Robert Hecker, Managing Director, Pacific Asia, Horwath HTL

05/12/20 • 25 min

Robert Hecker—Managing Director, Pacific Asia of Horwath HTL—joins David and Catherine in this episode of The Future of Travel. A long-time friend of QUO, Robert provides insight into when and how he believes tourism will recover from the COVID-19 crises.
According to Robert, the dominant industry sentiment is that pre-pandemic levels won’t return until 2024. As a result, Robert believes projects slated to open in 2024 or later will be okay, but anything set to open in the next three years may struggle due to excess market capacity. And while he doesn’t see foreclosures happening just yet, Robert expects some consolidation among hotel management groups, whether through takeovers or joint ventures.

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Helen Smith, Chief Customer Experience Officer of Dorchester Collection

How will the luxury hospitality sector fare post-crisis? Helen Smith, Chief Customer Experience Officer of Dorchester Collection, joins David and Catherine to discuss this in the latest episode of The Future of Travel.
While Helen acknowledges that the sector will undoubtedly take a hit through this crisis, she explains that there will always be consumers who crave and seek out a luxury experience. These could be travellers who desire the traditions and the emotional engagement luxury offers or—perhaps most—the relationships it engenders between guests and staff.
In the case of some loyal guests, she added, these are relationships that have been built up over many years. Helen stressed that the Dorchester Collection, like any brand, must remain flexible going forwards, but without losing sight of the core of the brand and its culture, because this is what guests love and come back for.

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Patrick Basset, Chief Operating Officer AccorHotels Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia

Agility has been a key word for Accor for many years and has even greater relevance during the current crisis, explains Patrick Basset,Chief Operating Officer AccorHotels Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia. Talking to David and Catherine on the latest episode of The Future of Travel, Patrick says Accor is committed to being a nimble, flexible organisation close to the market, in-touch with different trends and changing consumer behaviours. In his region, this has included re-examining the adaptability of different spaces within a hotel, as well as proactively engaging with local suppliers to consider alternative food and beverage solutions.
Most importantly, however, he stressed the need to look after your people during this unprecedent time. With 27,000 employees in the region, Patrick said a huge part of his work right now has been about working with their partners and owners to ensure every single employee is being supported.