New Delhi: After a strong consolidation health benefit Since the second wave of Covid, the French hospitality chief Accor The group says it has started rehiring employees who were laid off during the pandemic. Accor, which has 55 properties in India, is banking on a return to pre-Covid levels by October-December 2022. Since international travel still has some restrictions, the bounce-back is almost entirely on domestic travelers in the form of holidays, stays and work.
“We have 6,000 employees in India. During covid and either no or very little revenue, unfortunately 25% of them had to be closed. We created a fund for employees from the amount that was supposed to be paid out as dividends to shareholders just before the pandemic hit. The recovery after the second wave has been stronger than expected and we have started redeploying the assigned task force in India,” Marc Descroziel, Accor COO for India, Middle East and Africa, told TOI.
So far, about a third of those held back have been invited to return. He said that some of the people who got this call declined the offer because they had started doing something else during the pandemic.
“While occupancy is rising, average room rates are lagging. People are now spending more on hotel accommodation, food and drink or on upgrading their rooms. A large number of guests are driving for breaks these days. Savings on airfares can allow them to spend more on hotel stays (rates that are still lower but have other amenities),” Descrozale said.
The ongoing season of weddings is bringing some relief for the hotels. “Since there are restrictions on the size of gatherings (200 in Delhi for example), people are spending more (per guest) because of that,” he said. With the pandemic fatigued, hotels have to remind guests to follow the COVID protocols. While footfall is increasing, overall revenue is still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.
“We have 6,000 employees in India. During covid and either no or very little revenue, unfortunately 25% of them had to be closed. We created a fund for employees from the amount that was supposed to be paid out as dividends to shareholders just before the pandemic hit. The recovery after the second wave has been stronger than expected and we have started redeploying the assigned task force in India,” Marc Descroziel, Accor COO for India, Middle East and Africa, told TOI.
So far, about a third of those held back have been invited to return. He said that some of the people who got this call declined the offer because they had started doing something else during the pandemic.
“While occupancy is rising, average room rates are lagging. People are now spending more on hotel accommodation, food and drink or on upgrading their rooms. A large number of guests are driving for breaks these days. Savings on airfares can allow them to spend more on hotel stays (rates that are still lower but have other amenities),” Descrozale said.
The ongoing season of weddings is bringing some relief for the hotels. “Since there are restrictions on the size of gatherings (200 in Delhi for example), people are spending more (per guest) because of that,” he said. With the pandemic fatigued, hotels have to remind guests to follow the COVID protocols. While footfall is increasing, overall revenue is still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels.
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