A change is upon us in our working habits. The Coronavirus pandemic has altered the way we work, perhaps forever. The regular 9-5 office job is now a blend of home working and office working. For most, this is a good thing and a better way to live, with a far better work-life balance, lets travel costs, and increased productivity. But it’s not always plane sailing! Juggling work with kids in the house. Interruptions from delivery drivers whilst on a video call. Increased heating costs as you are home more and loss of team communication are just a few of the problems. So we are here to help. Whether you are working from home full time or part-time, change is here and it’s time to embrace the new way of getting things done.

And here at POSH, we got rid of the office and have been working from our home office for years, so we’re in a confident position to be able to highlight some of the best ways to ensure you get a productive day at work – from home.

Working from home can be lonely

If you live or work on your own during the day at home, it’s no surprise that it can be lonely. Without regular human interaction at the cafeteria, photocopier or water fountain, the days can drag out and sometimes you might find yourself having spoken to nobody all day. So it’s a good idea to take a break and go outside for lunch. To the park, local corner shop or anywhere you might get to unwind just for a moment and get some genuine face-to-face human interaction. Daily human interaction is important not just for our mental wellbeing, but perhaps for our physical health too. 

Further, it is hugely beneficial to keep in contact with your colleagues and clients. Having a structured weekly call with a bit of a catch-up at the start has really helped all of our team. Find out more about just how to do this further on.

Another way to avoid loneliness is getting a pet. Now, we certainly don’t advocate just going out and buying a pet without putting a lot of research into it. For example, if you are looking for a dog that will cuddle up and be pretty chilled all day whilst you work, you probably don’t want to get a high-energy dog that will insist on three long walks a day! It’s also a good idea to research where your puppy is coming from. Avoid puppy farms at all costs. You might get a cheap dog, but chances are it will be unhealthy. It will potentially cost you a lot of money in vet bills. But if you get it right, there are few things better than writing a report with a puppy or kitten cuddled up in your arms!

Working at home with kids can be impossible

Let’s not pretend that working at home with children in the house is ever easy. Unless they are super efficient and well-behaved (lucky you!) you’ve probably found them in front of the TV a lot more than they should be allowed. Perhaps a lot more iPad time, and a lot less reading and imaginative time that you would like too. 

As we all get used to this new way of working, don’t kick yourself about this. Things will settle out and once you get yourself into a routine, you can start working out one for the children. In the meantime, don’t worry if you just can’t get anything done. There’s no planning for the days when the kids are just climbing the walls and stopping you from finishing a thought. This is the time when you speak to your manager and figure out a solution. It’s a stressful time, but nothing is impossible, especially if you ask for help. 

Working at home with kids

Here are some top tips for working from home with a family that might help you organise your time when there are kids in the house:

If they are old enough, set clear limits on when you are available, and time when you are only available for emergencies (and be clear what constitutes an emergency!)

For younger kids, try to see if you can shift your work to fit around them. For example, can you get up before they do? Work when they sleep or have downtime? Can you work in the evening instead? Some people who parent in couples split their time so as to ensure a length of uninterrupted work time. 

One of our young kid parents has put a dvd corner in their office and as a reward, when her 3-year-old lets her work for a set time alone, she is allowed to then come in for quiet time and watch a dvd with mum in the room with her.

Call on friends

But really do try and keep the two separate. Yes, we were victims of lockdown parenting too! And this meant trying to work every second of every day, continuously being interrupted and pulled away by kids. So, we got our work done, but it was stressful. And our family time was so enmeshed with work, that it became stressful too! So try and reward your kids and yourself with set “us time” and set “work time”.

And, as a result of reduced child care and increased working from home hours, we have also found as a team that we are partnering up with other parents. As such, we have agreed with friends parents where each is struggling and we try to share the load. So, your kids might have a play date on an afternoon with them, whilst you cover sick days or lifts from daycare. Whatever you are struggling with, you are not alone. So start talking to others and asking for help in return for your time when you have it.

When you work, it can be a good time for children to work too. Have you got space at your desk or kitchen table for them to join you? And remember, work doesn’t just mean schoolwork – it can be painting, playing with dough or colouring in! 

Working from home doesn’t actually have to mean ‘from home’. Perhaps there is somewhere like a soft play or park that you can go where you can still keep an eye on things. But here, you’ll have the chance to get your thoughts in order and get some work done. 

Keeping costs down

Working from home can add a few additional costs such as increased heating bills, worries over electricity costs. So, we have taken to heating just the one room we are working in. The cost of running a quality eco heater is nominal – but do make sure you buy “a quality eco heater” as whilst a cheap heater may have a low upfront cost, they do tend to rack up your electricity bills and cost more to run monthly. Check the energy rating and kw before buying. And here is a handy tool for calculating your costs, once you know which heater you want. Buy one with a thermostat and keep its run time down by layering up on clothing… or even keep a blanket to hand for those chilly winter days.

Keeping up communication

And finally, how to keep up communication with your team and work colleagues. Well, we improved our communication and productivity by implementing a “no email rule”. Yes, we asked our team only to send an email in an emergency or for extremely time-sensitive items. And all other questions get put into a shared online sheet we call our “coms sheet”. So, the team add their name, the client it relates to, and details of their item. And then every Tuesday, we then have an operations conference call whereby we go through each item sequentially. As such, this means the team not only knows everything that is going on with each client, but they also learn from each other through each of the questions asked.

You’ll get there!

We’re all getting used to this, and will be for some time too. So don’t feel the need to rush things, and try not to get too stressed out. Once you and anyone else in your life get into the swing of things, you’ll start to wonder how you ever managed to commute to a 9-5 every day! Working from home with children or on your own will soon become second nature and, hopefully, open up so many new possibilities and opportunities that it will change your life for the better. And remember, if you need help with your website or marketing strategy, we are happy to help too.

The post Juggling home life, kids and work – tips from POSH appeared first on POSH Agency.

We interviewed a number of industry leaders and influencers to find out their experiences. Resoundingly we heard “It’s like opening up a brand new business, on a far larger scale, and with no opportunity soft launch”.
Demand is high, businesses are established but lockdown and Brexit have meant opening doors with new staff and reduced supply levels.

The Brexit impact on hospitality

Before the UK left the EU at 23:00 on 31 January 2020, people from all over Europe could come to the UK and work freely in whichever sector they wished.

For us in the hospitality sector, this meant a large and regular influx of workers keen to start jobs in roles such as kitchen staff, hotel workers and front of house. It would range from people seeking a different way of life by moving to the UK, to people who would come over for temporary or seasonal work. EU workers made up 43% of the hospitality workforce in 2019.

After Brexit, this changed. More than 90,000 EU workers left the UK’s hospitality sector in the last year. The EU workforce in the industry in 2021 dropped to 37%. We found that it became harder to find people willing to take on these positions. It became harder for those in the EU to travel and work here, so they simply chose to go elsewhere. We have found it difficult to employ from our essential foreign pools.

Whilst we still have a strong local, UK workforce who are doing us proud, the numbers simply aren’t there to make up for all the EU workers not coming here anymore. EU workers simply weren’t returning to the UK.

And then Covid hit

Whilst many experts had predicted a pandemic could hit, nobody in their daily lives really paid that much attention – until it did hit. We’ve all suffered in one way or another.

After our struggles with a reduced workforce after Brexit, Covid was the last straw for many hospitality businesses. When lockdown began in early 2020, many hotels, restaurants and bars simply could not see themselves re-opening. With no custom came no income. There was no way to pay rent, invoices or utilities. Although furlough helped keep staff with an income, this was a shallow victory if there was no job to go back to. 

Ultimately what we saw was People returning to their home countries so they could be with family. And we haven’t really seen them come back. Even as lockdown has eased, and we’re starting to work at full capacity again, we don’t have the workforce to allow a proper full service. And this has knock-on effects, for example, chefs are leaving kitchens because they are unable to staff them properly, making an already stressful work environment become intolerable. Some were put on furlough but didn’t come back because they found other employment. So, we have in effect had to open our businesses anew, with new, untrained teams of staff. This is not how we normally do things! Staff members are brought on gradually, not in mass waves. And they are trained by our long-term experts… many of whom we have sadly lost.

The future of hospitality in the UK

We’ll get back to the standard of service we offered before Brexit and Coronavirus, that much is certain. It’s just that it will take a while. We have a new and upcoming workforce full of enthusiasm, but it will take time to train them and get them to a high level of experience. This doesn’t happen overnight.

As restrictions ease, and the workforce landscape after Brexit becomes clearer, we will see a way forward. The Covid and Brexit impact on the hospitality industry has been severe, but we will recover. And we’ll see you at the bar again soon!

Please tell us, how has your business been impacted and what do you feel is our way back? Comment below…

And remember, if you have any questions on how we can help get your business up and running again, just drop us a line by clicking the button below.

The post What has been the Covid and Brexit impact on the hospitality industry? appeared first on POSH Agency.

From how we live our daily lives to how we take our holidays, people want more assurances from their travel. However, hospitality provider options, and technologies within these establishments, are adapting. The hospitality industry is using new, creative ways to not only attract guests but keep them safe when visiting. 

Here are 7 clever ways hotels are making use of technology and environmental awareness to welcome guests to their world.

1. Web stories

Web stories are a new way to create and share content on the web. They combine photos, videos, music, and text into one multimedia production. And they are responsive, meaning they look just as great on a desktop as they do on your phone. 

It’s something Google is at the forefront of rolling out. It takes inspiration from stories on Snapchat and Instagram, but web stories are permanent and are meant to be shared and embedded. They are being used by the hospitality industry as a way to immerse potential visitors into different cultures. You can have a feel for a hotel or city before you go.

For example, this web story talks about one person’s week in Singapore. It brings the city to life with photos and videos. The web story looks great on both mobile and desktop. If you’d like to find out how web stories can help your business, get in touch. 

2. Wikifriends

Wikifriend is a German company that offers powerful software and hardware with artificial intelligence. Of particular interest to hotels has been their automatic temperature measuring product. This is important at the moment as it is a way to see if anyone has a fever. It can also detect if people are wearing their masks correctly and ensures social distancing is being adhered to. It’s a smart hotel technology, and we love it! As well as offering a safety feature to your hotel, it offers a fun and interactive way of doing so too…

3. Alexa, turn up the heat

Many of us are embracing voice technology in our homes through Amazon Echos and Google Homes. Even if we don’t fully trust intelligent speakers yet, voice assistants are on most people’s phones, be it Siri on iPhones or Bixby on Samsungs. They are even on modern TVs!

Hotels are starting to learn how to use this technology to their benefit. Some hotels have an Amazon Echo in each room, allowing the guest to control lights, temperature and curtains with just their voice, avoiding any unnecessary contact. Soon, people will be able to connect their own accounts, bringing their selection of songs and audiobooks on holiday too. 

4. Robotics

By reducing human touchpoints and unnecessary interaction, hotels can help keep their guests and staff safe from viruses. Robotics are a way forward here, as they allow hotels to maintain the same high standard guests expect whilst keeping them safe.

For example, this robotic table delivery service takes food and drink to restaurant tables. It’s an elegant solution to doing something important, but which doesn’t need human interaction.

5. Hotel facial recognition

We’re used to unlocking our phones with just our faces, but what if they could do so much more?

Some hotels in China are already using guest’s faces for check-in. This reduces queues. It also means if you don’t need any help with checking in, you don’t need to speak to anyone and risk infection. 

6. Google Hotel Tours

Guests like to see in advance what a hotel looks like. Previously they had to rely on photographs, but these rarely gave a true feel of a hotel. With Google Hotel Tours, people can now walk around a hotel as if they are there. It’s like Google Streetview, but indoors.

Of course, it’s important to make sure people can find these tours, as they really help with conversion into sales. Speak to us if you’d like to understand some more and help guide potential guests to them.

7. Hotel apps

An easy way to ensure people have access to all the information and help they need is through an app. This can be downloaded in advance of arrival.

It can be used to check in and out, order food, room service and anything else you might require. Marriott Hotels already have a well-established mobile app for booking and check in.

It can also work as a room lock. Technology in hotel rooms is being welcomed across the world.

And here’s something you might not have realised. Did you know that the dirtiest thing in your hotel room is actually your TV remote? Now the pandemic has made all accommodation providers go beyond their normal level of cleanliness, but it is still a worry for some. 

Chains like Hilton are addressing this matter. Using connected technology, they are allowing you to control your TV as well as room temperature and curtains from your own mobile through an app. 

We think that apps such as these will become more popular and common as the years progress.

Technology to keep us safe and happy

Hotel technology is designed to make our lives easier. With social distancing now commonplace, it can also help keep us safe. We’re keen to find out more about technology in the hospitality industry. Let us know of any advancements that you have come across. 

The post 7 ways hotel technology is helping the hospitality industry to adapt to the “new normal” appeared first on POSH Agency.

The quick and creative thinking of some industry leaders to keep holiday businesses alive has been impressive. Innovation in the hospitality industry has had to develop quickly, as hotels throughout this pandemic have seen their visitor numbers rapidly decline. So what have these inspirational hospitality providers done in order to bring guests back into a safe environment?

Here are some of the best pieces of innovation and adaptation we’ve seen so far through the coronavirus pandemic from innovation within the hospitality sector. If you have seen others that have impressed you, be sure to leave a comment below or on our Facebook page.

1. Contactless…everything

Loch Lomond Waterfront offers luxury self-catering lodges on the banks of one of Scotland’s most beautiful lochs. So in order to minimise customer interaction, and so reduce the risk of passing on any illness, they reduced the amount of person to person contact required to virtually nothing. 

How did they do this? Contactless check-in and contactless check-out. Everything guests needed to find their lodge, get in, and get settled was emailed in advance. Any help is only ever an email or phone call away. In short, with 18 acres of open space for visitors to enjoy and remain socially distant from each other, Loch Lomond Waterfront has seen business boom this year. They also keep their holiday resort completely enclosed with an electric gated entrance, so guests can holiday away from others in the safety of their own little bubble.

Order alcohol, shopping, games, and DVDs directly to your lodge, without the need for human interaction. Plus every single touchpoint is disinfected as the thorough cleaning team departs your lodge to ensure all is sanitary for your arrival.

2. Make Christmas Great Again

As we head towards the end of the year, Christmas plans are in disarray. Our normal traditions will be turned on their heads. However, one hotel in the north of Scotland wants to ensure the magic stays alive and has created an innovative plan to do so. 

Mackays Hotel in Wick is adapting to restrictions by offering guests an ‘Enchanted Forrest’ socially distanced dining experience. For example, this event will:

• enable social distancing
• allow groups of people to have their own individual socially distanced tables for their outing
• permit guests can book their tables at any time to suit themselves
• ensure guests can stay in their ‘areas’ after their meal and enjoy each other’s company.

So by having somewhere that friends and families can come together in a safe and socially-distant way, Mackays Hotel is ensuring the magic of Christmas continues to thrive in 2020.

3. Enhancing everyone’s experience

Every hotel must ensure that guests have safe holidays that are pleasurable and rewarding. Given government restrictions, this has proven to be a challenge to overcome for hotels across Scotland. Some innovative thinking by the Kingsmills Hotel Group, behind their two hotels the Kingsmills Hotel and Ness Walk in Inverness. 

Both hotels have created truly beautiful outdoor spaces for dining. Decked with hay bales, fairy lights, and whisky barrels, it makes eating out a treat. Not to mention their fabulous food! These outdoor socially distanced restaurants are heated and open to non-guests also. Meaning everyone in the area can enjoy the hotels’ wonderful hospitality. 

During lockdown, Ness Walk also set up their Riverside Bar for guests to continue dining and enjoying their drinks in a socially distant manner. But this bar also offers an added experience to hotel guests, who now get to sit by the side of the River Ness, enjoy gourmet hotdogs and watch the world go by. Making the best of the worst times is a way of thinking that will only help the hospitality industry in the future. 

They also brought in mist machines, to kill all germs indoors. And room seals, so you can be assured no-one has entered your room since it was disinfected. The lengths these two hotels have gone to ensuring guest and staff safety are commendable.

4. Foot handles

Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. We’ve all had to adapt to not touching things at the moment, to avoid passing on any illness. This includes the use of door handles. 

Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe uses an innovative solution that can be used well after the pandemic has ended. They have created branded foot handles for the bottom of their doors, reducing touchpoints for guests. This way, you can open a door without having to worry about getting your hands dirty. A simple pull, or push, with your foot, is all that’s required!

This innovative hotel is also preparing outdoor dining pods so guests can continue to enjoy the majestic views of the Scottish glens surrounding. And with the whole of the Scottish Highlands on their doorstep, social distancing around these parts isn’t too difficult…

5. An ultimate night in

Innovation can also come from thoughts on how to entertain guests when they arrive. But with lockdown, going out to eat and spend the day in and out of shops is often not an option. 

The Dunstane Houses in Edinburgh have created imaginative ways to spend time in their luxury Edinburgh hotels. For example, fancy some indoor glamping? If you are holidaying with kids, then having a tent set up in the room is obviously going to be amazing. With an adventurer’s backpack and plenty of activities to discover this is a great way to ensure the kids don’t drive you up the walls! 

For the grown-ups, they understand your problems of staying in the same house for months on end. Chat probably is a combination of “Did you sleep well?”, “What do you want for lunch?” “What do you want for dinner” and, at 8:30pm,  “Shall we just go to bed?” 

So they’ve come up with the ultimate night in package with gin, pre-and post-dinner nibbles, dinner, bed and breakfast, and as much Netflix as you can take. All in a luxury room with free room service all day long. 

During lockdown, they even offered a similar service; if working from home was proving to be not as enjoyable as you thought it would be (thanks, screaming kids). Take over a room for a day or a week and take full advantage of everything a luxury hotel offers. Now that’s giving the customer what they need before they even knew they needed it.

The changing face of hotels

We’ve been delighted to see the hospitality industry, which was so devastated during the first lockdown in March 2020, to get back on its feet. So we’ve seen that it is hotels, lodges, and guest houses that have adapted and innovated that are starting to read the rewards for their hard work.

To sum up, it’s only through further change, hotel innovations, and working within the confines of government restrictions that the industry can continue to grow and thrive. We look forward to getting back to our usual way of life and holidaying in Scotland again soon!

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As we write this, the Coronavirus outbreak has taken over news channels, social media and conversations everywhere. Things are changing on an hourly basis, and the Government has issued advice not to travel outside the UK. This, of course, will have a huge and potentially long-lasting effect on the hospitality industry. We’ve collated some of the best advice for hotels, resorts and self-catering lodges during Coronavirus, and offer it up here to help our colleagues get through this time.

1. Communicate with your guests

We can’t emphasise enough how important communication with your customers is, now more than ever. If you are expecting arrivals, make sure they know exactly what is happening and what they should expect when they get to you. Create a Coronavirus Policy, and share this online (on your website, on social media). This should tell customers; The status of coronavirus in your area. Are you offering self-check in? Do you have hand sanitisers they should use? Where should they go for advice? How near is the closest hospital?

Please also don’t forget your future customers – those following you on social media. They will be watching carefully to see how you react. If you are able to tell them what precautions you are taking in your Coronavirus Policy and in individual posts. Be honest about any problems you have had to overcome, you will help build trust. For example, have you had to shut down any public areas in your hotel/resort? Are you spacing guests out in your restaurants? Are you still offering your regular dining? How are you keeping food, plates, rooms and public areas free from contamination if they stay?

Be proactive about contacting those who have booked and try to confirm / land a future date / exchange the stay to a gift voucher. Better to capture and keep the sale than wait to the last minute, once they have their mind set to cancel.

Use all channels available to communicate these messages. Newsletters, social media posts and your website key. And don’t try to share normal sales messages to stay in the next month. We can’t pretend this isn’t happening. But do keep marketing hard. Even if they won’t travel today, more people than ever are online at present, stuck at home and researching. Market to them for tomorrow.

Use social media to update your guests. Ask for their support to get you through this. Ask them to buy gift vouchers for a booking (tell them how much a booking ranges from and to). Advise that they can redeem this voucher for an extended period of 2 years.

2. Open your rates

You need money to keep coming in, so open your rates up until the end of 2021. Use your marketing to drive sales bookings for later this year and next year. For example, we can share messages with pictures of spring to brighten their days at home. If they can’t be with us now, encourage them to join us later in the year and next year. Tell them you need their help and tell them how you will reward them. This is an awful time, you need bookings. So keep abreast of government advice for hotels, self-catering and guesthouses during Coronavirus.

At Present (March 18^th 2020):

1. Travel is not banned: so share your Coronavirus Policy and make people feel comfortable to come and stay and self-isolate. Keep them posted on the outbreaks in your area and how your local hospitals are coping.
2. Offer to move stay dates/postpone stays free of charge should they book to stay in 2020 with you which is affected by coronavirus in anyway.
3. Tell them of your cancellation policy – do you charge or is this free.
4. Tell them what you will do to support them in your Coronavirus Policy should they fall unwell on their stay.
5. Push gift vouchers:
   • To those who have booked but may cancel
   • Mother’s day is just around the corner, but people can’t celebrate now and want non-contact gifts.

3. Where Can You Get Funding

The government have opened measures to support hospitality businesses. These have been put in place as a first step, and are guaranteed to all businesses in need. They have made £10,000 grants available for small businesses. £25,000 grants for medium hospitality businesses. Apply for this using the information below and build this into your costing/budgeting exercises as detailed further in this article:

Get business support online, or over the phone.

Find Business Support Scotland
Telephone: 0300 303 0660
Textphone: 0800 023 2071
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm

Find out about call charges

Don’t forget to gather evidence of your cancellations and other negative impacts the virus has had on your business such. For example,  reduced hours/redundancies, cash flow issues/concerns and productivity. This will be crucial when it comes to making insurance claims and accessing gouvernment grants.

Also, contact your bank and lenders to increase your overdraft, lending and credit limits. All are looking to support customers through this short term crisis.

Look to gather in any owed or outstanding debts. Cashflow is king, so start to encourage debtors to pay their dues.

4. Cutting the Fat…

“Hope for the best but plan for the worst” is an apt saying here. We just don’t know what is going to happen day to day, so work out the worst-case scenario for your business then at least you can be prepared for anything. We are in a better position than other countries – we have some foresight to help us plan. Look at other countries further ahead with the virus. China was hit terribly hard, were unprepared, and unaware of timelines. They have been on shutdown for two months.

Our advice for hotels, self-catering and guesthouses during Coronavirus here is clear. Put an action plan in place for the coming two to six months. Two months of shut down (or almost in our case at present), two months of building confidence back up, two months of trying to reach some travel normality. These timelines may need to extend, but from what we have seen from China, this is the time frame we expect.

1. How can you cut your costs in the short term – don’t immediately make staff redundant, you will need them when times improve. Instead can you look to support staff as far as possible, whilst keeping your business afloat? Look at reducing hours or temporary pay holidays. Share advice and links with staff. They are entitled to relief at present. Reach out to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or see Citizens Advice Scotland for advice. More advice can be found from ACAS here. Tell them to contact their debtors for a payment holiday (most are offering free payment holidays at this time). Also, keep abreast of the government support schemes in place for employees due to lose work/pay. 3 months mortgage relief is being offered to all in difficulty – this includes staff up to business owners.

Many will be worried that they will lose out on pay if they self-isolate. Reassure them that they will, at the very least, be entitled to statutory sick pay. You can keep up with the latest guidance for employers from the UK Government here. Remember, your staff are your lifeblood and keeping them safe from harm is of utmost importance.

Look at all your outgoings – where can you trim fat, without hindering your business. Remember:

• Don’t drop your suppliers. Try to find an agreement with them to help them stay afloat whilst reducing your costs. You will need their businesses to be there for you when this turns around. E.g. if you can’t get hold of fresh produce for your kitchens or clean laundry for your bedrooms when business comes back, you won’t be able to open your doors when business floods back. And we do expect people to be desperate to travel when given the all clear.
• Maybe you and your suppliers can support your community and help each other in the next 12 weeks. Can your venue adapt into something else for the short term or have a dual focus. Click and collect, offer essentials you can get through your wholesale suppliers, if really empty can you become a testing centre / medical facility if this becomes needed? Can you offer a social setting whilst keeping people separate. Set up non-contact experiences such as hotel rooms converted in to a private dining room with no contact for you and your family. Games room bookings for an evening. Support businesses, Teachers and those needing self-isolated working spaces – could your rooms become this?  Anything you can do to keep people separate but offer something of benefit in this difficult time.
• You need to be selling and talking online as much as you possibly can. So don’t scrimp on marketing. This is the time you need to be fighting hardest to keep money coming in. if not now, in two to four months’ time when the government reopens the gates to travel. You need to be fighting as hard as you can for your share of the market.
• Focus on any systems costs – can these be paused? Sustenance costs. Travel costs. Or take a short term holiday. Centre Parks announced all of its parks will shut from Friday 20^th March until April 16. People who had booked to stay between those times would be able to rearrange their stay or claim a full refund. This sends a clear message to the public that they will be open for business again in 4 weeks. It offers some hope and cuts their costs for this period.

5. Be Prepared

And be prepared for the turn around to welcome guests. Some expect a flooding of the market upon travel restrictions, others think it may be slower. We just don’t know, but be prepared so you can capture as much revenue as possible when the market comes back. Be ready to run a minimal service in case your staff have to self-isolate too. Everyone will need to multitask, from chefs to chauffeurs. How can you keep your staff supportive of the situation? Communication is key.

Stay up to date with the latest news and how it will affect the tourism industry in Scotland. The Scottish Tourism Alliance are sending our regular email updates on this topic, and it is worth signing up for them now.

6.   Adapt Your Business

Look for ways to adapt during this time. If you run self-catering accommodation, they could be thought of as isolation pods. Are there ways you can use spare bedrooms for the greater good to support your local community? If you provide meals, can you offer a delivery/pickup service with minimal interaction (and high anti contamination procedures)? What can you do to keep revenue coming in and brand awareness strong through this time. The country needs knights in shining armour and your business could be a shining beacon through this. People, whilst scared and not traveling, do want some sense of normality. This need will only grow in the coming weeks.

Also look to social projects to support your community and keep your brand alive. Can you send out hampers / packs to those in need / older people who are more in need than most for example?

7.   Staff Training

Just as important as letting your guests know what’s happening is keeping your staff up to date with the latest news and your business strategy. You want everyone, from domestic staff right up to top management, singing from the same sheet. Everyone needs to follow the same protocols, including handwashing, social distancing and self-isolation. If they aren’t showing your customers the measures you have in place, customers will panic. Train your staff for these new times, and put your customers at ease now and in the future when business starts to return. Travel needs and expectations are going to be different, in the short term at least, after the lock down period. People want social spacing. They want the ability to sanitise regularly. They want minimal personal interaction and touching of their food, credit cards and personal items. But they do still want to travel and experience.

8.   Plan for the future

Now is a great time to take stock of your internal systems and processes. Make sure everything is working as effectively as possible. Do you have a particular revenue stream that is particularly successful at the moment? If so, then work hard on it. Cut back on anything non-essential.

This might also be a good time to generate social media content for the future. Videos, interviews, stories. Get it in the bank now when you have time to keep your online presence active over the next few months when you get busier and things start to pick up again.

Try to prepare for potential problems. People won’t want to touch things unnecessarily, so organise non-contact check-ins and restaurant service processes. Perhaps people would rather porters did not take their bags to their room. Be prepared for whatever the day throws at you and to be adaptable. And keep your Coronavirus Policies clear online, and in public areas and rooms etc so people feel safe and informed.

9. Stay focused

Now is not the time to drop prices and panic. You offer a quality service, so maintain your professionalism. Remember that people will always want to visit Scotland – this is a blip, not a dead end. Perhaps now is the time to focus on a more local market? And, as previously mentioned, can you do anything to help your local community at this time? If we all stick together and offer assistance wherever we can, we will pull through, and be all the stronger for it.

10. Moving forward

Hopefully our advice for hotels and self-catering during the Coronavirus outbreak will be useful, and help you to channel your thoughts and time productively. If you would like to speak to us about anything, remember we’re always only a phone call 0141 278 6702 or contact form away.

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