– Reopening of hotels is very positive and customer demand is high, says Julian Troup, Head of Hotels Agency at Colliers International –
Julian Troup, Head of Hotels Agency at Colliers International commented: “Hoteliers have generally reacted very positively to Boris Johnson’s announcement this week regarding the reopening of the leisure and hospitality sector, including hotels, on 4th July with a ‘one-metre-plus’ social distance relaxation change. The easing of this legislation will certainly help the running of hotelier’s food and beverage offerings, albeit it is still imperative that Government guidelines are still adhered to, ensuring the wellbeing of guests and employees alike.
“The change in the Government’s restrictions will undoubtedly help hotels and hospitality businesses moving forwards, however the specific marketing and reopening plans will prove to be pivotal as to the level of success over the coming months of being ‘back open for business’.
“Since the announcement in Mid-May that the government had confirmed an “ambition” to open some hospitality businesses, from 4 July , as agents, we experienced a material pick up in the volume of activity that we were seeing, and generally, there has been a good deal more viewing requests and offers made on hotels in recent weeks.
“In addition, our clients’ feedback has been particularly upbeat in relation to hotel bookings coming in and general customer demand across the sector. Although July may prove to be a month of contemplation, already August and September “staycation” bookings appear to be coming through at a healthy rate. The critical impact for the sector will be the reduced capacity while ensuring that guests and employees are kept healthy, safe and secure.”
