‘Supporting Independent Hotels to Navigate through Pandemic’

“When you know no help is coming, it’s probably the time to act.” This quote comes to mind if we dare to look at a go-getter perspective amidst these challenging times.

After weeks of anticipation to receive some direct help from the authorities, it’s only pragmatic to take matters into our own hands. It’s only human to feel indignant at the recent state of affairs but we need to be mindful so as to not turn this indignance into negativity. Probably, the pre-existing structures are falling apart because unprecedented challenges call for unprecedented solutions. The impact of COVID-19 on our economy makes us rethink the priorities and put the common goal above individual agendas.

In our work, we manage and consult independent hotels across India. For the past two months, we have helped many of them navigate through the pandemic and plan ahead for the post-COVID times. The challenges faced by independent hotels run the gamut from financial to operational, mainly due to lack of structure. As a matter of fact, independent hotels have always lagged behind when it comes to resources (human or others) as compared to larger chains. Hence they are obviously going to lag behind in this fight against COVID-19, which has stumped even the most well-resourced hotels. We inherently identified the need to bridge this resource gap, using the best tool available to us- our expertise. And that is how the ProMiller Hotel Mentorship program was designed!

During the difficult times of April, our team worked hard to design the mentorship program for independent hotels across India. Primitive research clearly showed that the battle is not for profits, rather it is for sustenance until the time industry is revived. As we moved forward with our surveys, we observed a lot of hotel owners and investors pinning their hope of revival solely on funds. The hotels were looking for financial help as the one and only way to sustain the business without optimally using the resources already available to them. If independent hotels are not supported at this point, these businesses may suffer losses, or worse, be completely shut down. We observed the status quo as an opportunity to step up and lend a hand to these hotels in the capacity of resources available to us. While we cannot support hotel businesses financially, we are resourceful and all in to support them intellectually. 

As an altruistic effort to mitigate the inevitable damage, ProMiller is proud to present the Hotel Mentorship Program with guidance of our mentor and distinguished hotelier Diwan Gautam Anand. The program breeds from our sheer love for the fraternity and the country and aims to make a three-fold impact to help the situation:

* Prepare independent hotels across India to be ready for post-COVID times

* Mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on future employment of hotel industry by ensuring that independent hotels will eventually recover rather than completely shutting down

* Contribute in sustenance of Indian economy in terms of employment, businesses, travel and tourism

Through this program, we hope to extend support to the independent hotels which lack the awareness and see exit as their only option. In the bigger picture, the ecosystem of our industry marks the interdependence of hotels and management consultants and we aim to sustain that ecosystem. Although we have designed the program with a set of norms for the sake of efficiency, the end goal remains to support as many hotels as possible. We urge the hotels to reach out for help, irrespective of the kind of support that your business needs. United we stand, divided we fall.

If you are an independent hotel grappling for support, we urge you to register yourself with the Hotel Mentorship Program. Our aim is to support independent hotels to navigate through the pandemic and be ready for a post-Corona world. With our expertise, you can expect sustainable solutions to the current problem without dissolving your market reputation by cutting corners. We need to realize that if hotels start planning today, then only they will be fully prepared for a post-COVID world. As Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."