Sometimes we get too close to the fire to realize the friends we have and how much we mean to them. I'm sure that's how so many of our peers in the hospitality field feel this week after losing not just hours or jobs...but their connection to their work family.
Sometimes, it's the littlest things that remind us that others care.
Like this video from the South Shore Conventions & Visitors Authority.
Thank you.
They say that crisis brings out the best in so many of us. And, the stories emerging from communities across the country about how Destination Marketing Organizations pivoted on a dime when they realized what was about to descend upon the hospitality community are as heartwarming as they are expected.
Most Americans are just now beginning to understand the importance and fragility of a sector of the economy they always took for granted. To be sure, airlines and hotels were impacted briefly after 9/11. But, most other facets of the hospitality industry felt no more than a speed bump...because residents were there to continue eating out in restaurants, meeting co-workers after work at the local watering hole and seeing music, theatre and comedy with friends. Indeed, after the initial shock of 9/11 that had us all glued to our televisions, we needed to go out and be with others.
And, in this crisis, we can't.
Never one to say "I told you so," there is the slightest satisfaction that the recent flirtation some communities have had with shopping their DMO contract out to ad agencies should likely now come to an end. In a recent interview, the Chairman of the Board of Visit Stillwater OK (which last year went through just such an RFP process) was asked what the DMO was doing during the pandemic:
"We have transitioned our focus from marketing to visitors to communicating to residents to better support our local business partners. Our staff has called almost 200 local businesses to promote their hours of operation, delivery, pick-up or curb-side services, online shopping options and the availability of gift cards. They continue to update the information on our website and social media throughout each day since things are continually changing. Staff has also recently added a coloring contest for kids and adults online, as well as incorporated virtual tours featuring many of our local museums, attractions and restaurants. These 360-degree images will give our residents something to look forward to and visitors' incentive to visit when traveling again."
I'm pretty sure no ad agency could ever do that.
Well done, Visit Stillwater...and all the other DMOs that know that we are the only agency in our communities prepared for days like these for our destination partners.
Destination Marketing in the era of COVID-19 is considered by many to be tone-deaf...and we've all seen a few headscratchers over the past couple weeks. Sheesh....
That doesn't mean that Destination Marketing stops...it's just different. It's focused more locally.
But then, there's Discover Puerto Rico which, this week, invited visitors to the island...but virtually.
This weekend, you can learn to Salsa Friday evening on Zoom, take a Cocktail Mixology Class on Saturday and a Cooking Class on Sunday, both on Instagram Live (click the image for times).
I know where I'll be Friday night (Terri's wanted me to learn to Salsa with her for years).
Once again, Discover Puerto Rico...inspired.
As we talked with American hotel and resort operators over the past couple weeks, we heard a pretty steady refrain..."no group cancellations, yet." Even yesterday morning's edition of Skift reported that only 1 in 10 travelers have changed their plans due to fears over COVID-19.
That all ended yesterday, as reports from Nashville, San Jose, Anaheim, Miami and others began to trickle out that a handful of U.S. conventions have canceled or been postponed.
And, that the media is on these stories...it's bound to get worse.
In response, Destinations International yesterday launched a special page on their website to serve as an information hub for DMO pros to share factual data about the growing crisis.
Hang on...
At check-out, the grocery co-op in our old 'hood would also ask if we wanted to "chip" (add one percent onto our bill to go to a local nonprofit addressing social, economic, and environmental issues). And, who's gonna say no to 50 cents on a $50 grocery tab...especially when we collectively raised $288,000 last year.
When we were in DC for Destinations International's February Board meetings, we popped into a Cuban-themed cafe in the neighborhood for lunch one day. When we got the bill, I had to smile. Next to the increasingly common "cheat chart" for people who can't figure out 18, 20 and 22% tips in their head, there on the bill was the option to "Round it Up" and donate to relief efforts in Puerto Rico (click image to enlarge).
I'm guessing here...but I have to believe that those who are given such an easy option to help will do so with significantly more than 1% of the tab. I can only imagine how much this restaurant is generating for Puerto Rican relief.
Here's hoping more restaurants take Cuba Libre's fabulous lead.
Those with Marketing degrees have got nothing on a Girl Scout Troop in Chicago.
Going door to door to sell cookies is hard...so why not set up shop where your customers will be and let them come to you?
That's what these Girl Scouts did by setting up a stand in front of a cannabis dispensary on North Clark Street.
The Marketing Manager of the store said, "I admire the hustle."
As do we.
Since the Coronavirus has captured our collective attention, people have taken to the internet to both search for more information and suggest that we all stock up on limes.
But, really...searches for "Corona Beer Virus" have spiked 1,100% in the past week, according to Google.
The real question is whether Google's auto-correct feature is to blame for some of the traffic. But, let's be real here. It's only part of the trend.
The most searches have come from Hawaii, California and Washington over the past seven days. Meanwhile, residents of New Mexico, Nebraska and Kansas were the most likely to search for the term 'beer virus.'
Really? Beer Virus?
Sigh...
The global Plastics crisis is just being recognized by the citizens inhabiting this planet. But, while 80% of Hilton's guests claim to care about that brand's environmental footprint, a Skift study found that only 53% would be willing to pay extra to ensure sustainable hotel practices. And, that's a challenge, as plastics make housekeeping faster and easier. There is no simple answer, as simple as the problem at hand may be.
But plastic straws? Please. Especially for those of us that consume our drinks straight. I totally get a straw or swizzle for a mixed drink.* But, bourbon on the rocks? Why wouldn't management encourage servers to consider whether a drink needs to be served with a stick? It would save them money plus suggest a modicum of environmental concern.
I gotta give serious props to Delta for eliminating straws in favor of bio-degradable bamboo stir sticks on their flights. For all the travel companies that say they plan to address plastics in 2021 or 2023, Delta has proven that a world travel brand can do it much faster...if they take the issue seriously.
Sadly though, I now get a bamboo stick in most of my Woodfords. So, there's still work to do.
Skift has made the Plastics crisis a focus of its reporting and analysis. It's a long read...but worth your time and consideration.
You'd think that with the advent of fairly ubiquitous food delivery services (at least in tier one and two cities) that hotels would respond by reducing their pricing and fees to stay competitive. Apparently, one hotel in Chicago doesn't think so.
Giving some air to a recent Facebook rant from our friend Peter Greenberg:
I was at the W in Chicago and ordered a small 10-inch pizza from room service. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I expected to pay more for room service. That’s not surprising. I know what a pizza on the street costs. And a pizza delivered to my room should cost more. I get it.
Now let’s look at the bill that arrived with the pizza 38 minutes after the order was placed.
The 10-inch pizza was already a whopping $27. But we’re just getting started.
The hotel then charges me a $7 delivery charge, and then… a nearly 22% “in room delivery,” $6 charge.
This is followed by… sales tax, not just on the overpriced pizza itself, but on the service charges, and that came to $4.59.
And now…not the total, but the SUBTOTAL! It’s $44.53 for a small 10-inch pizza!
But we’re still not done…there was a space left (in case we were totally delusional and wanted to add more to our bill) for GRATUITY.
A GRATUITY? They wanted a tip? Ok…here’s MY tip — not for them, but for YOU.
First, insist on full disclosure from any hotel for ALL the charges it will attempt to hit you with before you order room service.
And second, my advice for hotels: it’s bad enough that this receipt represents a total gouge on guests, but if you still want to blatantly overcharge guests for room service, then at the very least don’t add to the insult by leaving an open space for “gratuity.”
By comparison, a phone order to Dominos for a larger 14-inch, SIX cheese pizza, WITH delivery, costs less than $20. And it got here two minutes faster!
British research suggests that every airline passenger leaves behind three pounds of waste on each flight they take. Multiply that by 4 billion global passengers each year...and that is a lot of landfill fodder.
Of course, part of that is the fault of the airlines. Unnecessary napkins, straws, swizzles and disposable earbuds are part of the problem. Part of it is the reading material passengers bring on board and leave behind (newspapers and magazines). And, to be sure, the American waste total is likely less because airlines no longer provide meals to those in steerage.
But, still...we need to do better.
Recent Comments