EU travel industry steps up quarantine pushback
Leaders of Europe’s travel and tourism industries have appealed to the EU’s chief executive to press governments to end quarantine requirements and instead embrace coordinated restrictions and testing. The appeal came as data from airports’ group ACI Europe pointed to a “double-dip” air traffic slump, with passenger numbers down 73% in the first two weeks of September, after a 65% decline in August. The EU executive this month proposed a common “traffic light” system designed to coordinate travel restrictions among EU states and replace the patchwork of rules and quarantine regimes blamed for the renewed collapse in travel.
The role select-service will play post pandemic
A new white paper exploring the select-service hotel model has been released by Irvine, California-based strategy group WATG. The paper, “The Evolution of Lifestyle Select-Service Hotels,” examines select service’s ability to withstand economic downturn, resulting in higher profit margins compared to full-service counterparts. As hotels begin their long journey of post-pandemic recuperation, the operational efficiency mastered by select-service hotels takes first priority. Investors and developers may look towards this category for a few reasons, according to the paper, including a more efficient and lower-risk labor model, construction cost and time savings, resilience in economic downturn, and a higher net revenue through direct booking.
Impact on hotel values across Europe
Hospitality consulting firm HVS recently hosted a webinar in which a panel of experts debated the impact of the global pandemic on hotel values across Europe and whether it has, in fact, created an investment opportunity. That debate was followed by a discussion between a panel of investment, legal and brokerage experts on hotel values and the current mood for investment, with speakers including Bettina Graef from Aareal Bank, Lionel Benjamin of AGO Hotels, Karen Friebe at Bird & Bird, Safi Zakaria at Crosstree Real Estate Partners, Charles Human from HVS, Hodges Ward Elliott and Neil Kirk of L&R Hotels, chaired by AlixPartners’ managing director Graeme Smith.
Watch a recording of the event
Leadership practices to support a team
A new report from Horwath HTL Atlanta lists five practices, leaders can use to support their teams during COVID-19. During a time of crisis or transition, an executive may feel their attention pulled in many different directions, with a tendency to look to the future and attempt to anticipate potential outcomes, Horwath writes. However, the report continues, leaders must remember to also maintain their focus on the present moment and not lose sight of the leadership practices that retain guests and employees.