We’re now in the middle of a Coronavirus season, which hopefully, will never return to our calendars for the rest of our lifetimes.
As countries around the world are imposing stricter restrictions for foreign visitors to curb imported Coronavirus infections, some hotels are discovering new opportunities to boost their occupancy serving as quarantine lodgings for travelers and workers seeking self-isolation venues.
While some hotels in Europe and the U.S. are being used to offer shelter to overworked medical staff or serve as temporary homeless shelters, hotel owners in Asia are more open to offer their available rooms to stranded travelers, workers affected by border closures and citizens undergoing self-isolation and voluntary quarantine due to their possible exposure to COVID-19.
The ultimate goal is to weather the travel crisis as best as possible to fill up some rooms and get any possible revenue during difficult times, while at the same time, assisting in recovery efforts to the most affected people and communities in their area.
A practical example is Thailand’s A-One Hotels Group. With few local or foreign travelers booking their traditional offers these days, they have come up with a new “offer” to attract new bookings. A “Self-Quarantine” package.
Think of it as a “local residents” offer with the caveat, that it is targeting residents who wish to isolate themselves for 14 days. During their stay, meals are delivered to their rooms fully sealed, with dishes, utensils and bedsheets assigned for guests in self-quarantine are also separated for special handling.
To further their safety, a group of trained staff is especially assigned to provide ongoing housekeeping services as well as help monitor the health and vitals of their guests during their stay. If at any time, a guest shows symptoms of the Coronavirus during their hotel stay, the hotel will arrange their immediate transport to one of the nearby hospitals.
With rates reduced as much as 30%, the hotel expects a number of individuals taking advantage of this opportunity to fulfill their self-isolation while still enjoying most of the hotel amenities.
Similarly, for healthy travelers coming back to their home country, yet undergoing a government imposed mandatory 14 day quarantine period, this type of hotel “Self-Quarantine” package provides a more attractive and alternative solution.
Singapore’s Park Hotel Group Executive Director Shin Hui Tan has already seen an uptick in enquiries from returning residents wanting to check themselves into hotels during the two-week period. It’s worth noting that Singapore’s government has made it mandatory for anyone entering the country since March 20, 11.59 p.m. to undergo a 14-day stay-at-home notice,
To serve a group of Singaporeans returning to their country, the hotel has launched a packaged stay inclusive of three daily meals. According to Tan, the package is priced at “very special rates so it can only defray some operating costs.”
With more countries in partial or full lockdown closing their borders to all inbound or outbound travelers, or even airlines suspending flights, there’s also a large number of travelers stranded in different countries that find themselves unable to return to their home country. This provides an opportunity for some hotels to offer special packages for those potential guests. Even at very reduced rates, it may be enough to keep their hotels open with minimum staff while generating some revenue to reduce their losses.
Unusual times require unusual solutions and some of these marketing tactics may just be the type of option that will help a hotel survive over the next 30-60-90 days of the current COVID-19 crisis.
As always, if you need any assistance with your digital marketing, our MGR Team will be happy to chat with you one-on-one. Use this link to contact us and set up your free consultation.
Thank you for reading. Until next time, this is Manuel Gil del Real (MGR).
