Adapting spaces in the restaurant area, selling themselves to tourists as a clean and safe establishment, are some of the strategies that hotel sector businessmen plan to apply in order to adjust to the new commercial reality resulting from the health emergency.
The spread of covid-19 has forced health authorities to restrict the mobility of people and to close several establishments, with hotels being one of the most affected.
The US budget accommodation group G6 Hospitality has announced that within five years it will build ten hotels in Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.
From a statement issued by G6 Hospitality:
DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- G6 Hospitality, known for its iconic economy lodging brands, Motel 6 and Studio 6 in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that it is extending its footprint to Central America.
In the past 20 years hotels have had to adapt to much more informed clients, who are less loyal and have broader interests.
An article on Hosteltur.com reviews the evolution of the hospitality industry, in times of globalization and most of all the possibilities offered by the Internet.
The Secretary General of CEHAT, Ramón Estalella, notes that "...
Central America is in the lead with a 34% average price growth of hotel reservations recorded in the region, while in North America it was 18% and in South America 14%.
From the Transhotel-HOSTELTUR Barometer published by Hosteltur:
The average price of hotel reservations in America during the first quarter of this year was $680, representing an increase of 20% according to the first edition of "Transhotel-HOSTELTUR".
The storms that have hit Central America in last ten days have affected the sector which makes up 8% of GDP in the region.
As well as the decline in tourist arrivals, there are also substantial damages to infrastructure with collapsed roads and bridges, making it impossible to achieve growth targets set for this year.
The Minister of Tourism in El Salvador, Jose Napoleon Duarte, said, "People who had trips scheduled this month have not traveled. No one has been thinking of traveling and this will completely overthrow all of the statistics at the end of the year. It is better to speak with sincerity. "
A smart combination of marketing, promotional packages, agreements with wholesalers, and good service has allowed some hotels to “be doing well.”
Generally, it is hotels with less than 40 rooms, which don’t depend on large flows of tourists, that are less seriously affected by the crisis in regards to securing a good clientele with occupancy levels above 80%.