In the latest in a series talking to members of the sector during the COVID-19 outbreak, Katherine Doggrell interviews George Westwell, CEO of Cheval Collection
What is your immediate priority at the moment?
Our guests and colleagues are our main priority at the moment - maintaining a safe and clean environment for them to continue enjoying living and working at our Residences safely whilst adhering to health and government advice. We have significantly increased precautionary measures and procedures in place to protect guests and colleagues during the COVID-19 outbreak.
What is your hope for the hospitality industry in a post COVID-19 world?
I am confident the hospitality industry will be resilient in the long run. It will take time to recover, although the serviced apartment sector is well placed to accommodate travelling guests who understandably will have concerns about their personal safety until a vaccine is available. Serviced Apartments offer all the same facilities as our guests would have at home, allowing our guests to be self contained within a comfortable and well equipped environment. You can already see the emergence of new hygiene and cleanliness standards in the industry, and this is set to be the new normal. That said, I think a percentage of the hospitality sector will be unable to return, mainly due to financial pressures, and those that do that have food and beverage outlets are going to have to rethink and replan as to how they address social distancing in the short term
How many staff have you been able to retain and what jobs have you found for them?
We have been able to continue operations through the pandemic by adjusting our procedures and relying on the flexibility of our colleagues. We have closed two of our six London properties, but that has allowed us to better serve those guests that are still resident with us. Some colleagues have been trained to work across departments in a way they were not doing previously, but this has allowed us to retain everyone already employed by the business, all whilst respecting new social distancing guidelines.
How effective has state aid been for retaining staff? And helping owners?
I think we were all pleasantly surprised when we heard the Chancellor announce the state aid available to the hospitality sector for retaining colleagues. Initially it was headlines with very little detail, but over time the detail has been forthcoming, and more importantly, as time has so far shown, the government would have appeared, at the time of writing, to have fulfilled their promises and delivered a system that is both working and timely. As for helping owners, the impact of state aid package will vary from owner to owner, depending on their financial situations. Regrettably, a number will fold.
When all this has passed, how easy will it be to open the shutters and start trading again?
We feel confident that Cheval will be able to continue trading just as successfully when this has passed. The business has been working hard to adapt to the restrictions from Covid-19 and pick up suitable business where we could see the opportunity. Just as we have been able to adapt to the sudden restrictions, we are confident in our ability to do the same when these are relaxed. This time has provided us with the opportunity to prepare accordingly and fine-tune our operations to suit the mindset of our future clients when they begin to travel again. Above all we are focusing on the customer, ensuring their safety and putting their mind at ease with flexibility and our thorough hygiene standards – we will continue to do so even after restrictions have been lifted.
Do you anticipate a rapid or gradual recovery?
Once we see a relaxation in the restrictions, I think people will be eager to go out, socialise and travel again after a substantial length of time practising social distancing. We expect the domestic market to recover first and the demand for leisure breaks to return. The corporate travel market may take longer to recover as companies assess their circumstances following a period of extended closure. We may see a slow upward curve, hopefully some greener shoots coming into the Summer period, but we need to take advantage of the government packages where applicable and continue building and preparing for the future.
And any permanent changes to operations?
Although work is continuing on a vaccine, I think we have to behave as if Covid-19 is here to stay and behave accordingly. We expect the changes we have already made to allow us to continue operating will remain in place for the foreseeable future. There are likely to be new standards of certification for hygiene practices that will be introduced for the industry as a whole, and this is something customers will look for before choosing to spend their money with us.
And any changes to how people travel which you can envisage?
From the perspective of a serviced apartment company it has also been a great opportunity for companies like us to demonstrate the key benefits of staying in an apartment during this time. Particularly referring to our fully-fitted kitchens, laundry facilities, space and all the amenities you would expect to find in your own home. This has also allowed our guests to isolate should they choose but with the advantage of Cheval front of house staff helping coordinate deliveries where needed. We would hope the industry has also benefited from an elevated appreciation of all the advantages of a serviced apartment stay.