Does hotel management matter to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis? The Spanish case

Abstract

This paper analyses the influence that the initial actions and strategies pursued by hotel managers have on the recovery of occupancy after a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, a specific survey is carried out on managers of Spanish hotels. The main findings show that labour actions, especially plans for temporary employment regulations, innovation and differentiation strategies, reorientation to closer markets and obtaining information from official sources as a guarantee of their certainty, are the measures that have a greater impact on the possibilities of recovering hotel activity. In addition, government measures that contribute to the improvement of the financial situation of firms can also play a relevant role in hotel recovery.

Hotel guest satisfaction during COVID-19 outbreak: The moderating role of crisis response strategy

“…Several health-related crises in the last few decades have affected the hospitality industry, including SARS, avian flu, Ebola, H1N1, and most recently COVID-19. The extant literature on health-related crises mainly focuses on examining the impacts of these crises ( Chien & Law, 2003 ; Choe et al, 2021 ; Kuo et al, 2008 ), tourists' perceived travel risk ( Cahyanto et al, 2016 ; Bae & Chang, 2021 ), tourists' expectations and preferences ( Hu et al, 2021 ; Wen et al, 2005 ), tourists’ behavioural intentions ( Bae & Chang, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2012 ; Shin et al, 2021 ), organizational crisis communication ( Liu et al, 2015 ; Wong et al, 2021 ), and recovery strategies ( Henderson & Ng, 2004 ; Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Novelli et al, 2018 ). Table 1 provides an overview of the main studies on health-related crises in tourism and hospitality.…”

“…For hotels, the reduction in leisure and business tourists negatively impacts hotels' revenue, while enhanced hygiene standards and fee-free cancellations increase hotels' expenses ( Sharma et al, 2021 ). Some recent studies focused on crisis management in the hotel industry in the context of health-related crises ( Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Lai & Wong, 2020 ; Wong et al, 2021 ). However, these studies discussed crisis management broadly from a hotel's perspective, with little attention on the effects of hotels' crisis response strategies on customers' experiences.…”

Tourism-Induced Resilience of Rural Destinations in Relation to Spatial Accessibility

“…In light of current events, the connections between tourism industry and resilience are brought into discussion more forceful than ever. While the effect of the pandemic upon regional growth is still subject of debate, tourism-orientated regions have been negatively affected, especially during the first waves (Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Xun Li et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, the first scientific inquiries analysing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic upon tourism activities were addressing the same requirement: the need of building resilient destinations and the need to better understand the mechanisms of inducing resilience in destinations (Hall et al, 2020 ; Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Nepal, 2020 ).…”

“…While the effect of the pandemic upon regional growth is still subject of debate, tourism-orientated regions have been negatively affected, especially during the first waves (Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Xun Li et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, the first scientific inquiries analysing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic upon tourism activities were addressing the same requirement: the need of building resilient destinations and the need to better understand the mechanisms of inducing resilience in destinations (Hall et al, 2020 ; Hidalgo et al, 2022 ; Nepal, 2020 ). Giving the frequency and the amplitude of the last shocks affecting the tourism industry, this approach should focus simultaneously on the resilience of tourism activities as well as the resilience induced by tourism activities, as two complementary facets of the same systemic strategy.…”

Framework on crisis management during the pandemic of hotels in National Capital Region

“…The hotel, through their management, will be assessed based on their adaptability, decision-making, and planning and implementation in the new normal. Hidalgo et al (2022) claim that labor policies have a greater impact on the likelihood of hotel activity recovery, particularly plans for temporary employment regulations, innovation and differentiation strategies, reorientation to closer markets, and obtaining information from official sources to ensure its accuracy. In addition, government initiatives that assist businesses in improving their financial situation can aid in the revival of hotels.…”