The global hospitality industry faced several challenges due to Covid-19, including long closure periods and limited capacities. To mitigate the on-going challenges, organisations in the hospitality industry worked to reduce costs, grow their online presence, and accelerate their digital adoption to meet the growing and new demands within the industry. As we now move into this new era of travel post-Covid, we see strong, pent-up demand for travel with traveller preferences and demands shifting in line with the on-going changes in the industry.
Today, travellers are seeking seamless, contactless, and memorable experiences that keep their health and safety top of mind. The hospitality industry continues to remain agile to meet these demands and provide its guests with desired experiences. Some of the areas where we have seen a shift include:
Health and safety
Enhanced hygiene and safety measures have become essential for operating a successful business. Keeping guests’ and team members’ health and safety top of mind is key and requires protocols and measures in place. At Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, we implemented Count On Us – a long-term hygiene initiative, part of our long-term efforts to build confidence among guests and to support Wyndham hotel partners as they welcome back guests. The initiative further enhances our broad range of health and safety protocols across properties in the EMEA region. It includes the consistent use of top-of-the-range disinfectants at hotels, the introduction of robust new training and guidelines, and on-going access to critical health essentials through trusted suppliers. We also encouraged hotels to nominate a Hygiene Hero to champion these protocols at the hotel-level. Implementing contactless solutions where possible is also important for seamless and enhanced guest experiences.
Guest engagement
The hospitality industry must connect with its guests on realistic grounds and engage with them effectively. From emails to signage, they should show how they are ensuring the safety of their customers. Consistent messages are crucial to make the guests understand the strategies adopted by hotels. Utilising and leveraging hotel loyalty programmes (such as Wyndham’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards) supports targeting specific customers and ensures repeat guests.
Shifting the customer touchpoints online
The world of digital marketing and apps has gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, it is imperative for the hospitality industry to move customer touchpoints online as they can cast an indelible positive impression on their minds. Hoteliers can automate various processes by designing apps and websites like bypassing routine front desk procedures and more to offer comfort and convenience to their customers.
To further support the demand for contactless solutions, Wyndham rolled out a new mobile app that prioritises low-contact in-stay features to give travellers a reimagined user experience to inspire their upcoming travel plans. The “Lightning Book” functionality helps guests search for and book the nearest Wyndham hotel for the night in three taps. They can also see their proximity to the hotel in real time and book using Wyndham Rewards points. Once at the hotel and within three days of a stay, the “In-Stay Mode” tool displays information of the most relevant to the guest, such as important stay details, and local attractions, ensuring guests have important information at all times. The “My App Passport” enables guests to track their engagements with memorable stamps and animations when they achieve select in-app accomplishments such as booking a stay or redeeming points.
Sustainability
Sustainability is gaining prominence among hoteliers and the hospitality industry in this post-COVID world. A 2021 study found that 81% of travellers will opt for sustainable accommodation when they embark on trips. As the number of green-minded travellers has been steadily rising since the start of the pandemic, there are several ways with which hoteliers can integrate sustainability into their operations as it becomes paramount to success within the industry.
At Wyndham, we are committed to protecting the environment in which we live, work and enjoy. As part of our strategic vision of fostering a values-driven culture, we understand protecting our natural capital and resources is essential to deliver long-term sustainable value. Wyndham Green is our global sustainability programme, a five-level certification programme implemented to help hotels improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, conserve water and reduce waste. From this programme’s first level, hotels must demonstrate commitment to key principles of Sustainable Hospitality. We are also working closely with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and we are proud to be one of 18 world-leading hotel companies and members of the organisation, which works towards building a more sustainable and inclusive future for our planet and its people.
Rising popularity of workcations
As flexible and remote work continues to trend, many hoteliers are beginning to implement longer-stay packages, promotions and offerings to cater to this new type of traveller. Longer-stay accommodations and those that offer a strong combination of business and leisure facilities are seeing an uptick in demand as modern-day professionals begin to take advantage of this new working environment. Wyndham has created some “Work from Wyndham” packages at a selection of hotels across Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia and Africa that cater to these types of travellers. We also have a selection of longer-stay accommodation options that appeal to those looking to mix business and leisure travel.
The way forward
The hospitality industry overcame several roadblocks by adopting smarter and technologically advanced platforms after the challenges we faced from COVID-19. As we continue into the future, we must remain adaptable, agile and steadfast in our commitment to industry growth, the demands of our guests, and the evolving way in which people travel. The hospitality industry is notoriously resilient, and we have seen this resilience in action over the last two years. Hence, we look forward to the continuous evolution of this exciting industry.
