Hoteles Estelar ‘ ‘ now guests want to slow down’
“Las más altas en la historia de Colombia”. With this phrase Miguel Díez, president of Estelar Hotels*, describes the hotel occupancy levels recorded by Colombia during the fourth quarter of 2019. “And so began the first three months of 2020. We were shot!”, add.
(You may be interested: Macrorrueda left businesses for tourism for US$ 46.7 million).
But the pandemic, and with it, the dry paralysis of the sector. The negative consequences were not long in coming and continued throughout 2020.
This was a devastating year for Hospitality, which recorded the lowest occupancy in the country’s history; according to Cotelco, the consolidated figure for the year was 21.18 percent, 35.8 percentage points lower than in 2019, when it reached an all-time high of 56.96 percent.
After the initial blow, and without a clear picture, the hotel they immediately began preparing for the reopening, which was postponed for six months.
The priority of the chain during that time was to preserve the employment of its workers, and to achieve this, it launched a joint strategy with them: “The employees supported the company by adjusting conditions, taking overdue or early vacations and, in general, using all the resources that the law allowed. But when the closure was prolonged, and we were aware that the occupations would not be the same again for a long time, we had to resort to early retirement plans. That was hard.”, says Miguel Díez.
The remaining staff took on the mission of carefully caring for and preserving the hotels and preparing them to welcome guests again.
Lobby of the hotel Estelar La Fontana Bogota
Photo:
Courtesy: Estelar Hotels
“We adapted biosecurity protocols and good practices in our hotels to convey security and confidence to travelers, who began to return from August; by October we had all the hotels open.”
From the reopen, month after stellar month has been increasing the occupancy level in its 26 hotels, which total 3,148 rooms; and although during the first stage of this year the figures for 2019 were not reached, conditions improved with respect to 2020.
(Also: optimism is growing due to the reactivation of World Tourism).
Following the protocols, each of the hotels of the chain (located in 12 destinations in Colombia and Peru) made adjustments in all areas: in addition to adopting and promoting general measures to reduce the risk of contagionas the use of face mask, the frequent washing of hands, the provision of gels and alcohols and social distancing, adapt all the air conditioners to minimize the circulation of the virus, precautions were taken in the kitchens, were adjusted to the service at the tables and the registration of guests; it also developed rigorous processes of cleaning supplies that contain raw materials approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is implemented strict days of disinfection spaces, objects, and environments.
Welcome changes
As with other hotel chains, Estelar obtained certifications granted by Bureau Veritas with the Safe Guard and certified Check-in SEALs.
” These are measures that go against what was customary before the pandemic, but clearly the guests appreciate and appreciate it, ” says Díez.
The most notable changes have occurred in public areas, since it is necessary to control the capacity in restaurants, cafes, cafes, lounges, beaches and pools: “now to go, for example, to the beach you have to book. We must ensure distancing.”
(In addition: travel agencies will show their offer in an event open to the public).
Interestingly, the pandemic generated, according to Miguel Díez, a change in consumers in this sector. He points out that before guests wanted to do more activities in the shortest possible time “” right now there is a trend towards slow travel; they want to go slower, enjoy the spaces and services that hotels offer and leave less. In fact, that increased the average stay.”
About what will happen with this sector in the short and medium term, the president of Stellar –string, in this moment generates 1.392 direct jobs and 152 indirect– says that it will depend on the evolution of pandemic and the progress of the plans of vaccination, “the third peak pandemic was halted in April, the breakthrough that we would have in the first quarter, and during which we achieved an occupancy of 36,17 percent, four percentage points above the average reported by Cotelco for the entire country; it is more, for easter our occupation was 55.3 percent.
Renovation of your spaces
Hilton Cali: it remodeled the first floor, its terrace (it became the Steak House Terrace), the Estelar Pizzeria and Origen, the main restaurant.
The Westin, Boston: he remodeled the lobby bar, incorporated the Maki Bar Restaurant and inaugurated the Plaza Café.
Golden Mile, Medellin: he remodeled the lobby bar and will soon join the Maki Bar.
Medellin Apartments: they are also in the process of adjustments and remodeling.
( * ) Hoteles Estelar is part of the business group that controls the company Casa Editorial El TIEMPO.
TRAVEL WRITING
On Twitter: @ ViajarET
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