The ‘NEW NORMAL’ Post COVID-19

WE ARE living in unprecedented times, experiencing a crisis at a scale never witnessed before. Therefore, there isn’t a ‘game plan’ or an SOP available on the response and handling. The only certainty in the current environment of uncertainty is that the world as we have known it so far has changed and continues to change rapidly every day. In the era of globalization and interconnectivity, the disruption, discontinuity and upheaval due to COVID-19 have impacted all our lives and continues to push us towards a ‘NEW NORMAL’.

As the pandemic evolves rapidly and shows little signs of abating, accurate mapping of the scale of its economic impact may not be possible as yet. The effects, however, shall be deeply felt across all sectors and aspects of business and the recovery process will only manifest over a period of time. However, while prospects for the industry appear bleak in the months ahead due to the inactive businesses, job furloughs and it is perhaps for the first time in living memory that, we are all in the same situation trying to fight an invisible enemy globally across continents/sectors.

The hospitality industry, also known as an industry of industries due to the varied functions operating under one roof, is a sector that collectively with tourism has one of the highest contributions to the health of our economy and is also one of the most adversely impacted, directly and indirectly.

Post COVID-19, people will re-think travel and be more selective about where they go and stay. Behavioural change in decision making will also be a key factor in prospects going forward, in terms of the presence of crowds, close mingling with strangers may still make people wary for some time. There will also be a new-found obsession with hygiene, cleanliness and ‘social space’.

While these aspects show that we shall be facing trying times ahead, it would be pertinent to mention here that ‘If the invisible can cause it, the invisible can cure it’. There is likely to be a time in the next few quarters, hopefully, sooner than later, that the anxiety of social contact will diminish resulting in an increase in pent-up demand for people to travel.

The Post COVID-19 scenario will bring to us new dimensions in the metrics that our trade has gotten used to in measuring business, as illustrated above.

This, therefore, presents a greater urgency for us to strengthen our ecosystem so as to enhance hospitality values and demonstrate the contribution the industry makes not just in the economy but in society as well, as amply displayed by our fraternity, Marshalls & teams that are still holding fort in the field even during the pandemic.

The NEW NORMAL will be influenced by a number of key factors. There are numerous triadic models of post-pandemic management that are being suggested, such as 

(i) respond-reimagine-recover 

(ii) respond-resolve-recover 

(iii) survival-revival-growth, etc.

I tend to also believe that in our three-dimensional world, it is a holy trinity of steps that can help us navigate the challenging path.

* Invest Wisely

    * Prepare but don’t panic

    * Revisit habits, priorities, costs

    * Appreciate available resources & focus on sustainability

    * Focus on staying safe & healthy, thus ensuring the protection of assets both human & product

* Collaborate & Compete

    * Learn to navigate the NEW NORMAL (temperature checks, space rearrangements, mask requirements, regular disinfection.)

    * Shift towards localization

    * Develop strategies that consider a range of external & internal factors in the evolving scenario

    * Collective collaboration to bring in supply chain resilience

    * Focus on digital strategies & ‘high-tech’

* Raise the BAR

    * Manage uncertainty

    * Revisit core practices & strategies to plan for resuming & running efficient and courteous operations

    * Ensure adherence to and ramp-up of operational excellence and hygiene best practices

    * Enhance capabilities and agility in decision making and adaptability to the market situation

    * Focus on areas of preparedness to co-live with COVID-19 or any other crisis that may confront us in the changing world.

"Man is not imprisoned by habit. Great changes in him can be wrought by crisis - once that crisis can be recognized and understood.” - Norman Cousins (Late American Political Journalist, Author, Professor, World Peace Advocate) 

COVID-19 has in many ways demonstrated the limitations of ’offline’ and the tremendous opportunities & power of ’online’ during the lockdown. It is, therefore, high time that trained professionals and digital platforms come together to collaborate like never before to build resilience and deliver desired efficiencies. The scales in the immediate future in recovery shall tilt more in favour of regionalism & localism in travel than globalization. Leisure travel, therefore, is likely to return more towards ‘drive-to’ rather than ‘fly-to’ early in the recovery stage.

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.” – Peter Drucker

While it is true that we cannot go back to yesterday’s normal/logic, it is critical that we now take a step back and reflect on the core value of ‘hospitality’ and what it stands for. Hospitality is more than just commercial transactions, it is care & comfort, generosity & warmth, willingness to help, community building and employment generation.

I have intentionally not touched upon data here since there is a data overload on every communication. This is the right time to now take actions that are inspirational and comforting for the industry at large.

As I close, I believe that we can collectively overcome the repercussions of this global crisis and come out stronger owing to the trait of resilience that hoteliers possess along with an inherent ability to adapt to challenging situations.

#StaySafe today for our #BetterTomorrow