A strike should be considered a crisis and therefore managed accordingly. It goes without saying that all hotels, regardless of size, should have a comprehensive crisis plan in effect that identifies roles and responsibilities and specifies actions to be taken in the event of any eventuality, whether it be a strike, fire, criminal act or natural disaster.
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Rich Roberts
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For communications purposes, the plan should designate a single spokesperson to speak with the news media. Someone must be available and prepared at all times to assume this responsibility, usually the general manager or, during off-hours, manager on duty. As a matter of standing policy, all employees should be required to direct all news media inquiries—regardless of topic—to the general manager or designated spokesperson without making comments of their own.
When a strike is called or threatened, the property’s crisis plan should be implemented immediately. The crisis management team, including the designated spokesperson, would assemble in person or by conference call, assess the situation and determine what actions are required to continue operating the property in a safe and responsible way while providing expected guest services. Armed with that information, the spokesperson can prepare talking points to be used for briefing inquiring reporters on the hotel’s plan for coping with the labor interruption.
Either the designated spokesperson or appropriate crisis team operations member then should prepare and distribute letters under the general manager’s signature to guests and employees. The communications should outline the situation, present the property’s plan for coping with the disruption and provide the name, title and telephone number of a staff member who can be called for assistance as necessary. Updated memos should be distributed to guestrooms at least once daily to ensure newly arriving guests are informed. It would be appropriate in those communications for the general manager to express regret for any disruptions or inconvenience caused by the strike.
When responding to news media inquiries, the designated spokesperson first should describe the actions taken by hotel management to protect and serve the guests, then provide an assessment of the strike’s impact on the property and, finally, what actions are being taken by management to resolve the strike, whether that be negotiations or legal action.
It has been long accepted that negotiations on any topic are most effective and conducted with greatest speed when conducted privately and confidentially. However, if the employees choose to exert pressure on management by taking their case to the public, management has every right to speak publicly in defense of its position. In fact, failure to do so may damage the hotel’s perception in the eyes of the community as well as current and future guests.
When a union threatens to boycott a property, management’s best defense is a measured, firm public response that emphasizes the potential harm such a boycott could cause to all employees by jeopardizing the hotel’s ability to function and remain in business.
Rich Roberts is a 33-year communications veteran who has worked for two of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, Wyndham Worldwide and Choice Hotels International, two marketing agencies, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, and the daily newspaper in Harrisburg, Pa. Now he’s affiliated with Ferri & Partners, a full-service public relations agency specializing in marketing luxury products and services in North America.
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