The recent coronavirus outbreak has not been kind to the hotel and tourism industries. Shelter in place orders, social distancing, and travel restrictions have essentially kept guests away. Everyday life has been changed, vacation plans and corporate travel has been put on hold. Hotel chains wanting to remain relevant essentially had to rethink their business structure.
From providing personal protective equipment and increasing cleaning and sanitation processes to reducing hotel capacities and the number of in-house staff, hotels across the country started implementing changes to help safeguard guests and staff alike.
After implementing changes in-house, hotel marketing teams go to work developing strategies to reconnect with their target audience. The realization was that as everyone remained close to home to protect themselves from the coronavirus, there was no real interest in travel tips and deals on hotel stays. Reaching their audience essentially meant coming up with new content ideas that spoke to current times while remaining relevant to their brand.
Talk About the Coronavirus
You don’t have to be an expert to have an opinion and feeling about the coronavirus and the changes that followed. Use these emotions and experiences to connect with your blog readers on a different level. Dig beyond travel and hotel stays and instead talk about current events. Repost news reports about your area, give guests tips on how to stay safe, share some personal pieces about what you and your staff are doing while sheltering in place.
This lets your guests know that you’re human, you’re aware of current times, and that you care about more than making a quick buck.
Share Photos of Hotel Changes
As states start to slowly reopen, residents are ready to get out and enjoy life. Be that as it may, it won’t be without some hesitation. The coronavirus is still a very serious threat and many may not feel safe traveling just yet. Instead of throwing deals and promotions at your guests to try and lure them back in, provide them with proof that their safety is a top priority.
Take photos of the cleaning staff sanitizing the building, the sanitation stations you’ve put up around the hotel, the social distancing measures you’ve taken in the common areas, employees wearing masks, etc. The more they see you working to keep them safe, the more comfortable guests feel in your hotel.
Pandemic-Survival Tips
What tips can you and your hotel staff provide your target audience with during the coronavirus pandemic? If you really think about it, there’s a lot of valuable and entertaining things you can teach your audience. The cleaning crew might write posts that provide guests with tips on how to thoroughly clean their living space, fold towels, or even those pesky bottom sheets. Hotel chefs might have fun teaching guests how to recreate popular dishes at home.
If some of your staff is willing, they might simply want to provide guests with basic lifestyle tips they’ve been using to survive the pandemic. From keeping your sanity while remaining indoors to managing their finances and how to lower car insurance, they can create short posts or videos sharing their experiences with blog readers. Again, this humanizes your brand and works to your advantage as travel slowly picks back up.
Local Discoveries
Another concept for your blog during the pandemic is to discuss things to do in the area. While travelers may not be interested in going too far from home, they may be surprised and interested to learn more about the discoveries in their own towns. You can talk about the local parks, museums, shopping centers, and tourist attractions in the area and find a unique way to add your hotel to the content as a safe place to stay while they explore.
It goes without saying that the hotel and tourism industries have a long way to go. Even after there is a vaccine or treatment for the coronavirus, easing the fears and recultivating the trust to their target guests can take time. Though this can take time, you should begin utilizing your hotel blog to build a stronger relationship with your target audience that lasts through the pandemic and beyond.
