GLOBAL REPORT—With hotel demand and occupancy at all-time lows, the industry is taking this time to redesign what the hotel stay of the future will look and feel like, and doing so with a heightened level of care, empathy, support and sustainability.
Deals are being done in the United Kingdom, the latest being Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ rebranding of 26 Hallmark Hotels in a deal with LGM Hotels Management, which bought Hallmark in March 2019. This repositioning of a brand bought by third-party management 14 months ago comes across as though COVID-19 never happened. It can be viewed as one piece of the industry’s future appearance when this period is over.
Meanwhile, Best Western U.K., the British affiliate of the international Best Western, also has taken over TVs in Britain in a fly-on-the-wall series now showing titled “A very British hotel chain: Inside Best Western.” Channel 4, the producer, hams up the series by stating “recently-hired and youngest-ever CEO, Rob Paterson, goes about rejuvenating the brand, (while) hotel inspector Alasdair assesses whether a newly-signed hotel is up to brand standards.”
All of us need diversion right now, so perhaps it is an ideal time to contemplate whether it is tacky or not to have a tip jar on the check-in desk.
—Terence Baker
@terencebakerhnn
A hotel in Austin, Texas, closed for business due to COVID-19, still is paying its employees regular wages to volunteer.
The Heywood Hotel launched its “Sleep Well, Do Good” initiative in April by setting a goal for its staff to complete more than 250 hours of community service, Spectrum News reports. Employees have volunteered to deliver meals to essential workers and elsewhere in partnership with Meals on Wheels, ATX Hospital Meals, Family Eldercare and others.
The hotel’s owner and GM Kathy Setzer said she felt her employees could do much good for the community during the pandemic.
“Really, our team is the heart of the Heywood and also our family,” she said. “In a time of crisis, you want to protect your family. We have some business savings, and there’s no better way for us to spend that.”
—Dan Kubacki
@HNN_Dan
As the world slowly begins to reopen, I’m interested to see how hotels are reinventing their design practices to promote social distancing and emphasize cleanliness.
Cleanliness is a huge part of the reopening process, of course, and design goes hand in hand with that. It’s been energizing to read about how hotel interior designers are stepping up with their expertise.
This week Amy Jakubowski wrote in her Hotel News Now column that “good design is more than superficial amusement,” and that statement really resonated. She talks about how the concepts of wellness and sustainability will take on new importance in a post-pandemic world, and how design is a big part of that.
Health and wellness shouldn’t be luxuries, and I’m interested to see how wellness may emerge as a truly democratic design practice out of this crisis.
—Stephanie Ricca
@HNN_Steph
People still want to travel. We’ve seen plenty of surveys that tell us that, and hotel data performance shows that demand is growing somewhat.
There is another metric, however, that definitely helps us take the temperature for leisure travel demand: RV rentals and sales. The Chicago Tribune writes that production at major RV manufacturers has ramped up, and dealers are reporting strong demand for them. The idea is that RVs allow people to travel with a greater sense of personal safety by giving them the means to visit destinations while cutting down on contact with other people.
True, if people are staying in RVs, they aren’t necessarily staying in hotels, but it’s a sign that people want to travel and will find ways to do it. That’s good for the hotel industry in the future, if not right now. If hotels, however, have the space available, they should keep in mind that RVs do need places to park, even if just overnight. That might not translate to a stay this year, but it could mean making a good impression and securing a new guest next summer.
—Bryan Wroten
@HNN_Bryan
One particular story I wanted to highlight this week is by HNN’s Danielle Hess on the topic of hotels catering to guests with sensory processing disorders and one GM who turned his passion into something helpful for hotel guests.
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Sandusky, Ohio, implemented a sensory friendly calming room and comfort and safety kits on property earlier this year. GM Brian Shanle told Hess he also started about six months ago researching training and certification for his hotel to better accommodate guests with sensory issues.
“As a father of five, I know the challenge of family travel with a child on the autism spectrum, so it is a passion of mine to be able to provide this resource for families who are enjoying precious time together,” he said.
—Dana Miller
@HNN_Dana