How a bit of improvisation allowed one company to help its customers adapt to changing regulations and critical community needs
COVID-19 forced organizations to rapidly implement process changes as the pandemic triggered disruptions in supply chains, travel patterns and the daily commute to the office. Some industries were affected severely in a relatively brief period, especially the hospitality sector.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel spending declined by 42 percent in 2020, with business travel spending reduced by 70 percent. North American hotels closed the year with a 42 percent decline in occupancy, according to Smith Travel Research.
Situation Analysis
Quore, an award-winning cloud-based hotel operations solution, found itself caught in a tidal wave of fluctuations as people stopped traveling for business and leisure. The result was a drastic reduction of revenue for the hospitality industry with Quore stuck in the middle as the communities and businesses the company served started laying off workers and drastically cut expenses.
“We wanted to support communities across the country in their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and enable our hotel customers to contribute in a safe and secure way,” said Scott Schaedle, founder/CEO of Quore.
More the 4,700 hotels in the U.S. use Quore, including properties from the industry’s largest brands such as IHG, Marriott, Hilton and Choice. With occupancy numbers and revenues plummeting, Quore needed to evaluate its existing product strategy and services and demonstrate to the media and existing and potential customers that Quore could adjust its services to provide flexible, continued value for hotels and the communities they serve.
Planning, Strategy, Tactics
Speed was essential, given the rapidly changing conditions in 2020. Quore took several significant steps to adjust to the dynamic environment its customers found themselves in. The company featured its housekeeping recordkeeping function to account for revised cleaning requirements implemented by properties. It also promoted CDC cleaning guidelines, providing an educational video on what was involved.
As the Javits Center in New York and other public venues were being prepared to serve as medical overflow facilities, Quore prepared its software to enable the hospitality industry to serve in a similar role if required. The Quore Aid Program was ready to empower hotels to serve as an overflow for recovering patients, individuals exposed to the virus that may or may not show symptoms, symptomatic individuals awaiting test results, and individuals that may not be able to self-isolate in a home due to high-risk family members or living in congregate housing such as a retirement community, homeless shelter or dormitory.
Fortunately, the Quore Aid Program was not called to action, but the company was able to demonstrate its ability to respond quickly in chaotic, rapidly changing conditions. “It showed our willingness to support our customers and offer them creative solutions to help their businesses and their community,” said Katie Adgent, Quore’s Marketing Director. “We were here, and we could help them adapt to what was going on. It was taking a human approach to our customers.”
Results
Connect2 Communications generated significant media coverage for the Quore Aid Program, including pickup in all the local business journals, the Nashville Business Journal, and in relevant trade and analyst publications. Nearly 2,900 organizations reviewed the release, and 140 publications posted the release on their websites and in print, resulting in a total reach of 19 million readers.
Examples of news coverage include:
Hospitality Technology: Quore Helps Hotel Properties Transition to Isolation Wards for COVID-19 Patient Overflow
Hotel Business: Quore Develops Help for Hotels to Transition to Isolation Wards
Hotel Management: New Quore program to help hotels switch to medical facilities
Williamson Herald: Franklin company helps implement safety procedures as hotels turn into isolation units
Nashville Business Journal: Nashville tech firm helping hotels transform into medical facilities
The goodwill and favorable media coverage generated by Connect2’s program enabled Quore to engage with their customers on a cooperative and flexible basis, offering packages and significantly discounted pricing.
“You had this situation where folks were paying out of pocket to keep us at their property,” Adgent said. “Of course, we partnered with them by offering discounted pricing, which was significant, and we also wanted to provide support to customers and the ways they were responding to the needs of their communities in this critical time. We wouldn’t have been as successful without both elements.”
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