Within the hospitality industry across the United States, budgets, and capital expenditures for 2022 are being finalized and with that, unique challenges presented over the past two years means those preparations will require a new level of attention and discipline.
Careful consideration must be given to staffing relating to legislation or brand mandates that have been delayed or deferred during the pandemic. The priorities of these considerations include modern technologies and procedures intended to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, such as vaccination requirements, testing and procedures in place for staff members in case of positive results. Another key factor is the impending panic button legislation currently across several states, and the deadline for compliance with brand commitments from some of the top hotel brand names.
A Look Ahead in 2022 for the Hospitality Industry
The good news is that 2022 looks to be a year of strong recovery for the hotel industry. Hotel occupancy rates are already picking up and approaching pre-pandemic levels in many markets. Increasing vaccination rates are bringing an end to unilateral lockdowns and other restrictions in the United States and borders are reopening to international travelers arriving from other countries. Flexible work schedules for employees also aid in capturing back employees while still maintaining productivity.
The Challenges
However, as hotels ramp up operations to meet rising demand, there are several challenges that lay ahead. Variants of COVID-19 are expected to grow. Twenty-two months into the pandemic, America is now struggling with a shortage of workers. For much of the pandemic, economists agreed that childcare challenges and worries about the virus were keeping people from returning to the labor market. That makes it hard for businesses to keep up with rampant demand. Economists worry how long it will take for people on the sidelines to come back into the workforce.
But recently, it has become clear that there is another dynamic at work here: early retirement, whether forced or by choice. This is a significant issue in the hospitality industry where it is thought that roughly 50 percent of U.S. hospitality workers would not go back to their old jobs, and more than a third would not consider returning to the industry.
With the known history of assaults and other issues at hotels, and now this increased risk due to Covid-19, it is likely more hotel companies and lawmakers will follow the CDC’s recommendations and require employee safety technologies such as panic buttons.
Hoteliers and Panic Button Compliance
Employee Safety Device (ESD) mandates have already been delayed over the past 18 months as the hospitality industry has struggled to come to terms with unprecedented events related to the pandemic. Currently, there is no plan that compliance dates will be deferred again and it is estimated that around 2 million rooms will fall under mandates for panic button compliance in 2022. Hoteliers must face up to these new deadlines or risk breaking legislative and/or brand requirements.
Partly because of increased awareness around working conditions due to the pandemic, and partly due to the “#MeToo” and AHLA 5-Star Promise movements, panic buttons are fast becoming the go-to solution for hoteliers looking to reduce the risks faced by hotel employees.
Thankfully, there is a simple and easy solution that complies with legislative, unions and hotel brand requirements regarding an employee safety system. With the use of wearable panic buttons that function as silent alarms and provide precise location information regardless of where the employee is within the property. The benefits of this type of system are not only the obvious around staff safety, but other intangibles such as:
- Improved retention
- Increase in recruitment levels
- Reduction with liability
How Hotels Can Implement Panic Button Systems
Using state-of-the art technology at an affordable price, panic buttons are easy to implement and train employees on as they become more popular across the industry. We here at SensLynx have installed hundreds of these systems across the nation along with many of the hotel brand names, and all are happy with the process and results.
Now is the time to do so to avoid any fines that a hotelier may face. Let us know how we can be of assistance in helping to maintain and recruit your workforce, and here is to continued growth in the new year!
For more information, please visit our website at https://www.senslynx.com/panic-button, or give us a call @ 858-314-8420.