EDITOR'S COMMENT
• It is unfortunate that we are once again confronted with the far-reaching impact of the pandemic on jobs within the travel sector. The latest cost-cutting measures at Booking.com, which look set to claim up to 3000 jobs, serve as a difficult reminder of the seismic effects on this industry, both in terms of what we have already seen and what may still be yet to come.
Most of the cuts will be focused on Booking.com outsourcing its customer service operations to customer service outsource firm Majorel, and those affected are being offered the opportunity to transfer to the Luxembourg-based firm. In a time when professional service has never been so important - and indeed something that Booking.com has been praised for in its relationship with customers - the timing and rationale of the decisions will raise eyebrows.
Outsourcing is not completely new to Booking.com - as it has broadened its offering into tours, activities and flights in recent years, customer service functions have had to be updated accordingly to meet the evolving needs of the business.
However, questions will rightly be asked about Booking.com's spending on its latest ad campaign featuring actor Idris Elba - which debuted during last night's Super Bowl LVI. Although the fee spent to secure that spot was undisclosed, it will take some justification after a second round of mass job cuts [4000 employees laid off in August 2020] and receiving substantial investor loans and state aid to navigate its way through the pandemic.
• Our RockSTRz webinars return for a fifth series next Tuesday 22 February [4pm GMT] with a session on "Defining the new era of luxury". To hear from our expert panel, including Paul Johnson [A Luxury Travel Blog], Mohannad Zikra [Stella Stays] and Paola Gheis [LUXRE Event], sign up for free here to tune in live and receive an on-demand recording.
• And don't forget to submit your entries for the 2022 Shortyz Awards by the Friday 11 March deadline - you can enter as many of the 20 categories at no cost at this link.
Please click here or contact me if you have a story you want us to tell the industry, or you would like to take part in a feature, podcast or webinar.
For more information and sponsorship / creative solutions advice, contact us at info@internationalhospitality.media.