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Augsburg (March 27, 2020). In view of the current situation, many decision-makers are lacking words – but not everyone. These CEOs give us their views on the Corona crisis and its consequences...
Giovanna Manzi, CEO Best Western Italy:
"Be aware, that once the coronavirus emergency will be over, nothing will be the same. Just shutting the doors, waiting for everything to get back as before, is not a functional approach. We need to rethink our organization model, in order to understand why this crisis has been hitting so hard.
Sometimes, that takes very little. For example, we can reassess the reliability of suppliers: 'Who has met us halfway regarding the timing of payments?', hoteliers might ask themselves. When the emergency will be over, we might therefore try to renegotiate a few contracts.
And if my business is for example composed by 70-80% of international guests, mainly coming from America, it's probably time to look somewhere else. The infection in Italy is in fact about two or three weeks ahead than in the rest of the Western countries. It's possible that the crisis will end sooner here than in the USA. Shifting my offer more towards the domestic market or even the Far East could be an option to carefully evaluate. All in all, we need to change our approach and look to the world with open eyes, trying to understand where consumers will head in the future."
Prof. Max Schlereth, CEO Derag Living Hotels:
"The country is at a standstill and our company is severely affected. But we have the strength and the resources to get through this period. This simply has to do with the corporate policy of recent years, which rejects too fast, risky growth while always maintaining conservative financing structures. Nevertheless, for us too, a decline in sales in this expected dimension is an event that can only be overcome with the greatest of joint efforts. The family of shareholders will make a very substantial contribution to the long-term existence of our organisation.
And we want to make every effort to secure jobs in the long term. To this end, we are applying for short-time work to a very large extent, with the plan not to have to announce a single dismissal. Many employees have signaled their support with statements such as: 'I am glad to be here in these extremely difficult times. Right here and nowhere else. With all of you! Let's stand side by side, be there for each other and look forward together. After the rain there will be sun!'" / MAS, syk
What you think about corona?
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