Excuses instead of solutions? Hotels & Cruise 2023

A few sentences that should give us food for thought. These are excerpts from a short post on Linkdin that unfortunately contains a lot of truth:

“Unfortunately, over the past few years, I've noticed time and again that many hotels have lost their former glory. Instead of a warm welcome and a friendly smile when entering the lobby, you now find yourself in a cold, anonymous atmosphere. No one seems to hold the door open or say hello in a friendly way

The staff is often untrained and only partially able to respond to the needs of the guests. English-speaking casual workers have become the norm, rather than professionally trained staff.

It seems that savings are being made everywhere, regardless of the negative effect on guest service! It's time for hotels to start investing in their people again.”

Lena Heller Linkedin 06/09/2023

If that is the impression of a guest who recognizes that the hotel "saves without regardless of the negative effect on guest service" then one should expect solutions. There are exceptions and these are mostly hotels that have thought long ago of the future for guests and staff. They don't use the excuses of Corona, sanctions, inflation, high energy prices to shift responsibility, but continue to make profit.

One problem is definitely the lack of good staff.

The problem is homegrown and not new.

Further research from the American Hotel & Lodging Association shows that

79 percent of hoteliers report staffing shortages. As a result

71 percent of hoteliers are increasing wages

64 percent are offering more flexible hours

33 percent are expanding benefits.

Yet, 81 percent of hoteliers are still unable to fill open positions, according to the AHLA.

Von Alicia Hoisington 12. Juni 2023 Hotelmanagement

We should remember that the Corona response of most hotels, restaurants and cruise lines was to kick out their staff overnight. Before that, no one had raised wages, offered more flexible working hours, or expanded benefits. That's probably now a bit late. Many would have stayed in the hospitality industry if only they had been treated a little better. Attracting people from other areas is now becoming difficult, as anyone who has worked in the hospitality industry knows.

“According to Dan Paola, VP of operations at Raines Co. “You always had turnover or hotel hoppers. But now you’re pulling in people from different industries, maybe warehousing or retail, and they think they can do housekeeping or the front desk. It’s a big jump. People don’t recognize what they’re getting into,” he said.

Davidson’s Presnol said the hotel industry is now competing with remote roles, gig shifts and other positions that might have a more surface-level appeal: “It continues to be a challenge to convince those that have not tried the hospitality industry to join. There is a perception and, quite frankly, a history of not being flexible with schedules, not being competitive with compensation or creative with benefits.”

Sources said that service is the biggest gap to fill right now. That’s not just because it’s more difficult to find front-line employees today, but also because there’s a lack of skill out there.”

Von Alicia Hoisington 12. Juni 2023 Hotelmanagement

On the other hand, hotels like Peninsula, which of course also lost sales due to the various crises, but had already done far more for guests and the staff (benefits, education but also training) than most other hotels are looking today much better. A good example is also the Goering Hotel in London, which just thanked an employee for 58 years of service. Hotels where the staff is keen to stay are prepared for crises and can offer first-class service. Learning from the old employees is not only the best education but also the best way to save costs without cutting on service.

Cruise companies rely almost exclusively on young people because they claim that it is physically too hard for older people. Hotels and restaurants are just as hard, but every company has to take into account that lifting boxes is not necessarily the right thing to do from a certain age, the employee is still more valuable than the young employee because experience and knowledge more than compensate for this.

"One of the main assets that the over-50s bring to the workplace is their rich life experience. Having spent several decades in a variety of roles and situations, they have developed a deep understanding of human nature, problem-solving skills and a strong work ethic.

Collaboration between generations enables the exchange of ideas, the transfer of knowledge and the development of creative solutions to problems. For young people who have been struggling in life since the health crisis, working with more experienced people can help them manage mental health, stress and learning life skills.

Encouraging age diversity sends a strong message to employees and guests that the skills and contributions of each individual are valued, regardless of age."

Michael Butler June 16, 2023 Linkedin

Large cruise companies like Carnival rely on commissions on sales to make up for the bad salaries. This leads to the fact that the guest is constantly harassed and often feels ripped off and of course the staff is constantly under pressure to sell more in order to get a reasonable salary. Tips are usually deducted from the companies beforehand and if guests knew how much of it does not reach the staff for whom it is intended, many would rather give the money directly to the staff.

There is a lot to improve. Of course you have to realize what mistakes were made, but then something has to be done. Only excuses and "keep on going!" will only worsen the situation and certainly will not attract good staff. We should say thank you to everyone who has worked in the hospitality industry for years, doesn't want to come back now and hopefully has a well paid, more comfortable life.

Stephan Busch has an invaluable and diverse experience in the hospitality industry ranging from senior management positions with the most renowned hotel and resort companies to the project development - launch of operations, business development- for hotel and cruise companies in Asia, Europe, Canada and Russia.

His expertise includes not only planning, opening and operating of hotels, international golf clubs, airports, resorts and cruise ships, but also successful restructuring and repositioning of businesses during the financial crisis in Asia.

Stephan Busch earned his Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, USA and served many years as Academic Director / Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism at the State University for Humanities RGGU as well as the Swiss International University St. Petersburg.