While the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly affected the hospitality industry, it is in times of crisis like these that organisations can prove their mettle. With the industry undergoing fundamental changes, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has been adapting to these fluctuations rapidly. The company’s VP & Country Head for India, Sunjae Sharma informs that despite many regions seeing a second wave of infection, Hyatt Hotels is well prepared to navigate these tough times and emerge in a position of strength.
How has Hyatt Hotels Corporation prepared for the ongoing pandemic from a business perspective?
Hyatt is in a solid financial position for the future. We are highly encouraged by what we see in China and throughout Asia where infection numbers have been consistently decreasing and occupancy levels have been consistently increasing at a significant pace.Â
We have planned for an extended recovery, and have enough liquidity – cash plus ability to borrow on our line of credit – to operate at very low levels of demand for well over three years. We expect demand levels to increase over the recovery.
Do you see things improving within the organisation, as well as the industry?
This is an exciting time to be at Hyatt. We have the expertise, agility and purpose to seize recovery opportunities in a way our competition can’t.
We are at an inflection point for the industry. Our expertise has never been more appreciated, and our innovation has never been more welcomed. Together, we have the opportunity to define the next chapter of Hyatt, and the hospitality industry at large.
We will continue to be guided by our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. Every business decision is made through the lens of our purpose and it informs how we have and will continue to support each other as members of the Hyatt family.Â
What steps have you taken at ground level to boost operational efficiency amongst your workforce?
Hyatt’s path forward focuses on welcoming back guests and customers to its hotels, helping them once again experience the joy of travel. The wellbeing of colleagues is core to advancing care for guests and customers.
In response to COVID-19, Hyatt reimagined the colleague journey to include new work procedures, colleague resources, and reorientations, in an effort to ensure colleagues’ safety and wellbeing. Daily colleague surveys have been introduced to measure colleague comfort and wellbeing, enabling hotel leaders to address opportunities, make adjustments as necessary and meet colleagues’ needs in real time.
Please outline how your hotels are reimagining guest experience in contemporary times.
From listening to our guests and customers, we know that we need to go beyond clean and safe and focus on their holistic wellbeing, now and in the future. We are already seeing wonderful examples of this, including the following:
• Hyatt Pune has converted two of our garden suites – which include rooms that open to private gardens – into a premium dining facility
• Hyatt Place Hyderabad Banjara Hills offers individual buffet-style meals that are curated and proportioned for each dining table
• Alila Fort Bishangarh and Grand Hyatt Mumbai offer virtual site inspections to guests while selecting event venues at Hyatt
• Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore, Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli and many other of our hotels are offering comfortable, luxurious and safe environs for guests to relax and work by introducing a new work space concept
• Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya offers socially distanced hammock-making classes
• Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow offers guests private in-suite dining and in-suite spa treatments
• The Confidante Miami Beach streams curated workouts from local fitness studios
• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong created a summer academy with experiences for the entire family
• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe offers hybrid (in-person plus virtual) wedding celebrations
Has the pandemic affected Hyatt’s current footprint or projected pipeline?
Our diversified pipeline (the number of new hotels expected to open over the coming years) provides even greater confidence in our ability to weather the recovery and come out stronger on the other side. We have more than 950 hotels today and over 500 hotels in our global pipeline.
Hyatt is announcing mindful growth of the Alila, Hyatt Centric and Thompson Hotels lifestyle brands with nearly 20 new hotels planned to open in the Americas over the next three years. Fueled by the 2018 acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality, the investment in our lifestyle brands satisfies our guests’ desire for hotel located in top destinations with rich narratives and elevated and captivating programming reflective of each locale.
How has the COVID19 outbreak prepared your organisation for any future disruptions?Â
This is, and has been, a crucial time for Hyatt and the entire hospitality industry, and every experience is a learning. This was an unprecedented situation and we have learnt, innovated and buoyed ourselves to face future crises.
With a staunch commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our guests, we have reimagined the hotel journey with new amenities and offerings. We have also taken comprehensive steps to implement enhanced protocols that help colleagues feel comfortable and confident at work.
Our teams have been working with utmost dedication and as we rebuild through recovery, we look forward to continuing being guided by our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. Every business decision has and is made through the lens of this purpose and it informs how we have and will continue to support our guests, employees and communities.
