How Did the COVID-19 has Impacted the Hospitality Industry

EHL Hospitality Business School entitled their research day “Navigating the Covid Storm”, where the future of the hospitality industry was discussed by EHL faculty members. The afternoon’s insights reflect the diversity of subjects investigated by EHL researchers and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the hospitality industry. “Welcome back to the new abnormal, how may I help you?”

During the Covid crisis, many hospitality players suffered, some weathered the storm and a few even thrived. As the pandemic finally recedes and another threat surges to the forefront, we take a look back at how hospitality has been reshaped by recent events in Switzerland. Two specialists from the EHL Hospitality Business School delve into the statistics before and during Covid, and draw some surprising conclusions. Dr. Stefano Borzillo, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, specializes in topics relating to individual and collective performance and for a more financial perspective, Dr. Augusto Hasman, also an associate professor at EHL, who teaches finance and risk management.

The World Café was held at EHL Hospitality Business School in July 2022. The event was an opportunity to exchange ideas on the impact of past crises and future preparedness, with 50 hospitality industry practitioners, researchers and economists from Western Switzerland. It was led by Professors Emmanuel Fragniere, Roland Schegg (HES-SO Valais-Wallis), Stefano Borzillo and Augusto Hasman (EHL Hospitality Business School).

EHL Hospitality Business School recently hosted a conference entitled “Transformational Resilience in the Hospitality Industry” where a panel of industry players, ranging from academics to executives to practitioners, discussed the current state of hospitality. Among the topics discussed, the labor shortage was a recurring theme as were the potential solutions to overcoming this global issue. Coping with hospitality’s labor shortage is proving to be a tall order; there's no magic wand but solutions exist - some bolder than others.