From robots in the front office to robot housekeepers that disinfect spaces, I have already covered how robotics is changing the face of hospitality, however, those were written before the most recent labor challenges that the industry has been facing.

This Alert will offer insights into the near- and longer-term future of lodging and eating establishments.

Workforce Challenges Persist
The Great Resignation or as some have called it, The Great Reshuffling has left the hospitality industry in a world of hurt. On Monday evening, my husband and I arrived at a hotel near the Austin airport at about 6:50 pm. Fully twenty minutes later, there was still no one at the Front Desk (or anywhere else) to check us in.

On top of that insult, their airport shuttle did not start until 8 AM! Clearly, that is the last time we will stay at that location. And at the Boston hotel to which we checked in, the general manager was filling on the front desk. These issues are just indicative of the very serious shortages facing the hospitality industry at this moment. Sadly, the solutions are not quick, but hoteliers do need to act as soon as possible.

The solution is to "grow their own." Start with the Hotel Restaurant Management programs at the local colleges and universities. Offer students schedules that work around their classes. Some have even gone so far as to offer the students full-time positions. (This Alert could be just about these workforce challenges, but that would not do service to the other developments I am seeing.)

Virtual Reality
The use of VR has certainly transformed the healthcare industry and VR is one of the top emerging technology trends. The travel industry has just begun to scratch the surface of potential VR applications with hotel and cruise ship tours to booking and other travel experiences.

In the future, folks will visit foreign lands on virtual trips and VR will be used to give people a taste of a destination before they invest in airfares and hotels. VR has the potential to take experience sampling to a whole new level.

Revenge Spending/Pent-Up Demand
In the past, I have also addressed Revenge Spending. With countries now lifting travel bans and vaccines in developed countries being in wide supply, consumers who were not able to travel during the pandemic, are now venturing forth in record numbers. The issues that the airlines are having is an unfortunate testimonial to how much people want to travel.

However, not unsurprisingly, airlines are having the same problems as the hotels---to use the subtitle from the one of my bestselling books---"too many jobs, too few people." Many workers decided that they simply no longer want to do shift work or work nights and weekends. And it's not just hotels and airlines that are affected, it's affected restaurants and in-person entertainment and amusement parks and retail.

Another personal anecdote, the other night my husband and I were at the mall in Austin and wanted to have dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. We stood and waited 11 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge our existence. When no one showed up to even say they would be with us "shortly," we simply left. How much must the restaurant industry be losing?

Increasing Importance of Online Communities
Especially for the younger generations, the online communities are becoming more significant. Reading reviews posted by their peers is important, especially for the younger generations. People believe what they read when it appears to have been written by others in their social or cultural circles.

The hospitality industry really understands this fact and many hoteliers capitalize on it by ensuring that their reviews are good or better.

© Copyright 1998-2022 by The Herman Group of Companies, Inc., all rights reserved. From 'The Herman Trend Alert,' by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. (800) 227-3566 or www.hermangroup.com

The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group of Companies, Inc. Reprinted with permission.