trace if any of your hotel’s staff or guests have been diagnosed with the virus.

Some hotels may not consider it important to store the guest data. But now onward it has become mandatory for each accommodation provider.

8. Additional Tips

Other than this, here are some steps that will help you revive your business.

Modify your cancellation policy 

In the current scenario, travelers will look for hotels whose cancellation and refundable policies are flexible. Reason being, if the trip gets canceled because for any reason then the guests can get an acceptable refund amount. So, you need to make your cancellation and refund policies a bit flexible.

Check where your supply is coming from

Keep a tab on your suppliers and other outsourcing agencies. Ensure megastores from where you are getting inventory for your in-house restaurant are safe from COVID-19. None of your food or beverage should be outsourced from the contaminated or quarantine zone. 

Also, check whether the laundry service agencies are taking adequate preventive measures. 

So, these steps pretty much sums up all the precautions that hotels and accommodation provider have to take.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, now onward the look and feel of the hotels are going to change. With our wide range of resources, blogs and many other things, we are leaving no stone unturned to empower the hotel industry. 

We hope these measures help you deliver the best and safe guest experience. 

We will be happy to help you in case of any queries.

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