Politics against Hospitality! And we against ourselves!
A recovery after two years of often senseless Corona measures (as the numbers probably show today) would have been deserved for employees and also the many part-time workers in the hotel and catering industry, but it seems that politicians are opposed to it. We have to admit, though, that we've been shooting ourselves in the foot for decades.
Peace is the most important
The neglect of the staff by large chains but also self-loving hoteliers is taking revenge now and then an armed conflict in Europe is probably the worst thing that could have happened to us. Peace is probably the most important asset, but politicians around the world seem to have forgotten that. It is the worst for the people who are directly affected, but everyone else is also suffering from the consequences and will have to suffer even more.
Hospitality and tourism are a sign of peace. But peace without prosperity never lasts.
In the hotel industry, this is not a problem that has only existed since Corona, but has been getting worse for decades. There was a lot of ruthless exploitation in hospitality and we let ourselves be exploited without protesting. Now, with enormous increases in the price of food, energy and everyday commodities, many people are reaching their limits. Even before the crisis, pensions were not enough for many people to live on, but they are quickly gtting worse and many jobs no longer pay enough to compensate for the price increases.
Who can still afford to go to a restaurant or even just enjoy coffee and cake? The number of our guests is decreasing just as quickly as the number of people who are still willing to work in hospitality. Is that balanced then? No - because the number of people without income is not decreasing but increasing.
Passing the rising prices on to the guest bill and at the same time increasing salaries in hospitality, as suggested by some associations, can only be seen as a joke. Nobody will order the Currysausage for 50 euros (this time without gold on it).
Maybe the few who got really rich. Politicians don't seem to realize that sanctions hurt us just as much or maybe even more than those for whom they are intended. Raw materials and products are still being sold only with other tricks and thus the sanctions only cause the middle class in Europe to be ruined. These are also hotel and catering companies, their employees and many of those who used to be able to afford to be our guests.
The really rich companies have always circumvented the sanctions, as this interesting article explains using oil as an example:
“How the West Secretly Buys Russian Oil” Manager Magazin April 23, 2022
“Business trips are also at all time low and will only recover slowly, if at all.
At almost every second company, only up to 25 percent of business trips take place.
In every third company it is only up to ten percent. Every second company is also convinced that the effects of the pandemic will last and that business trips will decrease by up to 30 percent.
tageskarte.io March 2022”
So the recovery will take a long time. Hopefully in peace!
Author: Stephan Busch, for many years Academic Director at the State University for the Humanities Moscow RGGU, Faculty of Tourism & Hospitality and the Swiss International University earned his Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, USA. He has a diverse experience in launching operations, business development and service training- for hotel and cruise companies in Asia, Europe, Canada and Russia.
www.itsjusthotelsservice.com, contact@itsjusthotelsservice.com