The COVID-19 pandemic has crushed the hospitality industry, to say the least as there has been no business, whatsoever, during the peak months of the pandemic-induced lockdowns. This is not in just one country but throughout the globe, the hospitality industry has taken a huge blow, but as the world starts to unlock again, hotels, restaurants, and resorts have started to open back up for customers but people are consciously scared and deciding not to go out in public. The fear of catching the coronavirus is a new threat that the industry is facing, and the only thing that hotels and restaurants can do at the moment is to make a loyal customer base by adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols, making people believe that it is safe to go out to restaurants, travel and stay at hotels, just like the old times.
Having said that, OpenTable- a San Francisco-based company that powers reservations for the hospitality industry has introduced a new ‘verified’ tag for vaccinated diners at restaurants, a move that will allow customers to trust restaurants that they are safe. The restaurants will now tag diners as ‘verified’ for meeting entry requirements, as mentioned in a report by The Verge.
This is a great business idea that will allow owners to serve their customers better. There are obvious benefits of tagging customers, first is to notify customers that it only allows customers who are vaccinated for COVID-19. Another important benefit is for the restaurant to know its customers, know if they are of legal drinking age and any other requirement that may be required for entry, notes The Verge.
Another great benefit of OpenTable’s ‘verified’ tag is to let restaurants identify their loyal repeat customers which can help them to serve these loyal customers better, especially in busy cities. The United States amongst other countries has started to roll out vaccination requirements for the latest Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus and norms of the hospitality industry will differ by a margin, depending on the severity of cases.
It may seem like an extra effort for customers to prove that they are vaccinated, every time they go to a restaurant. Well, OpenTable thought of that and only requires a one-time proof of vaccination, after that your status would show up in their systems, every time you make a reservation. Nonetheless, you will still have to show vaccination proof, each time you go to a new restaurant unless they are operated by the same group.
Thus, a piece of advice- always keep your proof of vaccination handy!
