[이데일리 이승현 기자] With the prolonged Corona 19, the hotel industry has been hit hard, and it is predicted that non-face-to-face service and hygiene will become important criteria for consumer choice in the future.
According to a report on the KDB Future Strategy Research Institute’s’Status and Responses to the Hotel Industry in accordance with Corona 19′ on the 12th, the business performance of major hotels deteriorated significantly until the second quarter of this year, but shows signs of some recovery in the third quarter.
Hotel Lotte recorded an operating loss of 121.2 billion won in sales of 1.179 billion won in the third quarter of this year. In the second quarter, sales and operating losses were KRW 70.9 billion and KRW 262.9 billion. Sales increased and operating loss decreased.
In the case of Hotel Shilla, sales increased from 5229 billion won in the second quarter to 8795 billion won in the third quarter. Operating loss decreased from 63.4 billion won to 19.8 billion won over the same period. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism estimated the damage to the hotel industry in February-September this year at about 1.84 trillion won.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea by 3 minutes this year was 2.33 million, down 82% from the same period last year. In the first half of this year, the number of visitors to major domestic tourist destinations was 11.88 million, down 49.7% from 23.64 million in the same period last year.
As demand for hotel use declined, rates fell. The average room rate was 11,706 won in June, down 20.1% from the same month last year.
The report analyzed that the hotel industry is changing its strategy from foreign tourists to attracting Koreans and leisure customers, and is actively introducing non-face-to-face services to strengthen hygiene management.
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For example, to secure domestic customers, it sells accommodation products through various media such as home shopping. Content programs that can be enjoyed in rooms such as board games, movies, virtual reality, and in-room fitness have also been reinforced. In addition, programs for leisure customers such as camping packages, floating yoga, and picnic packages are also increasing.
In order to strengthen hygiene management, we respond to customer inquiries with a mobile’chatbot (chat + robot) service’, and a’concierge robot’ delivers amenities to the guest rooms. It minimizes face-to-face contact by allowing customers to check in and check out with an unmanned kiosk.
High-quality food that can only be eaten at hotels is also provided as a non-face-to-face service. Packed in takeout or delivered as drive-through. There is also a service that delivers directly to the house. The main menu of the hotel is produced in a convenient home style and sold online.
According to the survey results of Expedia, a travel reservation site, 52.3% of respondents said that they would decide to purchase accommodation products in consideration of the sanitation policy and status of the accommodation in their travel. The report advised, “There is a need to find ways to utilize non-face-to-face technology throughout the hotel, such as developing a systematic non-face-to-face service program that is in harmony with the face-to-face service.”
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