BLOWING ROCK, N.C. – As the proprietor of Chetola Mountain Resort, Blowing Rock, N.C., Kent Tarbutton (pictured here at last year’s HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA) boils down the notion of a hospitality comeback to a concise question: How do we recreate businesses so it’s safe for people to have a good time?
It certainly helps to have a lot of room, and Tarbutton is fortunate in that department with Chetola’s 78 acres, plus a 3,600-acre national forest next door. With a newly declared “phase two” re-opening in the Blowing Rock region, Chetola activities such as tennis, fishing, disc golf, archery, and shooting are open with social distancing protocols in effect.
Prospective visitors to the resort can find a convenient “What’s Open” section on the www.chetola.com web site detailing the site’s outdoor recreation options. For the indoor portion, 50% in-dining in restaurants is available, as is take-out service with family meals.
“I have not really set up bars on golf carts before, but I’ve seen it done on the golf course, so we know how to do it,” Tarbutton says. “We’ll have that, and I think it will make people more comfortable. We’re also training our staff to go around in a professional and polite way to help our guests stay safe. It’s our job to say, ‘Hey gang, we love that y’all all are here, and we all want to stay on the planet so give people six feet.’ Spreading people out is going to be a big challenge for the whole hospitality industry, because the goal is still to not flood the hospitals.”
In the more urban settings inhabited by Fairbrook Hotels, Chantilly, Va., CEO Vinay Patel (pictured, left) views the concept of a “comeback” in small increments. “People over the last two months have been hunkered down and nervous, and we’ve been getting 10 rooms [occupancy] per hotel,” he says, “Now we’re getting 12, and maybe a week later we’re getting 13 or 14. It’s amazing how relative things are. I’m excited today at 20% occupancy. Can you imagine 20% in May? These are the little things we celebrate every day—increasing room count or increasing revenue. We are seeing incremental improvements.”
Among the nine hotels under the Fairbrook umbrella, Patel has continued to ensure that staff members are protected. Sanitation and cleanliness were already a top priority, but the point of emphasis now comes with renewed urgency.
“We are making sure our staff have the proper protective equipment,” Patel says. “You also have the customers—even though minimal—we do have some, and we have to protect them as well. The budget is tight, but we’ve also beefed up a little bit more on the sales side. Our sales people are looking ahead over the next six months, and there should be an opportunity for gains.”
With business conditions still tepid, Elizabeth Shanley (pictured) agrees that “future thinking” and taking care of employees will mean a lot during any hoped-for turnaround. “We believe the ‘Secret Sauce’ is going to be how well the employers take care of their people,” says Shanley, an impact advisor at The Fehlig Group, Providence, R.I. “Bill Marriott’s famous quote—‘Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back’—is more true now than ever before.”
While some of Shanley’s clients are on a pause from their core business, inspiration can still be found in how the hospitality industry has been able to leverage its strengths by supplying “volunteers, accommodations, kitchens, and even their parking lots to meet the current needs in their communities.”
“As consultants in sustainability, our business has been affected in a unique way,” Shanley adds. “Forward thinking leaders are reaching out, looking to brainstorm about new ways to improve the employee experience. Working for a company that shares your values is more important than ever, and businesses are trying to find ways to showcase who they are. Sometimes that means making some changes/upgrades to the sustainable practices in place.”