Hospitality adapts to succeed in the new normal

abril 08, 2022

受到前所未有的破坏, the hospitality industry is now adapting to reap the rewards of the new normal.

传统上，社会的混乱是由工业或技术革命等创新造成的, or by constraints imposed by crisis such as wars, natural disasters, and pandemics. However, 自第二次世界大战以来，我们的星球从未受到如此全球性的影响，这一单一事件能够引发前所未有的社会变革. In the blink of an eye the global health crisis redefined how people live, work, 并相互交流. 家庭被拆散，企业被推翻，我们对正常的感觉被打破了. 不过，并不是所有人都输了, as humanity buoyed in the face of adversity, and adaptability and resilience kicked-in, to rally against an invisible foe and move toward a new normal.

应对混乱

In 2020 the pandemic brutally ravaged the hospitality sector worldwide. Airlines, hotels, cruises and ferries, restaurants, and theme parks, among others, 都被低, and in some cases, zero activity. In May 2020, the hotel occupancy rate in Europe saw the most dramatic effects of the virus, 入住率为13%.3 percent — compared to the previous year this figure dropped by 82.3 percent . Additionally, 国际航空运输协会WATS 21报告指出，到2020年4月，收入乘客公里(RPK)将大幅下降至零 .
With the hospitality industry plummeting into the red at lightning speed, worldwide, 运营商不得不应对严格的监管变化和各国不同的不可预测的财政支持.

Finding its footing

医学界和政界人士都在努力控制病毒的传播，直到找到疫苗或治疗方法, 酒店业开始适应. In some countries, and in some sectors, hospitality providers began operating under previously unimaginable conditions.

Rapidly implemented new guidance including mask wearing, mandatory PCR testing, 温度检查/热像仪, 新的过境规定, quarantine measures, 场地的容量限制, social distancing and contactless interactions, 灵活的取消政策, and more, were accepted by professionals and customers, as the industry adapted to the new normal.

当采取措施时, Q3 2020 began to see a new tourism revenue mix emerge encouraged by new offers:

• International travel was limited to few countries or regions

• Business travel, which used to be the best profit generator, plunged to nil while domestic leisure started to rise with the upcoming summer break

• Staycations and daycations became the response to the lock-down situation

• Digital nomads relocated in cool places

•新兴的休闲趋势——商务与休闲的结合——加速了Y世代预期的工作与生活平衡

•  Hotels transformed to accommodate quarantine facilities, medical staff accommodation and even hospital requirements

There was also a significant shift in the air transport sector. 随着电子商务的蓬勃发展, the sector faced a massive growth in cargo, while passenger aircrafts sat on the tarmac. Even here though, 随着各公司购买旧客机改装成货机，航空业出现了新的想法.

待客之道新常态

While some analysts foresee a return to 2019 figures by 2023, 没有人确切知道，因为过去没有类似的模型可以作为这些预测的基础. 很明显，世界正在适应, as is its resiliency to deal with viruses, 地缘政治紧张局势, 以及我们每天都会遇到的其他危险.

不管病毒怎么了, we are all participants in this new normal — in the way we work, consume, interact, and travel. 而且，变化对我们来说并不新鲜. In the past, incidents such as 9/11 which overhauled air transport, and technology that enabled the emergence of eCommerce in the retail space, 出租车和类似优步的送餐服务迫使我们适应新的做事方式.

So, what will the new normal for the hospitality industry look like? Some practices adopted during the pandemic have already started to fade away, 问题是，还剩下什么? 它们会带来什么样的挑战?

4 Trends to watch

以下是我们认为将影响酒店业发展的四个主要趋势:

1. Less business travel: 许多内部会议或礼节性访问过去都是亲自进行的，现在都在网上进行. This has had a major impact on airlines and hotels, 全球范围内的商务旅行者选择最好的航空公司和酒店，为整个火狐体育手机创造了更多的利润. 商务旅行的减少意味着我们将看到商务和休闲旅游之间的收入平衡发生变化. 而商务旅行更容易预测，因为它传统上是基于同一家航空公司和连锁酒店的常规预订量, leisure travel is much more volatile especially with options such as Airbnb, low cost airlines, 和网上旅行社.

2. Trip stacking: 你可能已经听说过了. 在疫情期间，航空公司和酒店为取消预订提供了更灵活的条件. To hedge their bets, travellers would book several trips over the same time period and then cancel, as late as possible, 那些对他们不起作用的. For example, booking a 5-day family trip in Egypt would be plan A, and a week at a resort in the home country would be plan B. If things changed the traveller would cancel plan A and to move to Plan B. 虽然这种灵活性对旅行者有利，但对酒店和航空业却不是那么友好. 由于不确定性挥之不去，旅行者仍然不太愿意预订不可退款的机票. Companies that remove flexible cancellation risk losing reservations to competitors.

3. Bleisure: Bleisure describes travel that combines both business and leisure. 随着在家办公的激增，工作和个人生活之间的界限比以往任何时候都更加模糊. 虽然这个概念并不新鲜, bleisure is now becoming a current practice, and even a perk, where companies and employees see mutual benefits, 类似于在家工作.

Whether bleisure means working during your vacation, or taking your family with you on a  business trip with some time off to relax, bleisure is challenging hoteliers with new requirements including: the type of hotel travellers want to stay at; the duration of the stay; preferred destinations; and guest services, among others. 万豪(Marriott)和雅高(Accor)等连锁酒店已经意识到这一趋势，并将其视为机遇.

4. Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) – a key player: Over the past decade, 在线旅行社已经成为一个重要的参与者，如果酒店想要优化预订，就不能忽视它. Unfortunately, this easiest way to sell rooms comes at a cost. OTAs are able to justify the 25% (on average) they charge hoteliers, based on their superior digital engagement, 数十亿美元投资于广告, 以及他们日益增长的成功.

Guest using OTAs benefit from a larger choice of places to stay, 便于价格比较, and a consistent and superior digital experience — all for free!

随着在线旅行社变得越来越全球化, 他们收集的大量旅行者数据将使他们进入传统的旅行社领域，管理整个旅行者的旅程，提供机票, car rental, 协调酒店入住, 还有娱乐.

Going forward

世界变了. 以前的预订和入住率模式将永远消失，这意味着预测入住率将非常困难. 酒店根据自己的预订情况以及周边同类酒店的预订情况来调整房价. 收益管理系统(RMS)支持的动态定价每天都在帮助酒店经营者实现销售和利润最大化. Similarly, 航空公司正在根据给定航班的剩余可用座位实时调整每个座位的价格, 以及竞争航空公司的价格. Whatever the post-pandemic world looks like, 适应这四个关键趋势将使酒店业能够在前所未有的颠覆时代向前发展.

The good news is the hospitality industry 是否有能力利用大流行前其他部门存在的技术趋势和融资选择. Simple, predictable, 不需要大量资本投资的无忧解决方案将是提供灵活性和敏捷性的关键. 基于云的解决方案 软件即服务(SaaS)模式将使酒店业在进入新常态的过程中取得成功.