Future of the Hospitality Industry in Europe

The hospitality sector will need to adapt and evolve its methods to accommodate the shifting travel and event planning requirements of corporate travel managers (CTMs) in the post-pandemic era.

FREMONT, CA: Stringent health and safety protocols (including COVID-19 tests at the hotel), larger rooms better equipped for working and meetings, and more outdoor space, according to CTMs across the UK and Europe, will be key considerations for future venue sourcing. As a result, hoteliers looking to capitalise on RFP opportunities in the last two years will need to prioritise these areas in their sales, marketing, and negotiation efforts.

More than half of CTMs in the UK and Europe, 58 per cent claimed that they will want dual or dynamic rates during their negotiations for last year’s bookings, thus hoteliers will also need to alter pre-pandemic corporate program initiatives and offer more flexible pricing structures. Business travel reservations will also need to include negotiated extras like cancellation and late arrival policies, last-room availability, and other terms.

Overall, 46 per cent of CTMs from the Netherlands said their organisations are eager to restart business travel, and more than a third of UK CTMs (35 per cent) said they anticipated travel to level out between June and December 2021. In general, 51 per cent of CTMs across the UK and Europe, 60 per cent in the Netherlands, and 62 per cent of CTMs in Spain announced that budgets are set to increase.

According to an evaluation, hoteliers must be prepared to adjust their sales and marketing techniques in a post-pandemic period where top priorities for corporate travel managers have altered." Negotiations will go more smoothly if both parties are prepared to change and adapt, but more importantly, long-term relationships between planners and suppliers will be improved.