Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Treasonous Anti-American Stupidity?

I'll just leave this here (click image to enlarge).

Image Credit: Los Angeles Times

Like That Will Have a (Positive) Impact

Not to throw shade at the head of the Hotel Association of New York City, but his recent support of Mayor Bill de Blasio's summer-long waiver of Hotel Room Taxes is perplexing, at best, and reckless, at worst.

Don't get me wrong, there are some destinations where $18 a night might influence a potential visitor to choose another city. But, honestly? This is freakin' New York City. A destination that isn't up for debate on haggling over price. It's also a City with a pandemic-induced budget hole that could use those revenues to shore up other parts of the economy or infrastructure. To forfeit an estimated $30 million of tax revenue on a feel-good gimmick that's simply not needed to jump start the hotel sector is amazingly short-sighted.

The consumer tax savings on a $300/night room is roughly $18, it's $12 on a $200/night stay and $6 on a $100/night stay. So, don't call me elitist when I say people wouldn't let $18 blur their desire. That's a drink in the hotel bar for people willing to spend $300 a night...and a hot dog for those attempting to be frugal. 

If the powers at work here really want to help, don't waive the Room Tax. Use it to subsidize a portion of theatre tickets so the theaters and their crews and companies are made whole...but that tickets are more affordable to the tight-fisted (but culturally sophisticated) consumer this summer. That will capture people's attention. Broadway on Sale for one Summer only? That will cause theatre goers that might fear an unmasked city to take a chance and return. The same with admissions to sporting events and museums. And, let's find a way to help our restaurants come back.

The Mayor deserves huge props for dedicating $30 million in recovery funding for the work of NYC & Company. But, forgiving a fee that hardly anybody notices when there are so many ways to maximize this revenue? Unforgivable.

Making a Bad Situation Worse

A Wisconsin Legislator has shepherded a bill through the Assembly that would waive state and local sales taxes on restaurants, bars, movie theaters, amusement parks and arcades during the summer months of this year. He says it is meant to spur business in some of the industries hit hardest by COVID-19. It now awaits action by the Senate.

Let's be really clear here. Almost no one makes a travel decision based on the taxes they'll pay. It's an assumed cost. Does anyone really believe that a consumer will choose Destination A over Destination B because one doesn't charge Sales Tax? And, is that really the message one would want from the State Tourism Department? "Hey...come here because we aren't charging sales tax." Really? That's all you got?

Interestingly, the State's largest tourism destination DMO is opposing the bill. And...for all the right reasons. 

As Wisconsin Dells VCB CEO Romy Snyder opines, the revenue hit this will have on municipalities and counties throughout the State will be debilitating. And, isn't it refreshing to see a DMO looking out for its government's best interests?

All indications are that pent-up demand will drive a powerfully lucrative summer in Wisconsin. Why forfeit the very funds that local governments need to recover?

Baffling.

Oh wait...it's just political theatre.

The Chef as The Story

If you've yet to catch an episode of the new CNN travelogue series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, treat yourself. Beautifully shot, the series explores the variations in cuisine, traditions and preparations throughout the country.

Just as beautifully shot (and no less culinarily compelling), is a new online series we recently stumbled upon from our friends at VisitNorfolk.  City with Bite is a semi-weekly video series featuring local food and culture icon Nomarama as your host with a stated mission to try all 600 of Norfolk's independent restaurants. And, with 4 episodes already online and streaming, we're so planning our next visit to the city!

Click on the slightly irreverent trailer and I dare you not to watch all four episodes.

Congratulations to Kurt Krause and the crew at VisitNorfolk. Sensationally played!

Reimagine a Floor?

Many restaurants that have managed to remain open for the past year are hanging on by a thread, praying for the weather for outdoor dining to return, government restrictions to relax and consumer fear to subside. 

I'm not sure how I missed this piece by Laurie Jo Miller Farr that ran last month in The Travel Vertical, but the concept of restaurants and hotels partnering at a high level is brilliant. As she opined: "Urban hotels are removing beds, dressers, nightstands from hotel suites and re-furnishing them as private dining rooms. Limiting interaction with others, there’s a waiter to serve plated meals from a nearby restaurant and some of the guests are opting for an overnight stay. Aimed at a local targeted audience, why not?"

If you missed the story too, catch it here. This could be the bridge to Summer.

Image Credit: Le Crocodile in Brooklyn

Ghost Hotel Kitchens

We talked about Ghost Kitchens last Fall...those restaurant and food truck operations that pivoted during the pandemic in an effort to keep people employed. These entrepreneurs flipped their then underperforming kitchens to provide other culinary genres for take-out and delivery (thus "ghosts"). Imagine a Mexican place also doing pizza under a different name. Or Italian. Or...anything.

So why not apply the same concept to hotels? Those that have maintained food service operations typically do so as a loss leader (it doesn't directly make money but is central to the hotel's overall appeal...and, thus, profitability). 

These kitchens typically sit empty at lunch. Why not target those local businesses that still have employees working on site to provide lunch delivery?

Check out this recent article from Skift for more inspiration.

And, it took a pandemic to realize what an opportunity this has always been, sitting right in front of our eyes?

Oy.

Please, Don't be Another Train

If this weekend's Super Bowl parties don't result in another debilitating COVID spike over the next two weeks, that light at the end of the tunnel might be called "travel."

Our friends at Destination Analysts and Longwoods International have both been supplying DMOs and the travel industry with insights into how consumers are feeling about getting back out on the road and in the air. And, as we bounced from holiday spike to holiday spike, consumers hung on the safety bar of their personal roller coaster as travel sentiment rose and fell.

But today, as Americans feel more hopeful that the strategy for immunization is becoming more coherent, they also indicate that they are itching to get back out there. According to Destination Analysts' latest weekly study, consumers' openness to travel inspiration (marketing) is at its highest point since the pandemic reared its ugly head. And, today's release of Longwoods' latest research reveals that 81% of us say that we plan to travel in the next six months...up from 65% in mid-January and the highest since last March.

That's the kind of news we all need.

Make it Worth It

As a "Loyalty Member" at a regional movie house chain, I annually get a Birthday e-mail offering me a random free "gift" to entice me back to the theatre. And, I got one this weekend, offering me a free fountain drink as my Birthday gift.

This may have been the offer I got last year. I really don't remember, because offering me a 16 oz. Diet Pepsi won't entice me to drive 30 minutes to see a show I wasn't already considering. And, with the 'VID, the offer would have to be substantially higher to encourage me to place myself in an enclosed space with unknown protocols and no control over potentially sick patrons in the row behind me. Indeed, part of me thinks the Marketing Department forgot to update their traditional Birthday e-mail offer to better reflect pandemic reality.

You want me to put aside my health concerns and come to your theatre again? How about a free family 4-pack of tickets for my birthday? That way, you not only get us through the doors but another couple or family members as well to re-engage with your product. You lose nothing, because your seats aren't full and you gain all the overpriced concessions we'll consume. And, if we don't get sick in the next 10 days, you'll have encouraged us to return because your protocols work.

Offering me a Diet Pepsi? You simply look tone deaf. And cheap.

For those in the hospitality space that believe that special offers can kick start your recovery...go large or go home.

Abandonment

It's a pretty powerful word: Abandoned.

But that's what millions in the hospitality industry are feeling. We've shared op ed pieces and communiques from restauranteurs on this blog that encapsulate the pain. But the message fails to motivate those that we have elected to take meaningful action.

So, we try again. This time, the missive is from Edward Lee, who has been forced to close 4 restaurants during the government's response to the pandemic.

From his piece in Bon Appetit: "Unfortunately for restaurant people, our skill set doesn’t translate well to other industries. We’re hyper-focused on one thing: hospitality. And when the industry crumbles, you have an entire population of people not equipped to do other jobs. I’ve devoted 29 years of my life to this; I can’t just go sell neckties or insurance. Yet the people in power don’t see that. They don’t see restaurant workers as a valuable sector of our society. Their attitudes are, ‘Well, they can go find other jobs.’ That’s just not the case."

So True. And, so sad that we have de-evolved into a culture where partisan politics ignores human suffering.

The Next Step for DMOs

As the 'VID began to surge across America in March, Destination Marketing Organizations executed the ultimate pivot; one that was unthinkable just weeks before. Before the pandemic, DMOs helped restaurants, hotels, attractions and retail by promoting their destinations to add more potential customers to the community than just residents.

Within days, after governments shut down their hospitality economies, DMOs were racing to assist these businesses (primarily restaurants) by marketing their revised hours of operation, delivery and take-out options and more...to residents, as travel ground to a halt.

In my mind, the next step for DMOs was to find a way to assist local retailers...not an easy initiative. But, Visit Fort Collins may have cracked the code. They've just launched a new service to let residents and consumers across the country buy goods and services from local vendors from one centralized website and payment system.

Bravo...and we can't wait to see more of this type of innovation as we move into the new year!