PROF. PETER A. BHEDA

AUTHOR’S TAKE

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the world, hotels, airlines, and related travel industries in ways that not even the most successful and powerful CEO’s could have predicted. Clearly, we have limitations! While known responses to ongoing disruptive threats remain unidentified and somewhat elusive, factors such as reoccurring waves of COVID-19 cases, government lockdowns and closures of businesses are all out of our control – however, adapting to the environment to offer personalized, clean and safe guest experiences, are not. - Prof. Peter A. Bheda

We must be willing to compromise and live with it- There is no better time than now for hospitality brands to leverage the essence of hospitality – relatability, hospitableness, and personalized attention and it all begins with the acceptance of the fact that we are not going to win this battle of unmeasurable devastation, as new information becomes available to us.

Hotel companies must progressively show attention to detail and demonstrate flexibility and innovation to co-exist with COVID-19. Soughtafter amenities have changed; free breakfast, large gyms, and active food and beverage outlets are no longer a guest’s focus prior to booking their stay – the new top priority is safety and cleanliness. Hotels have always ensured the health and safety of guests; however, they must now operate under a new standard based on CDC recommendations, brand safety initiatives, guest concerns and demands, and governmentissued travel protocols, to maintain a hospitable environment that allows consumers to feel safe away from home.

Let us be smart and create a safety rating for hotels, like service ratings or the star ratings used by OTA’s and the brands to distinguish them from the amenities they offer. If brands hit on all cylinders, regardless of their perception and brand equity; then those properties must be recognized as the market leader in how we co-exist during this pandemic. However, these safety standards must be integrated with authenticity, and a genuine desire to protect the consumers, and not become a theatrical performance.

Whether we like it or not, we are in this for a long haul. "I'll bet you it's in a long time from now." Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says airplane travel will be completely back to normal - at some point. Kelly's comments came as Southwest Airlines posted its biggest loss ever. After much deliberation, Hilton President & CEO Chris Nassetta launched Hilton CleanStayTM initiative with Lysol. Initially, Hilton CleanStayTM was about driving top-line revenue by helping Hilton hotels stand out from the competition in ways that build trust and confidence when guests travel. However, it quickly became the brand standard and involved every area of the hotel operation, including Guestroom, Arrival & Welcome, Public Space & Fitness, Food & Beverage, Amenities & Meetings as well as Physical Distancing. Brands demanded that All Team Members follow these strict guidelines if they wish to be employed by the hotel. Marriott Hotels increased their focus on the Top 10 Hotspots that are to be maintained and sanitized, in some cases, every hour on the hour and decluttering of non-essential collateral (paper goods, etc.) while shifting some items to single-use disposables. Our industry must include advanced experiences that will involve a low-touch/notouch check- in to complement the existing advantages and benefits of using Digital Check-in and Digital Key; more obvious and frequent cleaning efforts in public spaces; and providing disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer items within high-traffic areas of the hotel at all times.

Let us be smart and create a safety rating for hotels, like service ratings or the star ratings used by OTA’s and the brands to distinguish them from the amenities they offer. If brands hit on all cylinders, regardless of their perception and brand equity

These are just the few examples of how we must adapt to the sudden and radical change if we are to co-exist with COVID-19. This now has become a matter of survival, and not about any corporate governance, in fact the opposite of such care and attention may be viewed as corporate greed. Profitability and ROI discussions are no longer valid topic in global boardrooms, at least not in the near term, or till the industry and our health care experts have a clear understanding of this new friend of ours called COVID-19.

COVID-19 is also putting a stamp on emerging trends centered around hightech and low- touch experiences. Many such areas will become standard for all hotels in the near term. Brands, operators, and owners must be ready to adapt to these high costs to mitigate the current challenges for at least the next 36 months.

Six months ago, none of us could have predicted that we were all going to have to completely re-think the way in which we operate on a daily basis.

As guests start returning to hotels, how do we ensure that they receive the same amazing experience, without needing to interact with the staff or other guests?

One possible solution is Vamoos, the new app for hotels, which enables hotels to provide a completely contactless, safe experience for everyone, without compromising on the service they intend to provide. Every business right now is saying, ‘if we don’t embrace change, we die,” says Management and Leadership Professor Abbie Shipp at Texas Christian University in a recent interview. But change management is different than change leadership.

“Change management talks about, ‘What do we want to do? What’s the structure and the strategy?’ Change leadership asks, ‘What are people capable of? What are they interested in? What are they passionate about?’ Instead of focusing on what to do, you focus on who’s doing it and how they’re doing it.” Industry leaders must learn and quickly adapt to these safety protocols. People are an important part of the change process. In a crisis, Dr. Shipp says the first thing to do is check on your people to cultivate an employee-first culture.

To get an idea on how the world is dealing with this global pandemic, the World Tourism Council published a study citing examples, and predictions on countries and even regions that will survive and the ones that will be forced to shut down permanently.

Finally, as the title of the article suggests, this is a global calling, and any attempt by brands, operators or the owners to procrastinate on the urgent need for action for the hospitality industry means, the game is over. We must start serious dialogues on “adaptability in any environment”. This could mean providing experiences that are memorable for guests, however, it must begin with our guests thoroughly understanding what we are doing to protect them and we must then be able to show them, provide the evidence of such an effort on behalf of our stakeholders.

In today’s environment, the essence of hospitality means; minimal or no human interaction, high tech/ low-touch, and safety and cleanliness protocol that are verifiable and addresses the safety and protection of the very people who are safeguarding us. We cannot forget the frontline workers around the globe who are compromising their own safety and the medical professionals who have been working nonstop to come up with a vaccine to protect us. Above all, we need more love and compassion to deal with these turbulent times, so go ahead, get involved. Help someone, save a life, save a community that is hit hard from this devastating pandemic, and feel proud that your legacy will live for the world to remember you by.

Let’s just all try to get along, with no regard for race, religion, political affiliation, national origin or social or economic status; because this pandemic is totally blind, and its time we reach across the isle and extend our love and create a new world order that is inclusive and fair for all to coexist.

the essence of hospitality means; minimal or no human interaction, high tech/low-touch, and safety and cleanliness protocol that are verifiable and addresses the safety and protection of the very people who are safeguarding us.

PROF. PETER A. BHEDA BIO

Peter A. Bheda, Principal at PB Global Advisory LLC

Known as a fearless and dynamic leader with over forty years of experience in the global hospitality business, Mr. Bheda is revered in the highest stature by his team of associates and investors. Prior to establishing his own hospitality ownership and management firm in 2013, he excelled as SVP of Operations with Highgate Hotels and oversaw 32 major assets across the United States, generating a total of $1.6 billion in revenue with Net Asset Value at $4.6 billion. He was instrumental in bringing 13 branded and independent hotels to the portfolio and was honored with the “Finest Westin Conversion” award by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. As VP of Operations & Development for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, he provided global direction to the most profitable division within Wyndham, consisting of 22 hotels with annual revenue exceeding $200 million. In addition to his recent accomplishments, Mr. Bheda spent time as VP of Pakistan Service Limited and provided corporate oversight and operational expertise for Pearl Continental Hotels & Resorts, all of which were members of the “Leading Hotels of the World”. Mr. Bheda holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard Business School. He is a professor at Boston University’s School of Hotel Administration and is simultaneously pursuing a Master’s Degree from the institution.