Finding solutions for pandemic problems By Alina Day
The Washington Hospitality Association has many different solutions to problems members experience every day. These solutions leverage the collective buying power of the association’s membership to give the same low pricing and good coverage to all members. One small business by itself can be taken advantage of or be given a higher standard rate on supplies or services. Together, the association can negotiate the lowest cost for every member, no matter the size of their business.
We spoke with our allied members about what supplies they had on hand, discounts they were offering and when they restocked. If they had high priority items in stock such as disposable masks, hand sanitizer or plexiglass barriers, we communicated this information out to the membership. We kept a live sourcing guide on our Coronavirus Guide site, updating it as soon as we received new information on availability.
Rate, cost savings and increased coverage are all important pieces of the puzzle. We also look at who powers these solutions and what their stake is in the hospitality industry. Their support of the industry as a whole and desire to see it succeed plays a critical role in who we select to be our program partners.
In September 2020, we launched our online Buyer’s Guide, the sister to this print Buyer’s Guide. It dynamically changed our sourcing guide from a static page into an interactive search. As allied members started stocking items they may not ordinarily have such as plexiglass or cleaning supplies, it was imperative members knew this unusual source was available to fill their needs.
Allied members, those who provide services or products to hospitality and wish to provide support to the industry, also play a key role. Although they may not be direct partners to the association, they wish to see hospitality and their customers and clients thrive.
Washington Hospitality Association partner Office Depot offers discounted items to members. During the pandemic, they had deeply discounted highly requested items available in bulk when most suppliers where completely out of stock. These discounts were exclusively for our membership.
Over the last year, our partners, allied members and staff have labored tirelessly to help members stay in business and survive the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the ways they helped:
Waived payment processing service fees Starting April 1, 2020, if a member was using our payment processing solution and not open for business to take payments, their service fees were automatically waived. When they were ready to come out of hibernation and start taking payments again, this process was automatic with no extra hassle, calls or service provider fixes necessary.
Provided deep discounts on supplies and worked with suppliers on supply chain shortages During the early days of the pandemic, supply chain shortages were a huge issue. Association members needed a sourcing guide and information. On May 20, 2020, we held a webinar with Randy Irvine from Harbor Foodservice, Scotty Getchell with US Foods and Kristine Bowen from Sysco on supply chain concerns. Topics included the cause of current shortages, gap expectations going forward, how to mitigate the shortages and opportunities within this environment.
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Members told us contactless payment and POS systems that could support mobile/web ordering were essential to doing business during the pandemic. The association’s payment processing solution is powered by US Bank. Contactless POS Converge and talech waived monthly software fees and setup costs from April 1–September 30, 2020.
