Before, During, and After: How Hospitality Businesses Reacted to the Pandemic

The hospitality industry revolves around interpersonal interactions—or so it seemed. Marti Winer, Vice President of MGM Resort Events Production, spoke with Experiential Experts hosts Lorre Crisswell and Holly Zalenski about how the industry and hospitality businesses have changed since the pandemic.

One significant business change is slower decision-making, partly due to the need for flexibility. For example, hospitality businesses may not be able to commit to the number of people attending an event or decide whether there will be a virtual option until right before the event. Thus, flexibility is key for the industry.

Customers have mixed, heightened emotions, so the hospitality workers need to meet them at their level. “Everybody’s answer is the right one for them. And we need to accommodate that,” Winer emphasized. She added that everyone had a remote and the option to change the media around them throughout the pandemic, which is not the case with live content.

“The whole shared experience of watching something simultaneously and participating in the rise and fall of emotion, or learning, etcetera, is on that we will really have to take into account in that customer experience as we start to really curate and orchestrate what upcoming events look like.”

The pandemic did result in positive changes for hospitality as well. Ubiquitous content access created thought and geographic diversity. Additionally, the pandemic revealed that current workers persevered and showed they have true dedication and passion for the hospitality industry.