How did the hotel service change during the war

After the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, hotels found themselves in a situation for which they were not ready, and in which there could not be worked out algorithms. Further, the need for coordinated work of the team and the presence of an empowered leader played a role. For him, the most important thing is the ability to take responsibility and give a sense of control over the situation to both the guests and the team. It was mainly thanks to this approach that hotel facilities were able to survive.

Process optimization

The owners of the hotel business had to work hard to optimize costs in order to keep the hotel keep working. This period required a rethinking of actions. In the current period, the following main ways of saving can be distinguished:

1. Multifunctional staff. It is necessary to attract a minimum number of employees who can perform many functions. This is especially true for professions with similar functional responsibilities: a waiter and a restaurant administrator, a hotel manager and a reservation or sales department.

In the photo: apart-hotel WOL.121 (Odessa)

Changing the approach to the service

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the structure of the hotel service has changed. “Now more than ever, we need to pay attention to service defects. Currently, not a WOW service, but a sorry service comes to the fore. And if earlier service standards were more important, and the main task was to prevent certain failures in work, now it is difficult to predict such situations, therefore it is the work standards in such cases that are very important and tell the guest a lot about the service,” said Yulia Kosenko, expert service, hotel consultant. According to her, it is necessary to review each business process, identify possible problems that may be caused, including by external factors, and model behavioral options if they occur.

“Now the most important rule in the work of hotels is taking care of the guest. People have become vulnerable and anxious, so they need to provide the effect of security and tranquility in hotels,” commented Elena Shulika, a hotel expert. When making certain decisions about the operation of the hotel, it is worth putting people's feelings as a priority. “When we don’t do what is convenient for us, but think about whether it will be convenient for the guests, then there is both occupancy and good reviews. This mainly concerns the details – the mode of operation of various services, the format of settlement and eviction, the operation of the room service, etc. Including from the current one – it is worth informing guests about the operating mode of the generator and what services are available at the same time, ”shared Yulia Kosenko.

In the photo: apart-hotel WOL.121 (Odessa)

According to Elena Shulika, now we can distinguish such factors that make a guest's stay in a hotel more comfortable:

• Individual approach and non-standard solutions. The curfew has made adjustments to the functioning of the hotel. For example, hotel employees (cooks, maids/laundresses, waiters, technical service) may stay overnight at work to maintain the usual level of service.
• Little things. They may be of real concern. A person must understand that he was expected here, he is sincerely welcome and ready to help. The range of services in Ukrainian hotels that do not require payment has increased significantly. This includes medicine, transport, logistics, as well as work with children and animals. All this helps a person to feel like a welcome guest, and also creates a fertile ground for the development of tourism in our country – here are hotels that have a soul.
• Having a bomb shelter. Currently, an important factor for guests when choosing a hotel is a bomb shelter. It should be equipped with: ventilation, independent heating, water pumps, generators, a toilet and minimal means and resources for comfort.

In the photo: apart-hotel WOL.121 (Odessa)

Marketing Tools

The full-scale war also changed the approach to hotel marketing. Now, much of what worked before does not work as we would like. “The first thing that should be changed during the war is the mechanics of sales. Now there is no way to wait until the guests themselves find the object and book a room, you need to use every opportunity to invite them to your place. If we talk about resort hotels, then potential guests behave more restrained. If earlier they were looking for places to stay on their own, now they are more likely to mention a vacation when they see a corresponding offer from a hotel,” said Yulia Kosenko.

Since the number of search queries has decreased, contextual advertising now works worse. Therefore, all activity should be aimed at reminding a person of himself. According to the expert, working with the existing database of hotel guests is especially effective now. You should remind them of yourself, create closed sales, and return them to the hotel.

Operational management of the Ribas Hotels Group hotel. More details follow the link.

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