Andrew Smith, VP of Partner Development at Agoda, discusses the changing role of hotel managers in a post-COVID world.
He highlights that the main changes revolve around the shift to remote work. Hoteliers and online travel professionals have always valued face-to-face meetings to discuss growth objectives, but due to the circumstances, this hasn’t been possible in recent years.
Consequently, hotel managers have had to adapt by relying heavily on video conferencing, email, messaging platforms, and online services to stay connected and collaborate effectively. Despite the challenges, these digital tools have played a vital role in facilitating growth and maintaining connections within the industry.
Smith emphasizes the importance of leveraging these technologies to drive the industry forward while still fostering meaningful connections with colleagues and partners.
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Read the complete transcript here:
Yeah, that’s a great question. So, how has my role changed? I think the main changes have, of course, been a shift to remote. So, I think, us as online travel and also as hoteliers, there’s always been a sense of wanting to meet face to face and really discuss our growth objectives together. That, of course, hasn’t been possible over the last few years. So, we’ve really had to adapt to video conferencing, a lot more email, and other platforms, messaging, and online services that are really helping us to stay connected and work together to drive growth while, at the same time, having that connection with each other.
Meet the Speaker
Andrew Smith
Vice President – Partner Development
Agoda
