PRESIDENT’S
LETTER
Fellow hoteliers,
2020 is proving to be a challenging year for the luxury hotel industry as we
try to navigate the effects of COVID-19 on both our health and the economy. I
know that most of you have had to make hard decisions as life as we know it
has changed considerably. Social distancing seems to be a part of our future
for the next eighteen months unless a vaccine is created soon, and we will
need to adjust the way we work and engage with our guests to stay relevant
and financially sound.
We open with an overview of the COVID-19 crisis and how big brands like
Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt hotels have responded both operationally and
as far as community outreach. We also spoke to Romy Bhojwani, Head of
Hospitality Asset Management at Brookfield, who gives us his interpretation of
how the pandemic is affecting the luxury sector, as well as general managers
and owners of properties from Rhode Island, New York to Malaysia and Italy,
who share with us how they have put initiatives in place to stay in touch with
their guests and assist their team putting food on the table. As a source of
inspiration, we cover a round-up of the global efforts of hotels to keep their
brand alive and meaningful in a time when most have had to close.
The International Luxury Hotel Association has waived the requirements of
being a paid member of the ILHA to access our Luxury Service Standards
Training program for the next few months. If you would like to spend this time
upgrading your team’s skills and take advantage of Signature Select, a training
program in collaboration with Lobster Ink that provides online training in
multiple languages, apply here.
We have a date for our 9th annual INSPIRE2020 conference, which will take
place at the Fairmont Miramar, CA, 19&20 October. We are looking forward
to getting together in person but will also be following the federal and state
guidelines closely and are ready to innovate so that we can get back to work
and stay safe.
Take care,
Barak Hirschowitz,
President, International Luxury Hotel Association
ILHA 3