2020! What a year it has been! One cannot think of anything beyond the pandemic. On December 31, 2019, everyone thought ‘This will be a unique year for me, just as the number goes 20-20.’ But like a nail-biting T-20 cricket match, it took a U-turn and most of us were left spellbound.
It was a year filled with fear for life, losing a loved one, loss of jobs, financial instability, and other endless negativity. Although we saw many loss of lives and unemployment, a major hit has been to the businesses, be it big or small. The intensity, of course, differs sector to sector, but there are some that have been hit the most and might continue to suffer owing to the uncertainty loop.
Let us see how each of the sectors in India were affected –
- Aviation: None of the domestic and international flights were on air for almost 7 months. Even after they resumed, the new variant dashed the hopes of any normalcy.
- Tourism: The travel ban, border closures, event cancellations, quarantine requirements, and fear of the spread, have posed extreme challenges on the travel and hospitality industry. Guides, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and shops, have directly or indirectly taken a hit owing to the pandemic.
- Automobile: The automotive industry suffered about Rs. 2,500 crore loss daily and the job loss was approximately Rs. 3.54 lakh. All the major equipment production were cut down by 18 to 20% owing to less demand of vehicles.
One of the prominent industry here is tourism, particularly hospitality. It has been the hardest hit in the pandemic. The total job losses in travel and tourism industry since March 2020, when the lockdown began in India, has been around 5.5 million.
They say there will be over 65% decline in the hospitality industry in 2020-21. But there is a hope for demand with the vaccine in place by the end of 2021-22.
Rewinding to 2021…
We headed to Mahabaleshwar recently. We mustered the strength to travel, despite the spike of cases in Maharashtra again. This time, we ditched the normal touristy things and decided to stay within the resort. We opted for Brightland Resort & Spa. While viewing the property, one of my agenda was also to understand how Brightland faced the pandemic and what different are they doing now against old protocols.
I happen to speak to the Front Office Manager of the resort, Mr. Joginder. Mahabaleshwar is a top tourist spot in Maharashtra during the winters, i.e., between November to March. It was not the normal visits this time around in Mahabaleshwar though. During my talks with Joginder, he stated “The occupancy levels increased to 70-75% after September 2020. However, with the spike of cases, the levels have again dropped to 25% since February 2021.”
The occupancy levels according to ICRA survey across India saw a drop by by 65% and might witness further drop by 20% in 2021 with the spike in cases. Even the room rates might drop by 70 to 75% according to FY21 RevPAR.
However, like every other hotel, Brightland are taking precautionary measures, “We have con-tactless check-in, where they need to upload their Aadhaar card or any other ID proof, fill some questionnaire concerning COVID-19, etc., via email. Once done, you get the booking order ID on your smartphone.” At the entrance of the hotel, temperature checks and luggage sanitisation are mandatory.
Brightland makes sure even the rooms are in top-notch condition during such times. Joginder mentioned there are touch points in the room. He said, “The housekeeper fogs the room using institutional grade disinfectants and the touch points such as knobs, switches, phones, and remotes, get sanitised. The room gets cleansed and sanitised once in 2 days to avoid minimal contact with the guests. If need be, guests can request for frequent housekeeping services.”
As for room food service, there is no requirement of contact with the staff as the food tray will be left outside the room and can be placed back by the guests once done with the meal. Joginder added, “The room linen gets changed once in 2 days. Meanwhile, the toiletries and soaps get replaced at the time of check-in and check-out. Additional requirements get fulfilled upon request.”
The best part about Brightland Resort & Spa is none of them lost their job during these months. It was upon the staff’s discretion if they were comfortable travelling to the Resort as most of them lived in and around Mahabaleshwar.
Brightland Resort & Spa have three restaurants at perusal – The Olive Garden that is an all-day restaurant, Angaare which is an Indian Barbeque, and Over The Edge which is an Lounge Bar by the pool side. I noticed immense crowd gathering during the breakfasts as the Resort offers free breakfast with the stay.
The way the crowd was managed is indeed commendable, especially during such times. While coming to take food from the buffet area, the restaurant manager Suresh, asks the crowd to compulsorily wear the mask. In fact, you are not even allowed inside the restaurant without the mask. Even the waiters and chefs wore gloves along with masks at all times.
I appreciated the efforts of Suresh and asked him what is new in the restaurant since the pandemic, “We used to serve food to the guests once it arrives on the table. Now, we just place the food on the table and let the guests serve themselves. Even during breakfast, we make sure the crowd sanitises their hands and wear masks.”
Most of the hotels thrive not only on room services but also the sumptuous meal. We have heard cases of chefs contracting the virus and thereby, the entire restaurant shutting down. Suresh said, “When the restaurant started its facilities in October, we had about 30 chefs. Now, we have full strength and all are comfortable staying here as we have provisions for the same.”
All the trays, utensils, plates, and glasses are thoroughly sanitised before offering the services to the guests in the restaurant or a room service. There are even digital menu accessible over the smartphones.
Brightland Resort & Spa have kept some amenities such as Swimming Pool, Discotheque, and Prana Spa shut owing to the Government mandate.
These measure ensured we had a safe stay and rejuvenated our minds as well. Indeed we cherished and savoured every moment in the resort. Brightland Resort & Spa have some expansion plans in place too.
However, Joginder expressed concerns that there could be another lockdown with the rising cases. This might then halt their business plans. The Union Budget in February 2021 ignored the hospitality sector. The only hope is the statement of ICRA chief who mentioned there will be growth by 13 to 15% in FY22. They also added the overall growth should be in place by 2023 or 2024.
It was a relief to watch some wedding preparations on the day we were heading back home. Hopeful of normalcy, somewhere 🙂
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