Hotel Brands Expect Hybrid Events To Flourish Post-Pandemic
Tech Could Allow Smaller Hotels To Play Host for Large Events
While events and group business streams have largely laid dormant through the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, hotel brands and operators say conversations and future bookings with meetings planners show dramatic changes in what they're looking for in some events.
This includes expansions of what the industry had dubbed "hybrid events," which include combinations of in-person meetings and conferences with teleconferencing and online meetings. This concept is being taken to new heights particularly at Hyatt Hotels Corp. properties, with Hyatt President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian noting in recent earnings calls that his company is hosting pharmaceutical industry conferences that span across dozens of hotels.
Steve Enselein, senior vice president of events for Hyatt and one of the leaders of their Together by Hyatt platform, said a shift to hybrid events hosted at various properties opens up new revenue opportunities across their brand portfolio, with select-service brands like Hyatt Place or Hyatt House now able to participate in large conferences that used to strictly be the purview large-box brands like Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt. It also can change a meeting planner's calculus on what markets can host events.
