A meeting of the hospitality industry during the pandemic.

The August HoSkar Night brought together many leading experts in Vietnam and the region such as Savills Hotels APAC, Indochina Capital, STR, Melia International, HotelIntel Thailand, Akaryn Hotel Group, InterContinental Saigon,... and hundreds of senior representatives from hotels and resorts both domestically and internationally participating online.

Topics discussed at the August HoSkar Night event included: the application of technology in hotel operations, bright spots in the overall market landscape, a discussion of Thailand's "Phuket Sandbox" program, and a survey of opinions on the industry's prospects after the pandemic.

Mr. Mauro Gasparotti, Director of Savills Hotels and organizer of the HoSkar Night event series, said: “With the increasing number of professionals in the Tourism, Restaurant, and Hotel industry registering to participate in online networking events, we have also been experimenting with online Bar/Lounge models right within HoSkar, where professionals can ‘meet’ and exchange ideas directly with each other like a real networking session, alongside discussions with leading experts in the field. Through the monthly HoSkar meetings, we also want to spread positive messages, helping individuals and businesses in the industry maintain optimism during this challenging period.”

Diễn giả tại chương trình HoSkar Night tháng 8 — Speaker at the August HoSkar Night event.

Throughout the discussion, the speakers did not deny the lasting impacts of the pandemic; however, the experts also shared some bright spots in the current market landscape. These included several hotels in the city reopening to provide accommodation for manufacturing businesses implementing the "one route, two destinations" strategy.

Specifically, many businesses have rented 3-4 star hotels, as well as a few 5-star hotels, for their employees to stay in and provided daily transportation from the company to the hotel to meet the city's requirements for ensuring "isolation while production." Some sales and marketing personnel working for medium-sized hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have also received booking requests from groups of doctors, nurses, and pandemic response forces.

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Many projects that were suspended years ago are now resuming construction or changing ownership. Some developers are continuing feasibility studies and project development, even accelerating their efforts to be at the forefront and seize opportunities after the pandemic.

Các khách tham dự tại HoSkar Night — Attendees at HoSkar Night

It's clear that Covid-19 has affected almost every aspect of life, contributing to the rapid development of new consumer trends and behaviors. Some hotels have also taken advantage of this opportunity to upgrade amenities and renovate facilities to provide new experiences and meet customer service standards in the post-pandemic era.

The testing and deployment of technology is considered an inevitable trend in the hospitality industry, aiming to provide better experiences and meet increasingly high standards of safety and hygiene. Some applications include: using electronic menus via QR code scanning in restaurants, minimizing physical contact through contactless technology throughout the guest's stay, online check-in, and the application of AI in hotel operations.

During the discussion session, which included speakers from Thailand, experts also discussed Thailand's reopening to international tourists through the "Phuket Sandbox" program. Although the current results have not met expectations, the implementation of this model is seen as a starting point for the Thai tourism industry, as well as other Asian countries, to learn from in preparing for the reopening to international tourists after the pandemic.

Khảo sát về triển vọng hồi phục của ngành nghỉ dưỡng tại HoSkar Night — A survey on the recovery prospects of the resort industry at HoSkar Night

At the event, the organizers of HoSkar Night also conducted an online survey with attendees about the overall picture of the tourism industry and forecasts for recovery. Among the more than 200 participants, about 50% chose Phu Quoc as the earliest destination to recover in 2022, while Nha Trang - Cam Ranh and other locations heavily reliant on international tourists were expected to recover more slowly. Resort destinations close to major cities and accessible by car also received high expectations for recovery prospects as the pandemic situation is better controlled in the coming period.

Video of the recent HoSkar Night event.