Looking back at 2020 and its impact on businesses across the globe can help illustrate the value of planning. From initial crisis response to business continuity management, organizations across a wide span of industries have faced serious and costly business challenges. As COVID-19 lingers in some regions amidst variances in mitigating risk, it appears that the most critical elements of future planning are agility and innovation.
How can we learn from hotels and how they’ve adapted this year?
This recent article offered some valuable insight on the future of business travel, while at the same time offering up a look at how innovative thinking can contribute to the continuity of business in the struggling hospitality industry.
Business travel has experienced significant declines as more people are working from home. In response, some hotel groups have reinvented their approach to hospitality. It’s the agility of their planning that stands out here, and it’s something every business leader should consider. Imagine if these hotels simply took the standard approach to business continuity planning. They didn’t fire all their staff and close their doors permanently upon realizing COVID-19 would be around for a while. Instead, we see “the art of the possible” as they create offerings to meet society’s new needs.
Reimagining hotel spaces for “COVID-safe” group meetings and creating monthly subscription packages for use by long-term remote workers may sound atypical as measures when applied in a framework of traditional business continuity planning. They may sound extreme for industries whose business continuity focus was on supply chain or manufacturing interruption, or the safety of essential workers. But before you write off what’s happening in the hospitality industry as irrelevant, consider a question most of us didn’t think to ask: What if the current crisis impacting our business won’t let us resume business as usual? Is your business continuity planning agile enough to help you weather long-term or permanent change?
What’s happening now in the hotel industry is, admittedly, an extreme situation. But in the context of business continuity planning, the innovation and flexibility some hotel groups are demonstrating can be the difference between failure and success. When a short term crisis turns into a long term problem, the domino effect is obvious. Business travel declining meanings a decline in guests. Without guests, how could hotels survive?
As you examine your approach to business continuity, the takeaway here is quite simple. Ask yourself “what if…” and don’t be afraid to imagine what’s possible. The point isn’t to reinvent your entire business or create new marketing campaigns. Rather, it’s to spark innovative discussion surrounding long-term solutions for the types of crises your particular business could face. Whether your crisis management and business continuity approach is centralized or localized, and no matter the size of your business, asking “what if” is a good way to start your planning. These are atypical times, and as these hotel groups have shown, atypical thinking can lead to resilience.
Looking for an IMG Business Continuity Planning Expert?
IMG GlobalSecur has decades of experience in the security industry. Our team of experts stand ready to help you navigate the changing times with business continuity planning. We offer workplace violence consulting services, global risk assessment advice, supply chain & logistics security assistance and more. Contact us today!