The sudden onset of Covid-19 has not only cut down revenues but also shifted the ways it operates. Today the business models look different from the previous ones. In 2020, the hospitality and tourism industry was badly affected. Not only for survival but also for success, the hospitality industry must develop strategies/trends to come out of this challenging situation by exploring new possibilities. Since shelter at home and social distancing was mandatory, social businesses suffered.

Not only for survival but also for success, the hospitality industry must develop strategies/trends to come out of this challenging situation by exploring new possibilities.

How Covid-19 Affected The Hospitality Industry?

According to Bartik, the plan of action to combat the COVID-19 included smart lockdowns, social distancing, and orders of stay-at-home, and restrictions on travel and mobility. Most of the restaurants and hotels are asked to limit their operations outdoors. These resulted in a temporary closure of many hospitality businesses, including the small roadside hotels.

Now the reopening process is started, and the hospitality industry is also open to entertaining its guests. The hospitality industry has come up with the latest trends not only due to Covid but also because it is the need of time. The top ten trends in the hospitality industry for 2021 are listed below:

1. Enhance the Standards of Hygiene and Cleanliness

Hygiene and cleanliness shall be the topmost trends for any hospitality industry in the current year. Cleanliness was important in the hospitality industry before too, but due to Covid-19, it has become vital for its survival in the market.

Not only the hotel staff but the guests would participate in the sanitization and disinfection processes. The guests are required to wash hands, use sanitizer, wear a mask and maintain social distancing. At the same time, the hotel staff is responsible for providing fully sanitized rooms and sitting areas along with wearing masks and sanitizing hands.

2. Use Outdoor Spaces

As we know, social distancing is the key to stop the spread of the virus; in that case, the hotels are suggested to use their outdoor spaces to entertain the guests. You can see in many hotels, the dining, meetings, seminars, and other recreational activities have shifted outdoors. Even the guests are more willing to attend outdoor seminars and dining where the chances of catching the virus are minimal.

3. Availability of Latest Technological Gadgets

The guests today are more tech-savvy and self-sufficient travelers. They use smartphone apps and websites more than ever. To keep human contact to a minimum, hotels will start providing online booking services through websites and apps. Moreover, contactless services within the hotel may also be ordered through apps. The hotels should focus on user-friendly websites and mobile apps with the most up-to-date information.

4. Eco-Friendly Practices

Today the hotels are becoming more eco-friendly, and this is one of the most highlighted trends of 2021 for the hospitality industry. Eco-Friendly practices are becoming the standards for the hotels. Hotels have installed solar panels and updated systems of air conditioning and lighting- when a guest leaves, these automatically turn off.

5. Different Kind of Hospitality

Therefore, people availing this opportunity would require hotel rooms for months instead of days. Hoteliers should look for underused spaces to meet their needs. A hotel today is not only limited to a work-friendly desk and high-speed internet; it should also build co-working spaces and business offices.

The trend of remote working is common these days, so if the guests of a hotel are remote workers, they will look for a tech-package that can cater to their remote working needs. This means that the Wi-Fi of a hotel should now extend to the outdoor spaces as well.

6. Organic Food Products

Today a customer is more aware. People from all demographics prefer organic food. This has compelled the hoteliers and the countries to focus on the phenomenon of environmentalism. The more environmentally conscious people everywhere are looking for more organic experiences, starting from what they eat. It builds customer loyalty and community partnerships.

7. New Roles For Staff

The guests today prefer technology to human beings. They prefer to check-in digitally instead of waiting in long lines at the front desk. They don't mind if a robot serves them food or room service. The incorporation of technology in daily lives has made people more independent and make their decisions. For instance, Muslims use smartphones to know the prayer times when living abroad.

8. Destination Promotion

Thanks to social media tools, people are now becoming more destination-oriented. This is asking the hoteliers to elaborate more on destination promotion. Almost all of the hotels globally are featuring images, tweets, and reviews of their guests on their official websites. This strategy is to spread positive word of mouth and attract more.

9. More Focus on The Cash Flow

The Coronavirus pandemic has and will continue to have financial impacts and economic consequences that will be endured by the hospitality industry in coming years. With a betterment straggling because of problems with the Covid-19, managing the cash flow is important in 2021 than ever. The hospitality industry should be more focused on cash inflow.

10. Response to Negative Feedback

As mentioned above, social media tools are the easiest ways for expressing feelings. If a guest is not satisfied with a hotel's services, it easy for them to post a complaint on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or even Instagram.

The hoteliers should give a quick response to the negative feedback of their clients. Communicating with guests and getting back to their needs and complaints through these tools plays a major role in building long-lasting relations and also encourage future bookings.

Final Thoughts

Due to Covid-19, the economy of the world was shut down within no time. The pandemic badly impacted the hospitality industry too. However, the hospitality industry has started growing again with the above latest trends in 2021.

About the Author: Arslan Hassan is an electrical engineer with a passion for writing, designing, and anything tech-related. His educational background in the technical field has given him the edge to write on many topics. He occasionally writes blog articles for Dynamologic Solutions