By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
Prior to the coming of COVID, I had predicted a long, slow
demise for golf. However, now that social distancing is a leading trend in the
new normal, this sport as well as many other activities where human contact is
scant may see a strong resurgence once travel resumes. And therein lies a
lucrative opportunity for hotels.
Let me know with some background on my previous forecast
because many of the underlying motivations will carry forward into the
post-coronavirus world. Compared to boomers and other older demographics, the
younger generations – millennials and centennials, that is – have a few starkly
different habits that would prevent the mass adoption of golf.
Namely, they have less disposable income relative to real
wages, which makes the prospect of green fees, club rentals, lessons, and
transportation all the more expensive. Next, the sport was being shunned in
favor of more exertive forms of outdoor athletics like tennis, yoga, or hiking.
Thirdly, in today’s more whimsical and easily distracted culture, taking a half
or full-day for one singular activity is often out of the question. And
finally, amongst our increasingly eco-friendly youth golf courses are seen as
bad for the environment because most disrupt natural habitats and waterways.
Like it or not, COVID trumps all of those reasons. Groups of
all ages are yearning for ways to start socializing again and golf maybe just
the ticket in the world where everyone is afraid of getting too close to one
another.
So, if you are a hotel with a golf course on property or
have a partnership agreement with a nearby operator, you’re in luck. Once we
enter the phase of lockdown for booking tee times is permissible, be ready to
engage leisure guests across multiple channels to ramp up sales, all while
still abiding by proper cleaning and sanitization protocols, of course.
Business groups will take a bit longer to come around, but they too will be
looking for pastimes like golf to fill their corporate meeting itineraries.
Moreover, the social distancing trend is not limited to this
one sport. There are numerous other activities that are acceptable within the
confines of social distancing. With a few other standard operating procedures
in place, rural hotels or resorts may be able to capitalize upon guests looking
for:
- Yoga
or meditation (where participants are six feet away)
- Nearby
parks for hiking or mountain biking
- Onsite
camping, glamping or yurts
- Secluded
or private forests or beaches
- Canoeing,
kayaking, fishing and any other form of boating
- Guided
nature excursions
- Other
forms of outdoor recreation (with a limited number of participants)
While this may not appear to be directly applicable to urban
properties, the key is to understand why guests will be specifically looking
for these sorts of activities – primarily, getting away from other people and
doing so on a budget.
This latter motivation – that is, not having as much money
relative to the pre-pandemic days – will help generate a whole new market for
staycations and drive market revenues. In this way, think of golf as a litmus
test for these types of customers whereby if we see a surge in tee times come
reopening then you know that people are looking for a quick getaway and it’s
time for you to ramp up your marketing efforts accordingly.
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| Larry Mogelonsky |
About Larry Mogelsonsky
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky is the principal of Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule” (2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel” (2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business challenges or to book speaking engagements.
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky is the principal of Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule” (2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel” (2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business challenges or to book speaking engagements.
Media Contact:
Larry Mogelonsky
Email: larry@hotelmogel.com
Website: http://hotelmogel.com/
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