Hospitality is one of the many industries affected by the downward economy on a global level. Hotels are folding, chains are being bought out, properties are not opening, or they are abandoned in midst of final construction. Other hotel projects remain in blueprints. 2009 is just a bad year for the travel industry, and for hotels it affects departments differently. Fewer meeting conventions and less up-selling mean less revenue. Fewer travelers mean less reservations and possibly lower rates. Your plans to replace all in-room TVs to plasmas are on hold. You’re understaffed and overworking your salaried managers. You have no marketing dollars because it’s all going into running basic operations.
But this is also the best time to reinvent your message, stack your hotel’s priorities, and redefine your audience if necessary. It is so important to keep PR and marketing communications as part of your strategic plan, especially during this unusual downturn. Start by creating a fast action plan and create messages. Talk to employees, other hotel contacts, even competitors, and keep up with what’s happening in the industry. To keep your hotel alive, you need to make changes that sustain momentum, and a strong and healthy PR presence to your guest audience is a vital component of that process.