As someone who has been in public relations for decades, I know how to pivot.
Up until the ’80s, our public relations agency rode the wave of San Francisco’s white-hot music scene. But when the music industry moved its epicenters to Los Angeles and New York, it was time to pivot. We expanded our client and industry base, shifting from a PR agency focused on local and national music and entertainment to one focused primarily on hospitality, food and beverage, and real estate.
When the economic downturn of 2008 hit, we pivoted once again, expanding our reach to Asia and bucking the devastation that hit so many other agencies. Our ability and willingness to be nimble during these times of crisis have enabled us not only to survive, but to expand to become a global lifestyle PR agency.
I say this because if ever there was a time to pivot, it’s now. And if ever there was an industry that needs to do so, it’s the hospitality industry.
Although we work in a diverse range of arenas, a significant percentage of our clients are based in the hospitality industry, which has been one of the most impacted sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States alone, 70% of hotel employees have been laid off or furloughed, and eight in 10 hotel rooms across the nation remain empty, according to a recent report by Washington, D.C.-based America Hotel & Lodging Association. In San Francisco, an international culinary destination, 50% of restaurants are not expected to reopen, according to the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
In the early stages of the pandemic, many businesses found innovative ways to stay afloat, from offering curbside and delivery services to hosting online wine-tastings to creating virtual vacations and tours. Other businesses used their resources to contribute to COVID-19 relief efforts in their communities, including providing meals for health care and other essential workers, and making hotel rooms available for COVID-19 symptomatic people awaiting testing.
These actions were necessary as the industry suddenly found itself dealing with a social-distancing mandate that was the very antithesis of what hospitality is all about. But when this pandemic is over, what will the new landscape look like for the hospitality industry?
Some of the changes will be a direct result of the pandemic, and others, though accelerated by COVID-19, were already in motion. To be clear, these changes are not necessarily all bad. In fact, it’s possible that the best days for the travel and leisure industries are ahead of us — just not in the way we envisioned before the pandemic. We already can see some of these changes taking place now.
Proactive businesses are staying connected with customers even as their doors remain shut. Social media during social distancing has been crucial, as more people than ever before have turned to social-media platforms to stay informed. Posting regularly has been key to keeping brands relevant: food and drink recipes from executive chefs and mixologists; online cooking lessons; previews of experience packages set to launch once resorts reopen; new safety precautions; services that are still being offered; or even a simple “We miss you. Can’t wait to welcome you back.” Business owners who use social media skillfully can expect customers to come back because those customers didn’t lose their connection to the brand.
This type of community engagement will continue once the mandate is lifted because businesses that didn’t realize it before the pandemic realize it now: Social media is a powerful tool, and especially so in times of crisis. Customers can gauge how their favorite places will fare post-pandemic by how aggressive communications have been during the pandemic.
Once the shelter in place is lifted, there will be a transitional period during which customers will need to regain confidence and trust in the places where they eat, drink, stay and socialize. Businesses that anticipate this will maintain heightened sanitation protocols and make them visible and accessible to customers.
This is the whole new world everyone has been talking about, the one in which providing experiences means taking into account ample space for guests, providing more spa and wellness treatments focused on soothing anxiety, placing hand sanitizers at registers. This isn’t just for appearances. Authenticity is going to go a long way. Customers will support a business that shows it genuinely cares about their needs and has taken extra measures to ensure their safety and comfort. Customer reviews will focus a lot more on how clean the space was and how safe they felt, as opposed to just how good the food was or how soft the sheets were. Public expectation will be based on a new and different set of standards.
Another thing to consider is international travel — something that will take even longer to rebound. Until that happens, people will satisfy their wanderlust by exploring local venues. Jet-setters often overlook road-trip destinations because they tell themselves they can always go. But do they? If there’s one thing the pandemic has forced us all to realize, it’s that we can’t take anything for granted. There will be a renewed (and in many cases, newfound) commitment from consumers to support local businesses and rediscover their surroundings, choosing not to venture off into the world just yet. This means farm-to-fork, organic, sustainable trends will be strengthened in a post-COVID era in which customers feel like staying closer to home, and perhaps closer to the earth.
In the Bay Area, where our agency is headquartered, we are all a road trip away from experiences in the Wine Country. Customers will seek a wider range of offerings and fuller experiences beyond standard wine tastings. Possibilities include wine pairings with each course representing a different cuisine; spa and wellness treatments from around the world using local products; cooking lessons highlighting different cultures but using local ingredients. Guests forgoing international travel can have a curated local experience that feels like a whole other world.
Other changes will seem like results or extensions of the pandemic, but they are not. The industry was at an inflection point before the pandemic hit. Restaurants were already experiencing disruptions in the industry brought on by door-delivery and fast-casual dining trends. COVID-19 accelerated these trends, forcing restaurants to lean into the trends rather than fearing them.
Restaurants, hotels and tourist destinations that survive will be those that recognize and respond to these trends. They will anticipate your new needs and concerns. They will stay nimble. Be authentic. Gather feedback. Listen.
And they will be ready to pivot.
Jeff Nead is a partner at Glodow Nead Communication, a global lifestyle agency representing clients worldwide and offering a diverse range of services, from public relations to brand development, social media, events, media training, and crisis communications.
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May 12, 2020 at 06:50PM
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