Say Yes To Travel

Amy Draheim, Podcast Host and Hospitality Marketing Consultant, joined us for today’s episode. It was exciting to sit down with Draheim and explore both her long history in Hospitality Marketing and the remarkable way she managed to pivot during the pandemic.

Naturally, as the pandemic hit, many hotels ended up seeing plummeting numbers. Marketing budgets were affected, and many hotels were figuring out next steps in how to survive.

In late September, we saw through a series of studies that people were still very eager to travel. But, as the fourth quarter of 2020 kicks off and we start winding toward the holidays, will that trend continue?

Is it too early to think about holiday travel? Not entirely.

On this week’s episode of Say Yes to Travel, we got to sit down with Jonathan Capps, Vice President of Revenue, and Gavin Royster, Director of Development, at Charlestowne Hotels.

They provided some great insight regarding revenue and development strategies both in the current climate and as we move past this unprecedented period into a new normal and beyond.

It is an interesting time in travel. We are shifting from summer into fall, and, with that, there are many trends and campaigns happening.

Before diving into the trends, let’s take stock of where we are now. Labor Day weekend proved to be very interesting and very successful, at least in 2020 terms. The TSA reported its highest number of travelers since the pandemic began in March. On Sept. 4, 968,673 people passed through TSA checkpoints across the country. But that’s still nowhere near the 2.2 million passengers that the TSA processed exactly one year earlier, coming in at only 39% of the number of travelers screened during the same period in 2019.

Welcoming back Calvin Tilokee, the brain behind the famous Instagram page RevParblems. The last time we had him on, Calvin shared with us the affects the pandemic has had on the hotel industry. Since then, Calvin has now started his own social media management company Revpar Media.

Typically, summer months bring lots of travelers to the sunny shores of California. 2020’s guest list looks slightly different, as the coronavirus continues to be a global health crisis. Concierge Timothy DeRodeff, who is also vice president of the Los Angeles Concierge Association, shares his story about the shutdown and getting back to work.

As the world has been swept up in the madness of the pandemic, one of the industries that has been it the hardest has been the cruise industry. Many travelers have had their attention on flights and hotels, but avid cruisers are eagerly awaiting for the green light to cruise again.

In today's interview, I got to chat with a dear friend and bonified cruise industry expert, Stewart Chiron, AKA the Cruise Guy. Stewart and I have been connected on social media for over six years and finally met for the first time two years ago. It was on one of my first cruises that I finally met Stewart and was immediately impressed by his knowledge on the industry, the ships, and the trends. If it has anything to do with cruising, Stewart is the man to know. After all he has been on 275 cruises.

The cruise industry has com to a complete halt--not unlike many other parts of the travel industry. Realistically, it seems cruises might not start operating again from the United States until at least late September or October. Given that all continues to go as planned. Regardless, restarting operations is going to be a huge feat.

The industry has repatriate over 200,000 crew members... which means, the cruise lines are going to have to get all of those crew members back to their ships.

We will see some changes in cruising, at least in the shorter term.

Cruise lines will aim to have lower than max capacity. They are also looking to have shorter cruises. Pre-boarding protocols will be enhanced. Those cruise lines that have their own private islands will include stops there--particularly in the Caribbean. Cruises will start in some of the major ports, like Miami, Port Canaveral, and Galveston, TX.

There has been a lot of demand for 2021 sailings. Why not 2020? The biggest reason is because sailings aren't announced for 2020. Studies have shown that as soon as dates are announced--people will sign up--and destination is not even a big factor. People just want to cruise. Demand is very much based on "wait-and-see."

Prices are not going to drop as there is only going to be a limited number of cabins available. The confidence level in cruising is high. So for those hoping there will be discounts--think again.

The cruise lines will be looking to what hotels and airlines are doing--and will take the best business practices and apply them moving forward.

For those worried about the buffets, good news. The buffet on cruises will remain! It is the most efficient way to feed the number of people on a ship. They will have stations and there will be a gloved crew member at each station to help serve passengers.

All in all, the cruising experience will look a little different. But it is not going anywhere. At this point we just have to wait and see when the industry will get the green light from the CDC. Of course, there will be some trial and error at the beginning, but the industry will certainly thrive again.

For more on Stewart, check out his site at www.cruiseguy.com.

John Dekker is the one of the best Travel Agents I know. He was a guest on this podcast back in April--he is so knowledgeable, I figured it would be great to have him on again. As the pandemic is still in full swing three months later (with no signs of letting up--at least in the Los Angeles area), I figured a sit down with "Uncle John" to discuss where we are now.

In usual form, John dove right in to talk about the big travel news of the day. Qantas Airlines just announced they would be ceasing all international flights until March of 2021. This is HUGE! Of course, with such a big airline taking such a big stance on operations, the question at hand is who else will follow suit? Time will tell.

For those eager to figure out a way to get to Europe this summer. So long as the travel ban is on, don't bother. As per a recent attempt by a few travelers who chartered a private plane to Italy, only to be fined and grounded long enough to let the pilots sleep. They were forced to come back immediately. The EU travel ban is a serious situation.

On a recent trip to Vegas, John shared his experience at Cesar's Palace as well as the Wynn. Biggest lesson: those hotels that stayed open throughout the pandemic are far more ready to handle guests right now.

Ultimately, if you are itching to get out of town, it is proving to be the summer of road trips. There are so many places to explore that aren't that far away. As airlines still try to figure out how to properly accommodate passenger loads and states continue to require quarantines--road trips seem to be the best options for those looking to get out of their homes.

Find him online to book a fab trip at www.surfcitytravel.com

Or on instagram at @johndekkertravel

We have all heard the news by now. The EU has issued a ban on travelers from The United States, Brazil, and Russia. But more than missing out on your summer gelato fix, what does this really mean?

As of July 1, European nations have opened their borders to residents of several countries deemed sufficiently under control. The US is not one of them. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, are some of the 15 countries allowed to enter.

This will be reviewed every two weeks. So the US could be added if the situation gets better. Also countries can be taken off the list if their situation worsens.

There are exceptions are for essential travel—specifically for health care workers, diplomats, transit passengers, students and “passengers traveling for imperative family reasons.”

Americans can still fly to Ireland and Britain. However, all visitors are required to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival or be subject to a hefty fine. If you think it’s a workaround by completing Britain or Ireland quarantine, and then try to travel onward to Europe from there… it’s not. You will have to prove you are a resident or have immediate family links in Europe. Quit trying while you’re ahead!

The great news is that Europeans will be able to move travel around the EU fairly freely, but the ramifications on the tourism industry will be huge. Much of Europe relies on American tourism dollars—More than a third of the annual spend happens during the peak summer travel season in Europe.

Large American based hotel chains, think Hilton and Marriott, will be hit hard—as they tend to have more luxury and upscale hotels in the market. Whereas, European-based companies like Accor have more midscale and budget properties within the EU—which is in their favor.

A big question I have been getting. If you have a flight to Europe, will you be able to get a refund? You should be entitled to either a flight credit or a refund, depending on when and type of ticket. Try to hold out for the airline to cancel your flight first for best chances on getting a refund.

Hope that explains the EU travel ban in more depth. Now let’s do our part—and reduce our numbers.

Spain, as we have seen, was one of the countries that was hit the hardest from the pandemic. In today's episode, I chatted with a concierge friend of mine Klaus Heldt. Klaus is the Concierge Supervisor at the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona. This hotel is stunning. And only 120 rooms, it was at one point one of the most expensive hotels in all of Spain.

As the pandemic hit, it took many by surprise.

"Friday, March 13th I worked. And by the end of the weekend, the hotel was closed and I was asked to not come back."

Measures were strict from the start. No one was allowed to leave their homes unless it was to go grocery shopping or go to a doctors visit. Fast forward a few months, it has become clear that those strict measures helped as the number sin Spain have dramatically gotten better.

Although the hotel was closed, and Klaus was instantly removed from a normal schedule, he chose to focus on things that he could focus on. He made a program for himself where he concentrated on things he always wanted to do, but never had time to do. From yoga to piano courses to learning German, he found it gave him structure.

In Spain, their unemployment is structure that they get paid 70% of their salary. The Mandarin made a generous move and added an additional 10% to his unemployment pay. So in total, different hospitality workers were compensated 80% of their salary (before tips).

The country has also chose to take their time in reopening. With Spanish borders opening at the end of June, and the rest of the country opening in phases, the Spanish government recognized that reopening should be done cautiously. Of course the Spanish people--just like in the US--are ready to move on and get back to life as usual.

Some hotels are starting to open back up, but as the Mandarin has such a huge international clientele, they do not plan to fully open until September or so. Prior to that they will open their terrace on July 15th. Of course, there is so much that is uncertain, that things may change.

With recovery of the industry taking all forms and durations, for those of us in the industry, we often ask, how can we stay relevant. Klaus shared a few pieces of advice:

We have to remember, in a large company, we are just a number." On one hand, decisions are not personal. But on another hand, this is a great time for reassessing how much one wants to keep their job. If you want to go back to work soon, you have to prove your value to your property. He suggested taking the initiative to research and learn while being away from the hotel. Once a hotel is ready to have employees back, the best way to provide value is to stay informed, solidify your contacts, and actively provide a sense of security for guests.

He believes local and leisure travelers will be the first to lead the way in travel recovery--a sentiment shared by many others. This will also be a great way residents to experience local attractions they might not have ever taken the time to do.

But at the end of the day, we all are taking our time to Say YES to Travel as we will all be looking for experiences to continue enriching our lives.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudio-klaus-heldt-alonso-92b86470/

https://www.instagram.com/klausconcierge/

https://www.instagram.com/mo_barcelona/

https://www.mandarinoriental.com/barcelona/passeig-de-gracia/luxury-hotel