TECHNOLOGY
REALLY LISTENING TO OUR CUSTOMERS , REALLY LISTENING , MORE THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE , BECAUSE THINGS ARE CONTINUING TO CHANGE . SO , LISTENING TO THEIR NEEDS , THEIR EXPECTATIONS , WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR , AND THEN MEETING THOSE NEEDS WITH WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE .
ADVICE FROM DAN SURETTE
does the responsibility sit ? For us , we ’ re not going to require it .
While some states like Texas and Florida have less restrictions than others , we ’ re going to mask up and we ’ re going to do all the right things . But it ’ s going to be the planner and the attendees wishes of what they want to do .
But there ’ s a lot more coming on this , without question , as it relates to passports and testing and shots .
Knowlen : We launched a suite of testing and wellness screening resources in the last couple of months , and it ’ s just what Dan said , we ’ re not requiring it . We ’ re not in the business of medical testing or anything like that , we ’ re in the business of hospitality .
But if our planners are looking for that , it ’ s something they require . We want to give them the resources , so our Hilton supply management procurement department negotiated with some vendors for preferred pricing for everything from handheld temperature devices , to on-property testing , infrared screening and everything in between .
H : How else are you working differently with planners ?
Ronk : We ’ re diving deeper into the planning process at the sourcing and contracting phase than we ever have before . We ’ re having to create plan A , plan B , and plan C with our customers , as the local regulations continuously change .
Surette : We ’ re talking about what you really can do with food and beverage . Are we doing passed hors d ’ oeuvres or , as we ’ ve all learned , everything ’ s wrapped individually . I ’ ve never talked about vessels before , other than ships . But everything has to be in a vessel or , it has to be premade , and single-use . But I don ’ t know that that ’ s going to go away .
Now we ’ ve had some planners say , we want to open the buffets , and we want to do individually served , and we want to pass hors d ’ oeuvres , and we want to pass drink . Now in some states like Texas and others , you can do that , and there are no distancing restrictions . But I think it ’ s educating the planners and our teams as we learn and grow .
H : How are the contracts changing ?
Surette : Contracts are exactly as they were before . We ’ ve rewritten our force majeure clauses a dozen times . We ’ ve all tried to be as flexible as we can , but to a point . And now we ’ re having to be a little harder in those discussions , and we certainly want to rebook and be a good partner , but I think the future of the force majeure clauses , and some specifics in those clauses , are going to be more important . I think we ’ re always going to try to partner with our clients , but it ’ s been a lot of arm wrestling and we get it , and it ’ s been difficult . But now that we ’ re sort of past the danger zone , discussions are going to continue .
H : How are you helping your teams actually execute on the new requirements and requests to drive group business ?
Knowlen : We started last fall . Once we launched our Hilton EventReady ( July 2020 ), we started weekly “ office hours ”
94 hotelsmag . com May / June 2021