by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 AM ET, Fri May 14, 2021
A new study of the hotel and resort industries shows how they have reacted and adapted to the coronavirus pandemic and which trends implemented during the outbreak will likely stick around moving forward.
According to Demand360 business intelligence data from Amadeus, hotel occupancy levels are on the rise, with occupancy around the world reaching 46 percent in April 2021, up from just 13 percent in April 2020.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, global hospitality occupancy hovered around 70 percent.
The Rebuilding Hospitality report from Amadeus also found that booking lead time is lengthening, indicating growing consumer confidence. While most bookings during the pandemic were made within seven days of travel, only 11 percent of bookings on the same day as travel have dropped to only 11 percent.
"One year on from the start of the pandemic we are really pleased to see the early indications of traveler confidence and an uptick in some hotel bookings," Amadeus Vice President Katie Moro said. "Now, more than ever, data is so critically important across an entire hotel's business as it informs not only revenue potential but also marketing strategies, staffing and occupancy profile."
"We want to help hoteliers understand how all the different pieces of data connect together," Moro continued. "Data is the foundation that helps you build a better plan and from there, your property is so much stronger from the ground up."
Other findings from the report include 30 percent of hoteliers anticipate opening one or multiple sites in 2021, 63 percent think leisure travel will drive their recovery and 59 percent expect to hire new staff this year.
As for changes made during the COVID-19 outbreak that respondents would like to see stick around, 32 percent of hoteliers think they will always need significant social distancing, sanitization and visible hygiene measures.
Another 20 percent of respondents indicated they would keep interactions between staff members and guests to a minimum for the long term and 21 percent plan to reduce daily housekeeping.
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