THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EFFECTS ON THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Abstract

The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought about significant disruptions to hotel operations, affecting demand for hotel services and guests’ behavior, as well as financial stability of hotel companies and, consequently, hotel employees. A hotel company is interconnected with various partners in the supply chain, thus, the problem in hotel operation is transferred upstream the supply chain. The aim of this article is to present an overview of the COVID-19 impact on the hotel business, and provisions to cope with the new reality, including safety measures, technology application, quality of service, marketing communication, human resource management, and the supply chain management. Many authors believe that majority of these provisions will prevail in the postCOVID-19 environment, as people will be more cautious regarding safety. Apart from huge destructive impact, the present crisis will also have some positive effects, such as improved innovativeness, resilience, efficient communication and care for internal and external customers, all resulting in improved quality of hotel service.