Sascha Dalig

With revenge travel in full swing this summer, our latest Hotelier PULSE Report shows that business optimism continues to increase across hotels worldwide. We sat down with Sascha Dalig, Director for Central Europe at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to discuss his expectations for hotels this peak season and why flexibility is still crucial for hotels to cater to adapt to guests’ needs.

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As summer kicked off, our RevPAR was just 10% behind 2019 levels, which is great to see.

How optimistic do you feel about business performance in 2022 and why?

I am feeling very optimistic about our business performance this year. As summer kicked off, our RevPAR was just 10% behind 2019 levels, which is great to see.

After all the lockdowns and restrictions these past two years, it’s also been wonderful to get back to conferences and in-person meetings where you can really feel what our industry is about. I was at a concert a few weeks ago, and to be there with 25,000 other people just having a good time on a summer evening was simply fantastic!

However, this level of optimism is tempered with some degree of caution due to a number of factors including inflation and rising energy prices. But for now, it’s great that the world has reopened after the previous two years we’ve all been through.

How are you responding to the increasing international travel demand this summer?

Although international travel is increasing, we’re still seeing some level of uncertainty in terms of flight delays and cancellations. This impacts on whether the guest can arrive or leave our destinations, and is something we never experienced before prior to the pandemic. Therefore, flexibility remains key to respond to international travel markets.

One of our top priorities to adapt to the needs of our guests is to offer flexible cancellation policies and the ability to change dates or other reservation details. We anticipate that there will continue to be flight disruptions over the summer, preventing guests from arriving to or leaving our destinations. Accommodating guests after these negative experiences will be a challenge, and so we must continue to be as flexible as possible and provide excellent service.

Transparency on our website is also essential, because it is the first place where we can inform guests about what they can expect from our hotels. We’re also really promoting our loyalty programmes to attract guests and loyal members to our brand.

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About Sascha Dalig
& Wyndham Hotels & ResortsSascha Dalig is acting as Regional Director Central Europe for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. He oversees a diverse region with around 120 Hotels and several hotel projects. With a classical apprenticeship, his career brought him from hotel operative functions up to strategic management in global hotel chains. He is a trained trainer and Bachelor Professional of Business. His focus is on Partner- and Franchise Management, working on day-to-day challenges with his hotels, and being driven by the lookout for positive and sustainable change. He follows his vision:“Technology as a key to simplifying travel and processes along the guest journey will help hosts be hosts again. The communication between guests and respective teams will be less process-driven but focused on exchange. Options will be created to enhance teams and guests on this journey, and the human factor will be a key part in making the difference.”

Do you expect major city destinations to make a comeback in 2022?

We are definitely seeing an uptick in the cities as people are embracing bucket list travel again. This is really interesting to see after the past two years where people opted to escape the big cities for more remote locations with open spaces. In 2022, the streets are full and we are just happy to be out and about. The coffee shops and beer gardens are packed this summer, which is lovely to see.

Having said that, even more obscure destinations continue to generate significant levels of travel and tourism in 2022. I just learned the other day that Freiburg, a small town in Southwest Germany, is ranked one of the top 3 destinations on Lonely Planet. Following this exposure, we’re seeing pickup in this and similar destinations. People are still hungry to explore hidden gem destinations, learn the culture, and meet the locals.

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Transparency on our website is also essential, because it is the first place where we can inform guests about what they can expect from our hotels.

One of our top priorities to adapt to the needs of our guests is to offer flexible cancellation policies and the ability to change dates or other reservation details.

Although direct bookings increased during the pandemic, OTAs are now ramping up marketing efforts in 2022. What should hoteliers be doing to compete with OTAs in the 2022 travel boom and beyond?

Firstly, I would say don’t try to compete for visibility because that is a game you can only lose. Expedia and Booking are investing between 45 to 65% of budget towards marketing, and Independent Hotels cannot afford this. As Hoteliers, we must compete in a different way because we do own our business and we own our hotels.

During the uncertainty of the pandemic, direct bookings increased due to a good level of information provided via the hotel website. Hotels were able to communicate important crucial information to guests at the right time, and guide their buying decisions. I believe this is something we must continue to prioritize, making sure our hotel websites really let guests know what our properties have to offer and why they should book a stay.

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