Restore Chester County
Economic Action Steps — Hotels & Lodging
Hotel & Lodging can include hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, short term rentals such as AirBnb and VRBO, campsites, and RV parks. A precipitous decline in business travel and tourism has led to an uncertain outlook for a large segment of the lodging industry, forcing operators to offer rooms at unsustainably low rates. Further, only a small fraction of hotel employees have the option to work from home, putting pressure on owners and operators to seek alternative revenue sources compliant with safety guidelines.
Current Hotel and Lodging Practices
The following practices are being implemented by various hotel and lodging businesses around the county and nation to address COVID-19-related disruptions. These practices may be helpful for hotel and lodging businesses not currently using them.
- Repurpose food production facilities as 'ghost kitchens'.
- Create a market to sell supplies, ingredients and prepackaged food items to the public.
- Share part-time employees with other neighboring properties.
- Partner with universities to provide socially-distanced housing for students.
- Consider converting facilities into short-term supportive housing.
- Repurpose hotel rooms as remote work offices.
- Provide employees with childcare voucher and connect them to available providers and/or provide on-site childcare for employees.
- Provide loyal customers with an appreciation gift or a value add service.
- Utilize mobile phone check in systems.
- Communicate cleaning procedures with customers.
- Invest in marketing to overcome customer avoidance.
- Offer weekend staycations to local customers, packaged or promoted with tickets from a local attraction.
- Partner with local attractions and dining establishments to create private reservation packages.
Actions to Support the Hotel and Lodging Industry
The following actions by governments, economic development organizations, trade organizations, and others would provide support to the hotel and lodging industry during the current COVID-19 crisis.
- Provide regulatory assistance with relaxing service restrictions.
- Provide technical assistance with navigating federal assistance/tax policies, business adaptation, and social media/marketing.
- Secure and distribute grant funding for COVID-19 testing, detection and mitigation equipment.
- Advocate for event occupancy standards that reflect the size of the venue.
To see recommendations for other industries, click on the industry link below:
