Tourism Crisis Communication in Business Hotels During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the study is to evaluate the process of crisis communication of 4-star business hotels during the coronavirus epidemic and to compare their communication during the first and second waves of the epidemic. As part of the qualitative research, 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with the employees responsible for crisis communication within the surveyed hotels. The research is based on Fall and Massey’s (2005) three-step crisis communication model, examining the stages of preparation, response and recovery. The result of the empirical research shows that, although the strategic management of the hotels was not prepared for an upcoming crisis, they managed to develop a crisis communication plan based on their previous protocols, force majeure contracts and newly acquired knowledge that they could successfully apply during the COVID-19 crisis. The authors of the study were the first to research the crisis communication of Hungarian business hotels during the first two waves of the coronavirus epidemic. The conclusion of the study is that change was needed in the marketing communication strategy after the first wave, as travellers wanted to see messages with a more positive tone. This change proved to be successful; it is worthwhile to continue external communication through several channels and it is not enough to use only a Facebook page.