In a time of global uncertainty and increased natural disasters, your property may be put in a position to support your community during a crisis. For instance, hotels in the SoCal area were faced with an influx of over 180,000 displaced residents from Los Angeles County due to the devastating wildfires.
Hopefully, events like these will pass you by, and your community will continue to flourish as it always has. However, in a time of crisis, hotels may be uniquely placed to help. Your actions can make all the difference to those around you and to your reputation. Here’s how you can best assist those in need.
Partner Up
Most businesses are impacted in a crisis, but if you band together, your resources go farther to accomplish more. Partner with grocery stores, restaurants, pet supply stores (see below), and thrift shops to ensure your guests’ basic needs are met. These businesses can offer donations of food and clothing as well as discounts; many guests in this situation are forced to leave most if not all of their belongings behind. It’s also helpful to find someone who can walk displaced guests through bureaucratic details like insurance paperwork.
You’ll be most effective if you reach out and establish connections before a crisis occurs so that you already have them in place. Certain partnerships may also benefit your property and your guests when times are good.
Welcome Pets
Knowing our pets are safe has a profound effect on our mental state. We’ve all seen those heartwarming videos of pets and families finding each other again—relax your pet policy so that they never have to be separated in the first place.
If you have amenities on hand to ensure a pets’ stay is comfortable, all the better. These amenities don’t have to be fancy. Consider the basics, such as bowls, poop bags, and treats, and collaborate with your local pet supply store. They may have unsold stock they’d be willing to contribute.
Keep in mind that it’s still a good idea to keep certain rooms pet free as some of your guests may be allergic.
Offer Essentials
As mentioned above, your guests don’t always have time to collect everything they need, so it’s useful to have essentials on hand such as toiletries. Providing these essentials may be easier and more effective through your partnerships. If you know of other organizations offering assistance, include information about them on your website, at your front desk, and in guest rooms.
It’s also important to consider families with children that may be staying with you. Can you supply toys, snacks, games, or books to keep them occupied? A kids’ club is especially helpful, but if that’s not an option, you could organize something simple like a movie night.
Provide Flexible Room Arrangements
A traditional room arrangement may not work for those impacted by a disaster, and a different configuration may be necessary. For example, large families will likely need more than one room. WebRezPro enables you to tie multiple rooms together and book them as a single unit.
Support Your Staff
Working in the hospitality industry is challenging even in ordinary times, with 67 percent of hotels still coping with staff shortages. In extraordinary times, it becomes extraordinarily challenging. Your staff are not counselors or relief workers and do not have the training to deal with crises professionally.
Run through basic scenarios with them so that they know what your policies are and how you would like them to respond. The emphasis should be on supporting your staff rather than customer service perfection.
It’s also useful to reinforce how their efforts assist with the community’s recovery, just as you would let them know how their actions contribute to your property’s success under regular circumstances. Appreciation is key, even if it’s only a sincere, kind word.
Keep the lines of communication open. The better coordinated your team, the less stress for everyone involved!
Last but not certainly not least, carve out the space and time for your staff to take breaks!
Communicate Well
Your staff aren’t the only people you need strong communication with; you’ll also be exchanging information with your guests and the general public. Use your property management system’s automated email templates and/or guest messaging apps to ensure you reach each guest as quickly as possible with critical information.
In stressful situations, it’s easy not to think before you speak. Take a breath and resist this impulse. What you say may end up online, whether or not you decide to post it there. All it needs is a tech-savvy guest with a TikTok account, so take care to avoid any messaging that reflects poorly on your property.
Use a less-is-more approach to promotion and pull back if necessary. Your romantic relaxation package can wait.
If you slip up, apologize. People appreciate businesses that take accountability rather than dodge it.
Avoid Gauging
This one is fairly obvious, and most people are compassionate, but you should still double-check your pricing, especially if you use an automated revenue management system. The algorithm may react to the spike in demand in ways a human wouldn’t, and there are penalties that come into play if your area is subject to price gauging laws.
Many SoCal hotels chose to offer discounts after the Los Angeles fires. If you can afford it, consider following their lead to support your community. To change multiple rates and restrictions at once, use WebRezPro’s bulk overrides feature where you can do so from a single, convenient screen.
Donations
Even if you cannot take in additional guests after a crisis, there are other ways you can support your community. Donations of food, clean bedding, and toiletries can be an essential support. Our client, Ancient Lore Village, partnered with their local sheriff’s office as a drop-off location for bottled water, baby formula, toiletries, and diapers after Hurricane Helene.
Extended Stays
It’s worth offering extended-stay rates even after the initial crisis has passed as construction workers and other professionals come to your area to rebuild. Laundry facilities, kitchenettes, exercise amenities, and streaming capabilities are especially in demand.
Ensure that communal spaces are comfortable and appealing. Even simple touches like plants and flowers can make these spaces feel welcoming. Guests staying for longer are more likely to spend time in public areas of your property.
In times of crisis, your hotel can be a pillar of support for guests and the local community. From providing a place to stay to offering essential resources, small acts of hospitality make a big impact. Consider these ideas to foster resilience and strengthen the bonds that will support your hotel in return.
