How will hotel businesses manage a second Easter in lockdown?

The coronavirus pandemic has affected every industry, but few have been hit as hard as hospitality. While there are now reasons to be optimistic for later in the year, businesses in these industries are having to find ways to manage in the interim.

A Second Easter Under Restrictions

This is extremely challenging, especially when you consider that there are many events and holidays happening around this time of the year. Hotels and other businesses in this industry thrive on events like Mother’s Day, Easter and Bank Holidays, but now are facing the prospect of missing out on these holidays for the second time having been in lockdown again last year. Hotels, B&Bs and similar businesses will be allowed to open on the 17th of May (at the earliest), so what are those in hospitality doing to manage in the meantime?

Creative Solutions

As with 2020, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit has been vital for those in these industries trying to stay afloat. While customers might not be able to come and stay at a hotel, there are services that could still be provided. These businesses could deliver food to customers or allow food/drink to be collected, which is something that many pubs and restaurants turned to last year.

Another option is to provide private cooking and mixology online classes, which would help people to have an enjoyable experience and replicate the hotel experience in their own homes. On top of this, these businesses should be relying on the government support that is available to them which will be of big help in managing until they can fully reopen.

Plan Ahead

While there are ways to stay busy, it will still be a quieter period than normal. Instead of sitting around and worrying, those in this industry should make the most of this time to prepare for reopening and it is expected that there will be a boom with so many people looking to get away. Marketing the business, improving facilities and finding ways to make sure that people will feel safe are all key. Of course, it is still hard to say what the situation will be and there could be bumps in the road to come. This is why it is so important to have insurance for hotels in place, but keep in mind that these insurances are still adapting to the ongoing situation.

The frustrations for those in hospitality continue with the prospect of spending a second Easter and other key holidays under restrictions. While it will create further difficulties, there are still steps that you can take to manage in the interim and prepare for reopening (hopefully) on the 17th of May, when there should be a surge which will help to alleviate concerns.