‘Remote Control'.

Yesterday, Monday June 15th, one of our properties opened up its doors again to Key Workers; I very much enjoyed writing that Press Release.

As a group we had elected to close our hotels slightly ahead of Government advice - and true to company form, protecting our team and guests was at the forefront of that decision - so the Hotel in question (Cedar Court Harrogate) had therefore not welcomed any guests for 87 days.

Can it really have been 87 days?

Even from behind their PPE Masks, you could see the on-shift teams smiles yesterday in the pictures they posted on our group’s social media channels. A small, very carefully executed, step forwards.

Some ‘Green Shoots’. Finally.

As we entered the lockdown, the immediate priorities of our collective focus were clear: we had to maintain clear channels of communication with our customers and clients, keeping them updated on how we’ll ensure our business operates safely ‘post virus’ and, we had to keep our teams fully informed and engaged as to ‘what we will look like’ upon their return. (This resulted in us creating an impressive amount of collateral ranging from concise operational guidelines, to a studio produced video showing our ‘new’ customer journey).

With our priorities laid, we were then determined to use our ‘time-out’ well. Lots of chats were held about ‘adding value’, and we operated under a mission statement of ‘kindness being our new currency’.

Whatever ‘unknown’ is being faced - Kindness is always the right choice.

With our ‘banner flying high’, our group set about devising numerous initiatives in support of our communities and of one another: we operated a complimentary lunch Drive-Through for Emergency Workers, assisted neighbours in need, (safely) dropped off Birthday Cakes and essentials packages, rescued Weddings (of those poor couples, who literally woke up to find their booked venue had gone into administration) and we even operated a ‘Nightingale Hospital’, in Cedar Court Huddersfield, to assist patients unable to fully look after themselves at home.

During the execution of these initiatives, we have never had a higher level of team engagement in our (digital) social activities.

We have used our time apart, to bring us all closer together.  

Crucially, we have also taken the opportunity to revisit all our key strategies and focuses. All our current marketing collateral and offerings have been revamped; new website design and functionality is under development and, what the new ‘great’ is going to look like for our Business Development team upon their return has also been established. No small amount of work.

We were an agile team ‘pre-lockdown’, but I would dare to say we will be ‘coming back’ an even more nimble commercial unit. Another positive outcome.

As I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by such a talented senior business development team, we have also been able to devise several new revenue approaches and, when these come to fruition, we will have significantly expanded our company’s reach. We have ‘Asset Managed’ our collective skill sets and where we are heading next as a group …I think may surprise people.

I am excited for our shared futures.

Naturally, being a Leader during this time has posed a challenge to us all; we have had an unprecedented opportunity to adapt, grow, and develop our methods of communication and focuses.

All of us, by now, have seen numerous posts and blogs within the business community, advising on ‘How to manage (and MANAGE) during lockdown’ and words detailing worries around ‘Screen to Screen Time’ falling short against real ‘Face to Face’ time? We will have all asked ourselves, ‘Are my colleagues engaged and onboard?’. ‘Am I taking into consideration our people’s needs outside of ‘work time’?’

Providing engagement, communication, and sustained focus over a Zoom call…is not without is challenges; approaching a call with a rolling list of thoughts and missions that you want to deliver…and giving your team the space, they need to think ‘together’ cannot be scripted. But I would again dare to suggest, that our commercial team will come out of this time an even more robust unit; on our weekly ‘Team Chinwag’ social call last week (not a business call, that’s different) I posed this to them…’Maybe, let’s give ourselves a pretty decent pat on the back here? Just LOOK at what we have completed: Look at what we got over the line!’. A collective smile.

As we start to envisage our full estate reopening, we can acknowledge that the commercial foundations and relationships of our business are stronger than ever. We can acknowledge that we have evolved each team members commercial remit and focus…and we can say that we have achieved together -really, genuinely, achieved together- during the most restrictive commercial period in recent history.

I would like to think that we can all look back on this time with a sense of pride: we stayed focused, adaptable, and agile…despite the obvious ‘outside’ and ‘internal’ pressures. We all stayed ‘on mission’ and we are raring to go!

We showed true, ‘Remote Control’.