Spreading Hope and Positivity in the Thick of Uncertainty

The COVID-19 crisis is truly one of the toughest challenges that professionals of our generation would have faced in their careers. Although the importance of brand agility and consistent innovation is well-established, this pandemic truly acts as a crash course in communication responsiveness and innovative thinking.

Planning for recovery, presented a number of challenges for marketing teams. The idea of promoting hospitality services during a global health threat was perhaps the most difficult balance to find. Next, survival and operational continuity were big concerns. Communication had to be designed in a way to effectively reduce cancellations and refund requests while remaining compassionate towards guests. And finally, spreading hope and positivity in the thick of uncertainty was the only way of staying connected to the guests.

Communications teams had to reprioritise and work towards strengthening consumer confidence, investor trust and driving revenues. In the beginning, this was overwhelming — with the kind of impact it had on the industry overnight. The task at hand was to keep the brand relevant at a time when travel was the last thing on the minds of guests, and also manage anxieties of employees and partners while working with government authorities. We found a unique way to extend our service proposition to guests while they continued to stay at home. With #RadissonCares initiative, we reached out to our guests and brought together tips and insights in areas of housekeeping, food and beverage, elderly care, and health and wellness from our well regarded and globally recognised service professionals. We celebrated our employees for putting a brave front during the peak of the crisis and showing true Yes I Can! Spirit with ‘RadissonThanksYou’ campaign.

As the lockdown eased off and people started moving out again, priorities shifted towards assuring guests of safety and hygiene protocols, promoting driveable destinations and maintaining operational continuity. Currently, when guests have returned for both leisure and business, communications professionals must focus on reassuring them of their safety as well as promoting new, innovative experiences and offerings that will ensure that they make the most of their trips.

At each step of this journey, at Radisson Hotel Group, our communication strategy was focused on transparency, agility and empathy. We used this approach to address all queries of our employees, guests and partners. Our priority was to institute a mechanism of clear and timely communication with a balance of strategic messaging, providing essential information while remaining mindful of the current public mind set. We continued to update our cancellation and refund policy through this time as

the situation developed. Our partners were kept apprised of every strategic change and relevant information. We also partnered with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, to create Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol program, and prioritised communicating this essential information to our guests across every marketing and communications touchpoint.

Communication strategy, like all other components of business strategy, is not effective if it is not implemented with speed, innovative thinking and value-driven mind set. For instance, our enhanced Food and Beverage (F&B) offerings include partnership with EazyDiner that lets our guests enjoy safe deliveries and takeaways while giving our hotels unparalleled reach is win for both business and delightful way of solving a pressing need of guests. Equally important, was to align new and emerging consumer behaviour to overarching business strategy. For instance, leisure travellers are prioritising ‘staycations’ and road trips in and around major cities, and our business caters to a large proportion of this domestic demand. Therefore, we have developed and marketed India Road Trips campaign, a curation of driveable routes that provide local attractions and assured safe stays wherever they might decide to go across the country.

Effective communication really is the heartbeat of the organisation. It enables smooth functioning and instils a sense of control amid chaos. The COVID-19 crisis is not over yet and neither is the threat to the hospitality industry. However, as the situation unfolds, hygiene and safety has definitely permanently displaced other issues as the main marketing message for hotels to focus on.