Crisis Management in Serviced Apartments: Expecting the Unexpected
The modern-day business travel and global mobility landscape is operating in arguably one of the most volatile market conditions our industry has ever seen. In the last 5 years alone, industry stakeholders have been forced to pivot—and fast—as we grapple with unprecedented events like geopolitical unrest, an increase in cyberattacks, COVID-19 and most recently, natural disasters like Typhoon Yagi and Hurricane Milton.
With the rise in global travel and extended travel movement, corporate travellers are increasingly exposed to a variety of risks, making it essential for furnished apartment providers to prioritise the effective support of guests and clients during such events. In this blog, we’ll explore the role of a serviced apartment provider during crises, the key factors travel and mobility managers need to prioritise in the face of unpredictability, and how to guarantee successful outcomes for all stakeholders.
Understanding Crisis Management in Serviced Apartments:
Crisis management in the furnished apartment sector refers to the strategies and actions taken by serviced apartment providers to prepare for, respond to and recover from events that could disrupt normal operations. In times of disruption, taking such measures is crucial for ensuring the safety, comfort and overall productivity of business travellers, while upholding travel manager objectives and duty of care obligations.
Below, we have compiled the key elements travel and mobility managers should look for in a service provider to maintain guest safety and business continuity during crises.
The Role of an Accommodation Partner During a Crisis: 5 Questions to Ask Your Service Provider
1. Do they have a tried and tested crisis management plan in place?
Having a robust crisis action plan in place is critical to the successful handling of unprecedented events.
A strong and strategic crisis management plan needs to set out the key elements a service provider must consider to ensure the utmost flexibility and agility in supporting guests and clients. This might look something like a clearly defined crisis management team with clarity on roles and responsibilities, adaptations to day-to-day processes, stakeholder communication chain of command and so on.
2. Do they take a proactive vs reactive approach?
Collaborating with a furnished apartment provider who has the right resources in place to take both a proactive and reactive approach to crisis management is essential. When selecting your accommodation partner, you’ll need to consider both the steps they take to anticipate and mitigate potential threats, as well as the processes and resources they have in place to respond effectively when crises unexpectedly occur.
A proactive response might include associate training, keeping up to date with the news and proactively building a crisis management strategy based on new developments, while a reactive strategy will ensure teams are equipped to pivot—and fast—when they need to.
You will also find it useful to consider how your serviced apartment partner can tailor their crisis response to your specific requirements. During an emergency relocation for example, your partner should be anticipating yours and your travellers needs and making tailored recommendations in line with what makes the most sense for your travellers’ safety.
3. How do they flex their resources to act with speed and agility?
When crises unfold, they tend to unfold fast and with substantial amounts of uncertainty. Travel and mobility managers should identify how their service provider can flex their resources to mitigate this uncertainty, promote quick decision making and ensure the support of guests and clients affected by a crisis.
Within serviced apartments, this might include the adoption of crisis specific processes which promote agility at all steps of the end-to-end booking process. This could include delaying or adopting alternatives to slower, administrative processes, cross training teams, consolidating and streamlining customer communications, adopting flexible cancellation policies and so on.
4. How do they communicate with stakeholders to guarantee stellar outcomes for everyone involved?
Effective communication is key to the successful handling of a crisis. As the middle-point between clients and supplier partners, it is paramount to work with a furnished apartment provider who has a clear communication strategy in place to manage the successful cross-communication between suppliers, clients and guests during a fast-moving event. This might include, but isn’t limited to regular meetings, instant chat availability, traveller tracking, reporting and more.
Consider not only your serviced apartment provider’s approach to providing transparent and timely updates to stakeholders, but also how they use communication to reduce uncertainty and promote swift, coordinated responses when new developments arise.
By maintaining a consistent flow of information, providers can support with managing expectations, offering real-time solutions and ultimately minimising the impact of the crisis on all stakeholders involved.
5. Can they offer 24/7 Support and Local Expertise?
Unfortunately, when crises do unfold, they can unfold at any time, any place and sometimes without prior warning. It is essential for service providers to ensure they have the resources in place to provide support at any hour of the day or night.
Around-the-clock assistance means guests and clients can access immediate help for urgent issues like emergency relocations, medical needs, local disruptions, or simply just minimising the stress associated with an event.
Ask your providers about how they can bring an additional layer of security and guidance to your travel programme via their knowledge of the area’s resources, regulations, and potential risks. You’ll also want to consider how they integrate tools like International SOS alongside their offerings to manage risk and maintain 24/7 traveller tracking and support.
Why Crisis Management is a Must
Having a robust crisis management plan is vital for travel and mobility managers and serviced apartment providers to minimise disruption to guest safety as well as ensuring seamless business continuity for stakeholders involved. In times of uncertainty, ensuring both you and your service provider are well-prepared, responsive and protective of guest wellbeing is paramount.
Reach out to us today to learn more about Synergy’s approach to crisis management.
