Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Oh, What the Hell

How is it so hard for some to connect the dots between the States in which cases of the Plague are spiking and the States that have dropped any pretense of attempting to adhere to CDC guidance. Indeed, at least two of those States have gone as far as to ban vaccine passports altogether.

Throwing in the towel by saying, "well, we tried," is kind of like being down by 14 with a minute to go in a football game and you send in the second string. Except, you have Tom Brady, Travis Kelce, Davante Adams, Derek Henry and Stefon Diggs on your team...and you have the freakin' ball.

That's the attitude in New York City, where later this month (I actually think it should be tomorrow), the City will begin requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining, gyms, entertainment and performances.  It's clear that appealing to some people's sense of community and concern for the health (and life) of others doesn't work in this country like it once did. Taking experiences away from people that refuse to be part of the cure may be the only solution left to effectively stop this killer.

And, for those that are unvaccinated (by choice) that are gonna pitch a fit over restrictions like these, remember that this is on you.

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.

It's $17.99

Word out of Lorain County OH is that officials there failed to renew the URL for their DMO...and it now directs visitors to a gaming website in Indonesia. Amid the finger pointing going on, one County official said that the lost URL is a moot point because they want all their websites to be .gov, because that's the way the public knows that a site is a legitimate government website.

Excuse me? A legitimate government website is the last place I'd go for travel inspiration and information. 

But, here's the learning moment (which we've touched on several times before). When a DMO (or really, any enterprise) decides to move on from one URL to a better URL, you must keep renewing (and owning) the old URL...forever. Every destination has visitors that have learned or love a past URL (we were fans of the no longer used nawlins.com). But, New Orleans & Company was smart enough to know that, while the old URL didn't produce the traffic they had expected, they needed to retain the URL and have it redirect to neworleans.com. Once you acquire a URL...you hafta continue to own it til the day you die...or face the consequence of having it snatched up by someone else.

What happened to Lorain County isn't the worst we've seen. That would be DMOs that have dropped old URLs only to have them picked up by porn sites. But honestly, walking away from a URL is never a good idea...even if you know you'll never use it again.

Do you know the renewal date for yours?

Yesterday

My parents have lived a marvelous life, sensationally rich in witnessing change. From the Depression to the Dow reaching its highest level in history. From listening to "War of the Worlds" to streaming "Game of Thrones." And from an era in which so many Americans were denied basic rights and respect to where we are today...still not there, but miles further toward justice for which this country should stand.

Yesterday's events in Washington DC is yet another first they can add to their rich bank of experiences. For that, I am grateful.

But, I so wish they didn't have to see it.

The Chilling View from the Cliff

I'm sure that our political leaders believe this is all a case of Chicken Little. And sadly, they likely believe the data coming from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is being manipulated to paint a darker picture than reality warrants. Of course, that begs the question: If the AHLA isn't surveying its members, who would? 

The latest intel is scary as shit. 71% of hotels will be forced to shutter in the next 6 months without immediate assistance from local, State and Federal governments. I'm quite sure that the release of the vaccine is causing our elected officials to believe that they've dodged a bullet. Surely, impacted businesses can hold on until Spring, they likely think.

No. Every day that this industry is forced to wait is a death warrant for some of those 71%. The study shows that 71% will fail by June...but how many will close in January and February, typically the slowest occupancy months of the year in North America? 20%? 25%? 

And how many restaurants and retailers, hoping against hope that they'll score enough revenue over the Holidays will wake up on New Year's Day and say "we're out?"

If action doesn't come swiftly, I wonder how many elected officials will have challengers in the next election that have lost everything because of our government's ham-handed response to the virus, have a compelling story to tell and knowledge of what it takes to make an economy hum...and will kick their uncaring partisan asses to the curb.

While it's the last thing I want to see...we'll likely all be better off in that scenario.

Now You Care?

When times are good, we get lazy. We're not as intentional in our efforts to maintain relationships, personal or business. We all fall victim to this...even me.

Thus, it's been fascinating for me to watch the gyrations of two companies over the past few months, for two different reasons, that desperately want to remind me of how much (they think) I love them.

Jos. A. Banks is a menswear company. My only purchase from them was a decade ago when I was on assignment in Fort Worth. I had mis-packed and needed a couple sport shirts. Clearly, they secured my e-mail address during that transaction...and promptly forgot about me.

Since their parent company declared bankruptcy in August, I have been receiving two or three e-mails a day, extolling all the great deals available to me. So, that one we can chalk up to desperation.

Also a decade ago, artifacts from the late Bill Graham's collection of recordings and memorabilia from his days running the Fillmore East and West became available on a site called Wolfgang's Vault. I joined, enjoyed the content for a few years and then forgot about it...but still getting auto-billed each year. Luckily, the credit card they had finally expired this year and they have lost their ability to extract $35 a year from me because of my forgetfulness to cancel.

Since that occurred last month, I've been getting a raft of e-mails, begging me to come back to discover all the cool additions to the Vault. Apparently, these exceptional new additions weren't worthy enough to tell me about while I was being billed because I haven't received an e-mail from Wolfgang's Vault for years. That's probably because they didn't want to remind me that I was being billed for a service I hadn't used in 5 years. This one, we can chalk up to shady business practices (or, if not intentional, at least not very smart).

I don't, for a moment, fault these companies for reaching out. But really, at least admit you were (and apologize for being) lazy friends before trying to reengage me.

 

Can We Be Honest?

The President has directed that Republicans discontinue negotiations on a Coronavirus Relief plan, essentially meaning that there will be no relief until sometime next year, if ever. And, for tens of thousands of us...that will be too late.

I get that people have their reasons for supporting a man whose only redeeming quality is that the stock market has bloomed during his Presidency or that he is going to stack the Supreme Court...but, honestly? A President that effectively says "fuck you" to thousands of small business owners and puts millions of jobs in jeopardy to score political points with his base and Party? Who the hell does that but a narcissistic game show host that doesn't have this nation's good as a goal? If you lose your business or job, does who sits on the Supreme Court really matter?

And, don't parrot back that the Democrats aren't negotiating in good faith. The mark of a true leader is to keep trying to find a solution regardless of the tactics of the other side. Sadly, we don't have a leader in the White House. We have a divider; someone who thrives on conflict.

It's time to vote to save our economy, our hospitality industry and our nation's promise.

If all those who have been hurt by this President's cavalier attitude toward the pandemic, racial equity and this country's future could just abandon their misplaced belief in a failed philosophy of nationalism...could we actually return to American greatness?

It's time to take our government back. Unless you have a really strong argument in opposition (and, I'm so ready to listen to your retort), isn't it time to vote a different "party-line?'

Next month, vote against every Federal incumbent. They are all complicit in the dumpster fire in which we find ourselves.

Vote "no mas."

No Relief, No Recess

A coalition of over 200 travel-related businesses, municipalities and associations is demanding that Congress act on a relief plan before the November election. It's hard to believe, but that last relief plan Congress provided some segments of the economy was in March. And, that plan didn't focus on the segments of the service economy most impacted by the government's response to the 'VID.

But, as I mused earlier this month, members of Congress must be reminded of the sheer number of voters who are incredibly pissed off at their inaction...and will likely vote against any incumbent, at this point in time. The clock is ticking for a lot of voters.

For others, it's already over.

Here is COVID Relief Now's open letter to Congress. 

Check out the signatories. While nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to Washington politics, I sure wouldn't want to be standing for re-election and know that I have been complicit in the carnage that awaits.

Like We're Surprised

Not to pile on (well, maybe a little)...but the juxtaposition of the revelation that the sitting President, for years, has paid less in income taxes than I have is far from a surprise. Why else would he have tried so hard to block the release? We all knew...we just didn't push hard enough.

But, we should consider the ROI of the taxes we pay, n'est ce-pas? This should certainly suggest, for at least a moment, that most voters don't receive the ROI for their hard earned taxes that those they select do.

And, honestly...what kind of President needs to visually repurpose himself as a blonde Rambo (click image we recently saw in the most infamous speed trap in Wisconsin)?

While that shit surely delights his base, does his campaign actually think it will sway the middle?

And, is that who America really wants to lead us?

Who Do We Believe

It's not the CDC. It's not State Health Officials. And, it certainly isn't the White House.

In their just-released American Traveler Sentiment Study, Longwoods International finds that trust in those that we should, ostensibly, trust is dropping like a stone. Trust in the CDC has dropped to 45%. And, how wouldn't it...after urging us all to physically distance ourselves but recently shifting gears to say schools should re-open? And trust in the White House Coronavirus Task Force is now at 17%? Why does the media even bother to cover the daily briefings? Nothing better to do?

It's a sad moment indeed when people believe Social Media more than those that have been elected and selected to lead.

Winter is coming.