Hospitality industry to bloom again in 2022 and how to prepare your business for this growth

Prosperous Recovery Year for Hospitality Industry

In 2019, Tourism & Hospitality as an industry contributed approximately a percentage of 10.4% to the global GDP. When COVID-19 came and put the entire world to a grinding halt, it caused a devastating impact on the Tourism & Hospitality sector, dropping the sector’s global GDP contribution to just 5.5% in 2020 alone. 

However, we humans love to travel, relax and enjoy our leisure trips, and even do business overseas. When we want to satisfy these cravings, we look at the hospitality industry and how it is able to give us a memorable experience. 

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That being said, despite being one of the hardest-hit industries, the same industry is not going anywhere anytime soon. The industry’s innovativeness, tenacity, and adaptability have allowed many (including professionals) to confidently believe that it will come out even stronger post-COVID. 

Furthermore, countries all over the world are slowly easing curbs and lifting restrictions, allowing businesses in all industries to resume economic activity. Let’s take Vietnam as an example, the government is currently developing a roadmap that plans to fully open Vietnam up to international visitors by June 2022, signaling a restart of the hospitality & tourism industry.

Globally, 83% of travelers plan to travel once they are able to. Business travel and groups are also at an all-time high, as businesses cannot solely rely on online meetings. This wanderlust and need for travel opens up opportunities and demands the hospitality industry can take advantage of in order to push through a prosperous recovery year. 

How to Prepare Hospitality Businesses to Do Well in 2022

Sustainability

Sustainability has been trending for quite some time now in the hospitality industry and other industries alike. COVID-19’s impacts emphasized how important being sustainable is, and the topic is now an integral part of other growing trends. 

Consumers (especially the younger generation) are now starting to demand more sustainable practices from brands and organizations they spend money on. An eco-friendly approach to hospitality can help you satisfy your current guests, expand your reach, and compete in the changing market. Start to adopt more sustainable practices, even if it is just replacing the light bulbs with energy-saving ones.  Besides, being sustainable is not only good for business but also good for the environment and planet (which we live in).

Places with Purpose 

Not only are consumers becoming more aware of the impact of their choices and actions, but they are also becoming interested in understanding the purpose of their destinations too.

Hence, one of the growing trends in the hospitality industry is that tomorrow’s consumers want to spend money in places with a purpose. Similar to sustainability, consumers will want to spend their money wisely on things that make a positive impact on the planet. They tend to look for unique experiences that also give back to the local community or surrounding environment. 

Your business will need to fulfil their desires of a “purposeful experience” by elaborating on your services provided clearly, along with any positive impacts your services will bring.

Safety Measures

COVID-19 spotlighted the safety measures during a pandemic, with social distancing measures being implemented everywhere. As businesses, we do not only adhere to those measures for the sake of doing so but also to protect our precious customers. With the latter being said, it makes sense that especially during the recovery period or even post-COVID, hospitality businesses continue to implement some form of safety measures to continue protecting the safety and wellbeing of their guests. 

One quick example will be to make sure that no overcrowding happens in a certain area, with or without COVID-19 being present. Since the hospitality and tourism industry relies heavily on service and customers’ satisfaction, businesses in this industry should always prioritize their customers. 

Solo Travel Design

After various lockdowns, 2022 is set to see a rise in solo travel, as individuals seek freedom and adventure in their own way. One in four Americans says they will travel solo, demonstrating that traveling alone has grown into a big hospitality trend. 

Establishments will need to tailor their offerings by breaking down barriers between hotel staff and guests, considering interior design choices to evoke homeliness and create an informal atmosphere.

Businesses should, however, avoid fully excluding the “social” aspect of travel for consumers. They should actively create opportunities to help guests make new connections while allowing them to share as much or as little personal information as they please.  

Technology

Throughout the last 1-2 years, traditional customer-facing services have become contactless in order to reduce the transmission of the virus with mobile check-in or check-out and contactless payments. According to IATA, 45% of air travel passengers are prepared to discard their paper passports and use biometric identification instead. Organisations ranging from Marriott and InterContinental to United Airlines are all integrating electrostatic spray technology for disinfection.

As technology innovation continues to evolve, hospitality institutions will need to adapt to remain ahead of the curve, for instance, fingerprint or face recognition will soon become an expected convenience for guests accessing their hotel rooms, much like how it is expected with smartphones. The big use of technology here is to reduce the number of physical touchpoints to ensure the safety of guests while still maintaining the quality of service provided.

Businesses can also improve customers’ experience with personalization (a growing trend each year) by leveraging customer data through the use of technology. If used correctly, hospitality businesses will be able to curate their offerings and services to make them relevant and appealing to existing and potential guests.

English Language Proficiency

English language proficiency is a highly sought-after skill in a global business environment, especially after the arrival of COVID-19. In the hospitality and tourism industry where guests come from all over the world, English is one of the commonly used languages for communication between service providers and guests. 

Upskill your employees to be proficient in English so that any language barrier can be overcome and empower them to provide better quality service. Gradually, this effort to cater to your guests will translate into higher sales and revenue along with an increased competitive advantage over your competitors.

Furthermore, by investing in training your employees, you are also playing a part in workforce sustainability, which as mentioned earlier, could be an attractive factor seen by consumers when choosing a business to patronize. Don’t hesitate to explore and invest in companies that provide English training for businesses.

ELSA’s Assistance to Employee Development and English Training in Hospitality Industry.

At ELSA, we strongly believe that employees, especially those that are directly in contact with customers, are one of the most important aspects of a business. With that belief, we’d love to assist the hospitality industry by developing and improving the workforce in their spoken English with English training in Hospitality, helping you bring you closer to your consumers. 

With English language proficiency being a key aspect to prepare your service business for the recovery year in 2022, ELSA has just what the industry needs, English training for businesses. Thanks to our proprietary AI technology that helps employees enhance their English skills, ELSA Speak–an English learning application – has been utilized by many businesses. It covers a wide range of English skills such as Listening, Reading, Pronunciation and Speaking, Grammar and Vocabulary compiled by ELSA’s language experts.

This application can also create learning content tailored to hospitality industries, allowing employees to better prepare for scenarios unique and relevant to their jobs. Upgrade your employee’s English speaking skills in just 3 months and see it translate into a rapid improvement in your employees’ ability to provide quality service, especially to English-speaking guests.

ELSA Dashboard feature also includes overview management tools that allow firms to review, analyse, and compute ROI and investment efficiency. This seamless feature would eliminate HR’s time-consuming analysis work, allowing businesses to focus on what matters most: their products and services, rather than wasting time planning and developing English-learning programs for their staff.

With ELSA, empower your employees to reach higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Explore more about ELSA English Speaking training solutions for hospitality businesses here.

Sources:

1. Hospitality Net, “5 Recession Lessons Hotels should Remember in 2022”, October 2021
2. Travel Daily Media, “Ten trends set to shape hospitality industry in 2022”, December 2021
3. Better Works, “5 Challenges for HR in The Hospitality Industry”, October 2019
4. World Travel & Tourism Council, Economic Impact Reports, 2021
5. World Travel & Tourism Council, “The Future of Travel & Tourism In The Wake of COVID-19”, September 2020
6. Hospitality Net, “2022 Hospitality Industry Forecast”, October 2021