Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets General Manager, Thomas Zinn, said “we cannot wait to travel and connect with people again. Let’s work together on making this happen.”
Travel Monitor caught up with Thomas to talk about his job, challenges and achievements in this week’s Talking Travel. This is what he had to say.
What does your job involve?
In this day and age it is a very broad scope. As the GM of a brand new hotel – Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets just opened in March – I am very hands on and love assisting our guests and teams during arrivals and departures to get to know people and hear what they are saying about us. I am also involved in developing partnerships for the hotel and working with suppliers and industry. At the other end of the spectrum my role involves setting the strategic direction of the hotel and long term vision.
How have you tackled the difficulties caused by COVID-19?
As a hotel and part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts brand we have aimed to adapt to the ever changing environment, taking the most flexible approaches from a business point of view and prioritising building customer confidence in our brands particularly with a focus on cleanliness and hygiene.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
Every day has its surprises and it is quite impressive what situations you get thrown in to and what you need to navigate through.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession (outside of COVID-19)?
The ongoing unpredictability of future business volumes due to sudden travel restrictions and uncertainty about vaccinations and return of travel prevents us from being overly optimistic for the rest of the year. This has a big impact on how we conduct business.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
The biggest challenge is finding the talent/people to fill our roles in the hospitality industry. Surprisingly, this has become even more challenging during Covid19. It is at a point where economic recovery is being hindered, because our industry in some areas is unable to service the existing demand.
What do you think will be the biggest game-changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
A successful roll out of vaccinations combined with a clear plan on how travel will be made possible again will be a game changer. At the same time, immigration needs to resume to satisfy the industry’s need for labour in order to be able to recover and grow.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
We are enjoying strong visitation to Adelaide as Australians look to explore their own backyard. So it’s good time to have opened an exciting new hotel in the city. We see travel continuing to be domestic for some time along with any travel bubbles such as New Zealand that may eventuate. Hopefully there will be a few.
What are your thoughts on responsible travel and how do you try to implement this in your workplace?
Sustainability has been a focus for IHG Hotels & Resorts for many years. We were one of the first to implement bulk amenities in guest rooms to reduce plastic waste, proactively measure our resource consumption and waste and have the hotel team implement sustainable initiatives. We return bottles and cans for recycling and work with industry leaders in waste management. At Hotel Indigo we source locally where we can, it is part of our DNA.
Who inspires you most and why?
Resilient leaders during a time of crisis – remaining focused, showing compassion and empathy to people in need, putting others first, doing the right thing.
What is your must pack travel item(s)?
My Bluetooth speaker and tablet go everywhere I go. I need to stay connected and love music.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
I would take my partner and parents. We have not seen each other for over a year now, they live in different parts of the world.
Contact Email – Thomas.zinn@ihg.com
