Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

People are eager to get back to their normal routines. Businesses are preparing for post-pandemic travel . Governments begin easing coronavirus restrictions .   Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel already? Possibly, but the pandemic is not over yet. So, please remain cautious even though the stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.     U.S. states are easing coronavirus restrictions   Travel restrictions and stay-at-home order were imposed to fight against the coronavirus outbreak, where non-essential businesses were paused, and residents were urged not to go out. There is a price for such measures, however.   The weekly jobless claims on May 14 topped 2.981 million, bringing the rolling total to 36.5 million during the coronavirus crisis. Today, over 18% of the U.S. working-age population do not have a job, worst since the Great Depression of the 30s.   People around the world go on anti-lockdown protests . As of May 16, Michigan and Illinois w...

As the front desk receptionist conversed with my parents in the lobby of the Luxor Hotel, I distinctly remember her exclaiming at the 5 Guys soda cup they placed at the counter. This led them down a rabbit hole of enthusiastic conversation about how delightful the hamburger restaurant was.  Later, my mother pulled my arm and told me in Chinese, “Say thank you to the kind lady.” I did so dutifully. Moments later, I delightfully discovered that the woman had upgraded our simple one-bedroom room all the way to a suite for free! That trip turned out to be one of the most memorable vacations I’ve ever had.  Looking back, I always wondered why she did it. Did she notice the exhausted expressions on my parents’ faces after a long drive? Or the 4 children behind them, running around and playing with one another despite the repeated instructions to stay still by their parents? Or did she take sympathy to the fact that despite our large family, we squeezed ourselves into a humble room ...

In the unparalleled world of COVID-19, individuals are flooded with choices: whether it be what to eat or what church service to watch. While there are marketing strategies to get consumers to purchase products to immediately increase sales, it may be a more beneficial to engage with low spending consumers in the short term, so that businesses can keep them for the long term.   Social media game strong   During this time, it is crucial to keep social media posts constant and consistently more than ever before. A recent podcast by eMarketer reports that social media outlets such as Facebook have seen a significant rise in usage. The reality is that individuals have more time on their hands, which is why it is important for businesses to utilize their free time to create content for their social media channels. In a recent interview with the hospitality net, Leland Pillsbury stated  “Customers are going to come back...And if you allow your competitors to reengage with the ...

Companies should be staying away from negative advertisements! As much as companies think it is helping them get more customers, it could actually be doing the opposite.  Customers want to see advertisements that will make them want to actually go there. Guests are less likely to go to a company if the company focuses its advertisements on the negatives. Negatives could include false advertisements, focusing on negative aspects of traveling, and being offensive. These types of advertisements will push customers away rather than bring them in.   Avoid stretching the truth   Let’s start off with false advertisements. We see these advertisements all the time! We see them when we’re watching TV, online shopping, or streaming our favorite shows. We see a product that looks very appealing and once we actually see it, it’s not what was pictured. For example, we can see an ad about a burger from McDonald’s and it looks perfectly put together and delicious. However, once we ac...

How E-commerce helps Hospitality Industry?   E-commerce (also known as electronic commerce) is any type of business transaction that interacts with consumers through the internet. It helps consumers to purchase or sell a product/ service through an online source. When the world evolves with new things and with new technologies, the hospitality industry must follow up with the trends that are happening in the world. The reason is to satisfy customers’ needs, wants, and expectations when they are staying in a hotel or on the road. E-commerce has changed how hospitality companies attract tourists and how tourists choose where they will stay for a trip.   In the hospitality industry, e-commerce includes customers booking a hotel room, an airline ticket, and searching for places to visit. Consumers can use their electronic devices such as smartphones and computers to find deals and other information related to a trip. The hospitality companies need to create attractive websites t...

As the United States begins to slowly reopen the economy this month, businesses are preparing to ramp up their operations and implement alternative strategies in order to prosper in a post-COVID-19 world. We are witnessing a major shift in marketing strategies, priorities, and methods for budgeting, planning, and evaluating.  In an article written by Margaret Mastrogiacomo on nextguest.com, she goes into depth and great detail about the phases and strategies needed for hotels to reemerge as a dominant industry. Reading through the three-part article, I recognize the real-life applications of promotions and advertising, and how critical these components of a marketing plan are to monitor and modify, especially in our current climate.  Referring to chapter 11 of the course text, there are several methods for budgeting a marketing plan, and they all come with their advantages and disadvantages. The percentage of sales method is commonly used in the hospitality industry, allow...