2020 has been a particularly rough year for most businesses. No matter how big or small your business may have been at the start of year – no matter how established or new, or what field of specialism or industry you operate in, chances are you’ve experienced some significant losses and faced a number of difficulties throughout the year. This has largely been as a direct result of the coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic.

One industry that has been hit particularly hard, however, is the hospitality industry. These are the businesses that have faced the toughest cuts and restrictions. They are the first industry to have to close down when infection rates begin to increase. They are the industry where restrictions on venue capacity and distancing rules prove the most detrimental to profits. So, if you’re running a business like a hotel now, chances are you aren’t feeling all too optimistic. But can your hotel survive this pandemic? Chances are, if you’ve made it this far, it could! Here are some pieces of advice that can help you to achieve this goal.

Focus on Marketing

When people are being actively encouraged to stay home if possible, encouraging people to visit your hotel – no matter how safe and well managed it may be – can be particularly difficult. People are reluctant to spend their money on luxury and non essential goods, services and experiences due to economic difficulties right now. Plus, they may have concerns about their overall health and wellbeing. Marketing can help to change perceptions and get people through your doors. Consider email marketing, social media marketing and text message marketing for hotels. You can use these channels to show people how seriously you’re taking hygiene, distancing and other safety measures.

Target a Different Demographic

If your hotel is usually targeted at families, couples, friendship groups or others on a getaway, you may want to switch to targeting a different demographic who are more likely to use hotels during the pandemic – for example, business people who have to travel for work. Making your business cater to those who have to stay in hotels is likely to secure you a larger number of bookings. Change your business image and branding for now – it could pay off in the long run!

Take Restrictions Seriously

Showing that you’re actively following restrictions can make people feel more comfortable staying with you. Make sure staff are wearing facemasks and that guests are wearing face masks in shared areas (providing exemption for those with medical conditions that require no mask use). Make sure people can be seen cleaning regularly. Provide hand sanitiser at various points throughout your hotel. Close shared facilities such as saunas and steam rooms.

These are just a few suggestions that could help your hotel to get through these hard times. Hopefully, some will really help!