As the COVID-19 crisis continues and we adjust to this new normal, meeting planners are looking for spaces to safely host in-person events. In Lodging Magazine, VP of Product Development at Knowland Kristi White outlines what meeting planners want from hotels that are reopening. 

Duty of care standards have a new level of importance to meeting planners than before. Whether a hotel has its own DOC standards or is following state regulations, these standards must be made clear to meeting planners. White emphasized that all hotel staff should be comfortable explaining these policies to guests and planners, and these policies should be easily accessible throughout the hotel and online. 

Events are not going to be able to accommodate as many people as before, so as a hotel, it is important to follow local restrictions and requirements customers may have. “Prepare for a variety of options—whether six feet, seven feet, eight feet, or 12 feet of distancing,” White said.

Lower capacity in event spaces essentially means smaller events in larger spaces—potentially resulting in less revenue. White said it is important to work with the hotel’s revenue management team “to better understand how to price and optimize meeting space with the new social distancing guidelines.” A detailed plan for every scenario including room setup and number of rooms required will help sales teams sell events more seamlessly.

Self-serve buffets are not going to be seen at events in the near future, so hotels need to find ways to redesign banquet menus. In an article on Cvent, Megan Boley explains, “Seated dining could be an alternative option, if there are available staff members trained in sanitation and food-handling measures. These extra steps and layers of caution could tack on added cost to F&B, so it’s in the venues’ best interest to offer cost-effective solutions for food and beverage at events.” Pre-packaged meals and individually wrapped items are solutions to buffets, and White says these changes need to be clear in the hotel’s menu and pricing.

No matter what changes hotels make in preparing to host meetings, all changes and precautions must be clearly communicated to meeting planners and customers. Whether this be through email messages, a landing page, or creating an app for meeting planners and event attendees with safety information, all details should be easy to understand and access. White said creating an FAQ page and updating it as new questions come up is another effective way to communicate. It is just as important that sales teams are constantly updated on changes to effectively inform clients when selling events. As White said, “[planners] will want to book with hotels that have taken precautions and extra efforts to ensure their safety.”

Hosting an event at your hotel may require more work than before, but luckily there are ways to safely and successfully host events at hotels during and beyond COVID-19.

Written By: Kelly Pawlak