Shr Soundbites

Wilhelm K. Weber, VP Global Revenue and Digital Strategy with Kempinski Hotels, joins me from Switzerland. I had the pleasure to be recording at The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa. Kempinski is a diverse portfolio of luxury and iconic hotels, both city and resort. Key takeaways: -Predicting the decisions of politicians proves difficult, adding to the challenge of forecasting. -Made a cultural shift from 'efficiency driven by good forecasting and planning' to 'efficiency by acting fast to the main drivers in the market.' -That shift prompted action, like: Disabled decision uploads, changed the forecasting rhythm, changed the structure of the weekly meetings. -About mid-April, stopped looking at number of cases in the weekly meeting. -Data to look at: pickup, airline capacities, travel restrictions. -Advice for hoteliers? Shift your mindset from planning based on forecasts to fast reactions to proven cause and effect drivers.