Guest Blog Feature: Effects of COVID 19 on Hospitality Schools

We have already crossed the Q2 of the 2020 and soon the Q3 will be over yet fog is not clear to uncover the solutions of COVID 19, which has its origin from China and has taken the whole world under its blanket. This COVID 19 has severely impacted many economies, business and industry, a major chunk of this includes hospitality, tourism, accommodation, transport, restaurant, bar, events  and entertainment. Many of the employees working in these sectors has witnessed lay off at all levels, 20 % to 60% salary cuts in management staff, leave without pays for all, termination of the services of the staff on probation and what not. But, all this has also impacted the hospitality institutions as well.

The students already on their industrial and job trainings lost the opportunity of industry exposure required for the attitude, skills and knowledge (ASK) development which is the main element of the hotel management course curriculum. The challenge has not ended here for the hotel management institutions and their students and faculty. All hotels and destinations are still not open, people are taking preventive precaution to travel and dine out, star category hotels  are adapting drive in, take away, home delivery, liaison with delivery services like Zomato, personal bartender and chefs are booked for home kitchens and offices, all this signals that business will take long to catch up.

Hotels are cancelling off, offer letters made earlier to the hotel management students. The mountain challenge before the training and placement coordinators of the hospitality schools is there for industrial and job training as very few opportunities are available in present. First preference is naturally for the experienced and laid off staff when they are ready to take up the offers at less than what they were withdrawing. The pressure for low cost and low staff is going rounds here and trainings are still seen as a liability.      

Mostly there is no response received from the hotels now which was not the case earlier or if it is, it is not thriving. Even if there is one affirmative back call or email, the parents and students are not in favour to join far for obvious reasons. In most local surrounding districts where the hospitality institutions are, there are no five star category hotels which will further impact the learning and pose challenge in future. The only solution that seems viable in this scenario could be that within the state where hospitality institutions are, the trainings and placements coordinators should focus on mid segment chain and luxury independent hotels and other opportunities that seem better if not best may be taken up.

Writer:

Dr. Sumant Sharma

BHMCT, MHM, PhD. (Hotel management)

Assistant professor with additional charge as HOD

Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Indus International University, Una (Himachal Pradesh)