Clyde Fernandes, Associate Vice President Materials, IHCL on what needs to be done when hotels start to reopen that will be best for the business

In the present pandemic crisis, survival has become a major challenge for businesses. Clyde Fernandes, Associate Vice President Materials, IHCL declares the organizations who are resilient are in a better position and will sail through the situation with relative ease. Facing severe challenges, the organizations in every sector have been forced to make tough calls and decisions. 

For the hospitality sector, Fernandes stated, “If hotels are going to reopen soon, the factors affecting the guest’s stay should be handled meticulously.” This will require a lot of proper staff training, he argued. Fernandes further added that apart from focusing on credibility and assurance, there is a need to look at different business propositions. Elaborating why that is the case, Fernandes shared that today toplines have been wiped out, and consequently, traditional methods of increasing revenues on rooms and food & beverage have seen wider adoption. “It is all about survival, revival, and thrival,” said Fernandes. Clyde Fernandes was speaking at the 'Procurement – The Big Game Changer' webinar of BW HOTELIER Breaking the Pandemic Series.

This is not the first time the human race has faced such a catastrophe. Fernandes giving a historical perspective said no matter the challenges, people have always bounced back. He said, “If we go back to 2007, there was the WTC disaster, and the industry went through a turmoil. Then we had the Mumbai attacks ten years back. We always bounced back." Hence, in the given situation, Fernandes believes it is always paramount to: look at new options, new opportunities, and new ways to do business.