As the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to these unprecedented times, HD is checking in with members of the hospitality industry around the globe to find out how their businesses are being impacted and what they anticipate will change down the line.
Piero Lissoni, Lissoni & Partners
What are the biggest challenges you’re facing?
Not having real-life relationships with people, only virtual [ones] over the phone or via the web. I miss the contact with reality and the most ordinary things like going to the bar for a coffee.
What is your current work situation?
By chance, we had already equipped ourselves to work remotely a few months before the emergency erupted. Like other studios, we have been used to working at a distance, both with our New York office and with clients all over the world over. Some things have gone well, others less so.
What are some of the positive effects of working in these new ways?
We have understood that it is not always necessary to travel, to take a flight for a meeting, and to see each other face to face. We now know that some meetings can be effective, even if done at a distance.
What is your pulse on the industry?
Clearly, construction sites have been closed or have slowed down, but all the creative and concept elements of our work are proceeding at full capacity. With regards to design, given that this year’s Salone del Mobile was cancelled, we are also inventing different ways of presenting new products with our clients.
What does this mean for the future of hospitality?
I can’t imagine that, sooner or later, things won’t return to how they were before. Though certainly, until a vaccine is found, we will have to pay more attention and improve some small details. Paradoxically, we have always designed lounges as if they were living rooms, with a good distance between the seats, always putting bookcases in hotels, and making spaces where clients can be alone and feel tranquil. Also, when we design bars and restaurants, we think of them as fragmented spaces, distancing the tables from each other—for privacy, but also for courtesy.
Lastly, share some good news! Have you done anything to stay busy in these crazy times?
I mI am working a great deal, despite everything. But compared to before, when I traveled a lot and spent less time at home, my partner and I are cooking a lot and doing things that need time, like making fresh pasta. I also have returned to reading more weighty books about history and philosophy. And I am designing even more, for personal pleasure, than usual.
Tracey Sawyer, Sawyer & Company
What are the biggest challenges you’re facing?
Remaining agile and adaptable as changes are occurring quicker than ever, and there is so much general uncertainty. As a small team, we have gained new perspectives as we attempt to quickly address and manage the changes as they come.
What is your current work situation?
We are all currently working remotely from home. Although we’re spread out in different locations, we are constantly connected. We’re touching base often throughout the day. We pick up the phone and talk to each other—sometimes one-on-one but often in groups. Everyone is working very hard on our current deadlines, and so far we’re lucky to have had only minimal changes to our team. That said, we’re working more collectively and helping each other out.
What are some of the positive effects of working in these new ways?
Some of the positives have included getting to know how capable we are as a team of staying connected digitally. One lesson we’ve learned is that we can work very efficiently remotely. It’s interesting to consider what that could mean going forward and how it could open up different opportunities.
What is your pulse on the industry?
Everything is moving so quickly that it’s difficult to make a call or even form a coherent perspective. That being said, we will see profound changes in how we do things. Hospitality professionals are taking more consideration for safe business travel, how we come together in our public spaces, and reflecting on how people interact within the spaces that we design.
What does this mean for the future of hospitality?
In terms of design, it means an added level of creativity when considering public spaces, restaurants, and conference spaces, but also how all spaces within a project can function for optimal health and wellness—a trend that we already had seen occurring prior to the pandemic.
Lastly, share some good news! Have you done anything to stay busy in these crazy times?
It’s been wonderful to spend time with my family, and it’s been great to connect with so many friends and colleagues around the globe. I’ve been rejuvenated by the sense of community with fellow business owners, colleagues, neighbors, and all of those risking their lives to bring the pandemic to an end as soon as possible.
I’ve been inspired by the originality and adaptability of people—how a time of unprecedented difficulty can bring out the very best in people, even in ways no one could have imagined months ago. The slower pace has allowed us to address the more important aspects of our lives and to take a deep account of how we can live in greater unison with the world around us and our fellow man.
Michael Cioffi, Monteverdi Tuscany
What are the biggest challenges you’re facing?
Monteverdi employees are based in Italy and throughout the U.S., so we are operating with the information we receive from local governments, but these are unpredictable, rapidly changing times that will affect when we reopen and what changes we will implement upon doing so.
What is your current work situation?
As news of the coronavirus began to develop in February and March, I made the decision to temporarily close Monteverdi, allowing employees to be home with their families with full pay. In addition to being the founder and owner of Monteverdi Tuscany, I am an attorney based in Cincinnati. With the majority of my law and hotel employees working from their homes in Italy and across the U.S., we have been conducting regular conference calls. Our guest relations, housekeeping, and F&B team members based in Italy are also engaged in online learning and seminars as we continue to develop and fine tune our reopening plans.
What are some of the positive effects of working in these new ways?
We have had an increase in cross collaboration between the team on the ground and the team in the U.S. In the absence of having guests, everyone is pulling together and sharing ideas. Department heads have had the time to assess each of their teams, to look at what is working and what changes we can—and must—implement in the coming weeks. This time has also provided us with an opportunity to check in with our partners, to see how they are faring, what they are thinking and working on, and how we can collaborate for a more immersive experience in the future.
What is your pulse on the industry?
Though we completed an expansion project last year, which included the opening of a Culinary Academy, additions to our spa, and a new lounge and terrace bar, we are continuing to enhance the Monteverdi experience. Construction will soon begin on an addition to our health and wellness facility, as well as accommodations for corporate retreats.
What does this mean for the future of hospitality?
Authentic hospitality will never go out of style. Monteverdi prides itself on being a home-away-from-home, a retreat from the ordinary. Our staff will always go the extra mile for guests. Remembering a favorite wine or preferred table at the restaurant, and carrying out small, thoughtful gestures will continue.
Lastly, share some good news! Have you done anything to stay busy in these crazy times?
In many ways, we have been busier these days than ever before. I named Monteverdi after the great composer and father of modern opera, Claudio Monteverdi. Exposing guests and visitors to music and the arts has always been a core goal of mine. In March, we debuted a digital program called La Bella Musica di Monteverdi. Each week, we share a performance online via our social media channels and website. The diverse array of artists include musicians from the Metropolitan Opera, Grammy-winning performers and conductors, and even best-selling authors. The program was created as a way to financially support performers who have lost income during this time, while providing the world with the gift of beautiful music and art.
In addition, our Executive Chef Giancarla Bodoni is sharing some of his recipes, and we have been providing social media followers with step-by-step directions for at-home face and body treatments based on those featured in our spa.
Related stories:
4 Design Leaders on Current Challenges and Remaining Resilient
3 Design Duos on Making the Most of Trying Times
6 Designers, Architects, and Entrepreneurs on Staying Connected
For more COVID-19-related news and stories from HD, click here.
