According to the World Health Organization, as of February 27, there were more than 81,000 coronavirus infections worldwide, and nearly 900 cases were confirmed within the past 24 hours. Nearly 3,000 people died of the virus
As the virus spread to 37 countries, some hotel furniture companies closed and went out of business, feeling the impact everywhere. China, South Korea, Italy, Japan and Iran are the countries with the most cases. The United States has reported 53 cases.
On February 12, HSMAI's Sales Advisory Board (SAB) discussed the impact of coronavirus on hotels industry and their predictions for the entire hotel industry during a conference call. Although the virus has continued to spread and its impact has changed and multiplied since then, members of the SAB have provided valuable advice on how hoteliers can prepare for possible impacts:
1. Uncertainty is the name of the game: One thing everyone seems to agree on is that no one really knows what will happen. During the ABC conference call, everyone had different experiences and heard different opinions about how long the virus is expected to interfere. One member said that although they heard that SARS virus might be a predictor of coronavirus, the spread of the two viruses was very different. Another member said: "All I know is that no one really knows."
2. View from Europe: A SAB member recently traveled to Europe. As of February 27, coronavirus has been in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Britain, the most obvious is Italy. "I saw a plane in the air, a completely empty department store, with significantly reduced activity," the member said. "Some places in the world are still strong, but in some places we have closed hotels. This is a goal that changes every day, but when I went back and forth in Europe last week, I saw such a sharp drop, which made me very Shock."
"We have seen and heard that business meetings around the world have been cancelled," another member said. "It has some very big, very serious effects."
3. Cancellations and more: Hotel furniture relatives have felt these effects in the United States and abroad. An SAB member who owns hotels in Alaska and the West Coast found that more and more guests cancelled their bookings, as did crew members from other countries. Another member said that they had asked hotels on the West Coast to check on upcoming group bookings, as well as flag groups with large numbers of Chinese tourists leaving (these groups may cancel bookings) in order to adjust forecasts accordingly.
Several members of SAB said they were surprised that so far they had not seen as many cancellations as expected. "But we are watching closely," a member said.
In addition to directly canceling the itineraries of people affected by the coronavirus, the epidemic may have ripple effects. "Many industries have many salespeople selling goods and services on the road, and many of them come from China," said a member of United Bank of South Africa. "If these salespeople have no inventory to sell, this could have an interesting impact on business travel."
4. Looking for other businesses: Another member recommends looking for the US and US businesses are less likely to be affected. "It's time to emphasize these relationships and be prepared to change as the situation in China changes," they said. "Look for businesses that can support your business in the short term, even the US government."
To minimize the spread of the virus, the World Health Organization recommends washing hands frequently, keeping away from people who cough or sneeze, avoiding contact with eyes, nose, and mouth, and seek medical attention as soon as possible if you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.
