Have you heard about the little wine holes in Florence (and to a lesser extent in other Italian cities)? It's a cute little story that has emerged out of the pandemic and yet one more reason to visit this illustrious Renaissance cultural nexus. Importantly for you, it demonstrates a critically overlooked principal about selling wine that you can use to rethink your beverage program.
Switzerland is a very special country because, thanks to its stability, it has always been considered a safe haven where international investors put their resources when there is economic turmoil and uncertainty in the rest of the world. The combination of these two features - a high degree of openness and a currency which has a tendency to appreciate - makes Switzerland a very interesting case study. Why? Because a strong currency reduces the ability of Switzerland to trade.
Milan received a hard knock earlier on this year with a very long and strict lockdown that affected all lives and businesses. Tiziana and Basilio Santoro had been running an authentic and popular Sicilian food truck ('BEDDA') in Milan for the past 5 years, specializing in the island's particular brand of tasty and unforgettable street food, when COVID-19 struck and momentarily shut down all operations. Ironically, they had just branched out into an elaborate new location that was to serve as their headquarters and fixed selling hub. Basilio, a true siciliano, ex-radio producer, DJ and professional raconteur, describes how putting the sharing of human experience at the center of their service and diversifying their offer has ultimately saved the BEDDA business from potential ruin.
The current Pandemic is behaving whimsically with different people! Himmat Anand, a hotel owner friend has been sticking to his promise of reopening his Tree of Life resorts one after the other. He is also opening new resorts in a couple of locations in the portfolio of his second brand of hotels - A Dog's Story.
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the world economy. No industry can escape the disruption of COVID-19, hotel sector being the most and deeply affected. Many hotels are shutting their doors since March 2020 and where we can see the dramatic declined in RevPAR. Mckinsey & Company research 2020 claimed that the recovery to 2019 level could be by 2024 or later.
It's been a busy and unique start to the new school year here at EHL for many reasons, mostly to do with the implementation of innovative teaching methods such as HyFlex and adapting to the necessary global changes. Much to my delight and satisfaction, we have recently become the recipients of two prestigious awards in terms of employer certification. Bilan magazine, (for the 3rd year running), has nominated us as "Best Employers" in Switzerland in their education category with regards to best practices in human resources in French-speaking Switzerland. Whereas the Great Place to Work organization has certified us as indeed a great place to work.
Global warming is an issue that the world has been facing for years, and time is running out. Every action we take has an impact on the environment and it is our responsibility to implement sustainable practices into our lives and into our campus.
Back in 2000, EHL launched its Student Business Project (SBP) module as an integral part of the final Bachelor year program. Its aim: to give students real-life, hands-on, practical experience of what it means to set up and run a business from every possible angle, in conjunction with the requirements of a business partner who has enlisted their help, insights and know-how.
If it were a stable world, we would understand why UK hotel property owners would submit to the current CVA proposal.
Online Travel Agencies have always been a subject for debates among hoteliers. Should we reinforce our direct channels of distribution or rely on intermediaries? In general, there is no universal answer to that question. But when the pandemic struck the hospitality industry, many hotels started to get together to oppose the OTAs.
With the exponential growth of the beer industry in Switzerland over the past decade, beer tourism has emerged as a tourist activity in its own right across many cantons. Craft breweries showcasing their beer together with local members of the community have set up beer hiking tours where tourists walk around stunning Swiss landscapes, tasting local beers, meeting local brewers and enjoying the local food. Highly attractive to beer aficionados, beer tourism is becoming an interesting experiential activity in Switzerland where tourists combine leisure and discovery.
Swiss hospitality leverages short-time working arrangements with employees to avoid massive layoffs. The system has proved successful in former times of crisis and seems to be paying off in 2020.
According to The Treasury, UK diners used the government's "eat out to help out" scheme more than 10.5 million times in its first week. And early indications are that this scheme, combined with the recent warm weather, has had an immediate effect in driving an increase in footfall to restaurants, cafes, and pubs during the early to mid-week period- typically the quietest days.
As we get to grips with the "new normal", traveling outside the city may not be for everyone just yet. But what if I told you that you don't need to travel far to enjoy culture, history and make great memories? To make the best out of our summer, use this guide to get to know (or rediscover) the lovely lake-side city of Lausanne.
The crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic effects on many sectors, including the wine industry. The OIV (International Wine Organization) anticipates a 35% drop in sales volume and a 50% drop in value in 2020 in Europe. In Switzerland, the figures are not much better. According to the ASCV (Swiss Wine Trade Association), the industry's turnover has already fallen by 35% during the "semi-lockdown" period. Economic activity has now picked up again, but the outlook remains bleak. The pandemic has wiped out many of the summer events that usually generate high sales. As for restaurateurs, they have not sold any wine during the last few months and therefore have neither the need nor the financial means to build up stocks at the moment.
We have a confirmed re-opening date for hospitality! 4th of July in England, while Northern Ireland can re-open from the 3rd of July, and Scotland on the 6th for outside venues and 15th for indoor spaces. Wales, meanwhile, are yet to confirm their decision but we can presume it won't be far behind. This means then that it's all hands on deck for those who are set to take advantage of being able to welcome guests back.
In one of our previous articles, we analysed the impact of COVID-19 on hotel occupancy in Athens and Thessaloniki whereas our latest one was an attempt to interpret the different perspectives of Greek hospitality industry experts through targeted interviews that offered further insight on the aspects affecting hotel operations in the short-term. In the process of writing both of these articles two main 'ankyloses' of the local hospitality market came up in a way that was not clearly apparent but, following some additional thoughts, they could explain to a large extent the vulnerability of Greek hotels whose business models were stripped naked due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday 11th May, restaurants and bars were among the few public establishments in Switzerland allowed to reopen. The move was preceded by lengthy Federal Counsel regulations made available to all restaurateurs setting out the now rather familiar guidelines: 2m distances between tables, maximum 4 people at a table, strict hygiene measures, service staff in masks and required contact details of each customer.
"We won't be opening car doors for guests anytime soon" says Clement Gaffney, Group Hotels Operations Manager of Pat Doherty's Harcourt Developments, Hotel Division with properties in Ireland, The U.K. and Caribbean. It is an evocative image that none of us would have considered a few short months ago. It is the new norm.In 2008, Irish hotels were plunged into a deep global recession and the last 10 years have been a long slow recovery into a buoyant economy. In March this year, that ended with shocking speed. Déjà vu seemed unfair.
Like much of the world, the UK has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with more than 37,000 deaths and 265,000 confirmed cases as of 27 May and the highest number of attributed deaths in Europe (although fewer deaths per capita than Spain, Italy and Belgium). The pandemic has hit all areas of the economy, but the hospitality industry has undoubtedly been and will continue to be one of the worst affected. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the lockdown phase, and the focus of hoteliers is shifting from how to manage the closure to developing a sound reopening strategy.