What Has Changed in the Hospitality Industry?

How has the hospitality industry changed?

In the latest episode of So, What Has Changed?, the new Mitzi Jane Media podcast, Tynette Lynch, the newly appointed Director of Hospitality and Tourism for the city of Hoover, tells us a few interesting and unexpected things about how the hospitality industry has changed. 

Tynette has over 30 years experience in the hotel management industry. In all her experience, however, the shifts she's witnessed have been both a sad and pleasant surprise.

The pandemic lockdown has created a ripple effect on America's economy and local businesses, but it also created positive changes at outdoor venues such as Aldridge Gardens. Tynette was thrilled to notice that the gorgeous gardens saw an explosion in the number of visitors. Their average number of visitors went from 85,000 - 90,000 per year to a whopping 150,000 per year. It made the perfect place for people to bring their families and feed their souls in gorgeous nature, among peaceful brooks and colorful blooms. 

The hotel and lodging industry, however, didn't fare so well. Until the Covid disaster, hotel and lodging was experiencing an all-time high. Conferences and meetings were frequent and full. Suddenly, everything came to a screeching halt. In the podcast episode, Tynette describes the devastating effects she has witnessed. She also tells us where there's hope for this kind of business to trend upward, and how it has, in fact, become a safe way to travel.

Business owners in the hospitality industry have have more options for conducting meetings and getting creative, especially with food presentation. With the lack of buffets and self-served food, people are now given their food in separate containers which allows low-risk, no-contact way of eating. Buffets can still be used, but are now served by workers instead of self-serve, to honor the no-contact rule. Large meeting spaces had to pivot by getting creative with spreading out their visitors and lowering the max occupancy. People have adjusted beautifully.

Per Tynette, the biggest struggle in her industry now is employment. During the worst of the pandemic, the hospitality business was low. However, now that the numbers are picking up again, more jobs are available and in need of filling. 

Will in-person conferences ever come back? Find out what Tynette has experienced, and what she projects for hospitality's future.

Listen to the podcast by clicking the player above, or use your favorite podcast app on your preferred device. Subscribe to stay updated with each new episode released weekly, and if you like what you hear, leave a review!

Keep an eye out for a new post next week with a fresh, new podcast episode.

Until next week!