Corinthia Hotels acknowledge that these are unprecedented times, with historic drops in demand. In the July edition of The Malta Business Observer, a spokesperson for the Group noted that this was not just happening in Malta, although he asserted that some areas in Europe are doing relatively well, and, hence, so are some of Corinthia’s hotels – mainly resorts easily accessed by means of private transport.
On the other hand, major, crowded cities, and islands, such as Malta which are entirely dependent on air travel, are experiencing fewer numbers. “Uncertainties arising from fluid airline schedules, last minute flight cancellations, and potential second wave lockdown are all factors driving decisions on travel to the latest possible dates, both leisure and corporate,” the spokesperson said.
Moreover, he added, that while Corinthia hotels, across Europe, have some occupancies for the months of July and August, “beyond that, we have no visibility. Forecasting demand has become challenging, and the trend towards last minute decisions on travel is now a reality that is here to stay.”
Despite these challenges, the spokesperson confirmed that four of the five hotels Corinthia has in Malta will be open by August and the fifth, the Marina, will be operated as an annex to the adjoining St George’s and Bay Point Hotels, as and when needed, through to the coming winter season, he explained.
“It is not just that nobody really knows when normality will return, but it is also impossible to say what normality will look like,” the spokesperson added. Good news on the vaccine front will help and accelerate recovery, he added. However, by all accounts, international industry players and experts agree that returning to the numbers achieved in 2019 globally will take several years, he noted.
Focusing his attention once again to the local scenario, he said that Malta can do better than other countries since it has the advantage of being nimble in its marketing and because it has an excellent track record on the medical front.
In his opinion, this will be critical in attracting not only the leisure and business traveller but also large-scale events such as conferences, fairs and the like – events which have always been important to the island’s five-star hotel market. Airlines too will be fundamental to any recovery, and Corinthia understands that a lot of efforts are being made to ensure as many routes and seat capacities are restarted, the spokesperson said.
This is an extract of a feature first carried in the July edition of The Malta Business Observer
