Hotelier Perspectives

The COVID-19 crisis is unique in many ways, not least of which is that it led the interconnected world of business to experiment with its first global, supply-side disruption. In the hospitality industry, for example, during the first wave of the pandemic (April-May 2020), more than 70 percent of hotels in Europe were closed, international flights were less than 5% compared to the same period in 2019, and restaurants were forced to close and, if lucky, provide takeaway and delivery. The willful and concerted shutting down of the productive capacity of the economy thus forced managers, leaders, and educators to rethink their problem-solving approaches as past perspectives proved, in many cases, to no longer be as relevant as before. This has been shown to be true not only at the macroeconomic level of nations, but in all management fields as industries, firms, and individuals, began to make sense of the likely long-term impacts on their ecosystems.

With the US fully reopened and Europe steadily easing restrictions, Hotel bookings continue to grow significantly and have exceeded 2019 values, according to our industry research conducted in May 2021.

With the Covid-19 pandemic hitting travel and the hospitality industry especially hard, this March Medallia, in collaboration with the School of Hotel Administration’s (SHA) Center for Hospitality Research, launched an online hospitality community to crowdsource ideas with impact. Conceived as a place for hospitality thought leaders—from industry professionals to SHA professors and alumni—to support each other with innovative ideas and solutions to the industry’s most pressing issues and challenges, the community has already grown to 276 members.

I love seeing visible signs of a customer- and employee-focused culture. My wife and I were on vacation in Mexico. The employees at the resort were amazing. They were upbeat, outgoing and willing to do anything to make their guests’ stay as perfect as it could be. Something I noticed right away was the customer-centric culture that was part of the atmosphere of the resort. You could feel that customer service was at the heart of what they were about.

EHL Success Stories: Start-Up Edition is a series to show support to our EHL Family and, more specifically, our hard-working AEHL entrepreneurs. This project aims to showcase EHL's entrepreneur mindsets, support new and upcoming ideas and businesses. While overcoming a challenging time for all companies, these Start Ups prove that resilience and hard work can overcome any problem.

Before the pandemic, hotel brands were at a crossroads with increasingly brand agnostic consumers and ever-expanding brand portfolios. But there is evidence that the pandemic may have led to consumers’ renewed appreciation for a well-recognized brand name that assures quality and instills trust. This change in consumer behavior will impact brand management strategies in several significant ways.

Innovation is the process of creating value through the implementation of new ideas. Crises generate the exact opposite outcome: tremendous value destruction. Innovation, therefore, seems particularly well-suited to act as a powerful countervailing force in times of hardship. The process of innovation under stable conditions, while not straightforward, is relatively well understood.

Great customer service. That’s what our customers want and that’s what we wish to provide. But it’s difficult remembering all the different steps to take to provide it. Thankfully, many have developed useful acronyms to help. In today’s post, I compiled many of the top customer service acronyms to use every day. Store these in your CS toolbox to use as needed.

Remote work is here to stay. Even if companies start to require teams to return to a central office following full population vaccination, the benefits of allowing for flexible work conditions are too good to ignore. For the employer it can mean vastly reduced rental costs, while for the employee it means less time spent commuting and the ability to handle life’s other responsibilities more adeptly like young kids. But the drawback is the monotony of working, eating, relaxing and sleeping in the same place.

I entered the hospitality industry by starting a three-year apprenticeship at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany. Before committing to a bachelor's program, I wanted to discover whether this was the right industry for me. The apprenticeship ultimately confirmed my intention to build a career in hospitality, aiming to advance quickly up the corporate ladder. Hence, I applied to EHL to help me achieve that goal.