Making a pandemic a positive experience: The Portbyhan Manager Chris Bailey-Lewis reveals how COVID-19 can be turned to the industry’s advantage
Edwards Coaches-owned hotel, The Portbyhan, situated in the fishing port of Looe on the Cornish coast, is one of hundreds of businesses affected by the halt in coach tourism. Hotel Manager Chris Bailey-Lewis reveals how venues dependent on coach tourism have been coping with national restrictions, and how the pandemic may be helping The Portbyhan to strengthen its offering in 2021 and beyond.
Despite significant losses, Chris says the year under coronavirus COVID-19 has, infact, had a positive impact. The first national lockdown in March 2020 allowed the business to reset and reassess its offering, build closer relationships with partner operators, and put customers first.
The result? So far, all signs show that the coach tourism industry is already offering a stronger year than 2019. Equally, it has taught the hotel that breaking away from the tried and tested is often necessary in a crisis.
An unusual year
It was only in December 2019 that Jason Edwards, Managing Director of Edwards Coaches, met Chris, whose background is in general leisure. Chris took over The Portbyhan in January 2020, with a view to renovating the hotel before reopening in February. But by the middle of March, the team was bracing for the first national lockdown. While still at around 80% occupancy for the year, the business was closed, with activity limited largely to a takeaway service and food bank donations to the local community.
routeone spoke with Chris on Friday 11 December 2020, the arrival date of a winter coach group. In normal times, that might mean 40 passengers, but with social distancing measures in place, the reality is that this time around a total of 16 passengers are staying at the hotel.
Coach tourism has been the base of the business since Edwards acquired the hotel in 2013. Pushing and advocating the fact the hotel is open, trading and keeping positive is of chief importance now, even if it means running at a small loss. The situation for the hospitality industry remains unpredictable, especially for The Portbyhan, with coach operators running the gamut of coronavirus COVID-19 safety measures. “Every operator has done things slightly differently,” Chris says. “The rules are there to be adhered to, obviously, and when you’re dealing with the public, they will be the first to judge you on that. The result is that some companies have pulled their programs altogether, while a lot of the groups have been running at full capacity within the limits of what they have allowed within their risk assessment.”
At time of writing the hotel had accepted ten coach companies and 20 tours in 2020, after reopening in July. To put that into perspective, that is around half the number of usual operators that would bring groups, and approximately 14% of the usual number of tours (146 tours were booked in 2019).
Business reset
While other businesses shuttered for the duration, The Portbyhan took a more proactive approach to the first lockdown. “It allowed the business to reset,” Chris explains. “It put us in a position where we could reassess what the rest of the year was going to bring, as well as 2021 and beyond.”
While the hotel was closed, the furlough scheme protected the livelihood of the hotel team, and Chris began conversations with key operators, looking ahead to box off 2021 and book returning customers. Welcoming back coach groups in July revealed what measures were necessary to welcoming groups back safely, and how venues and operators can work together so that both can benefit from a closer working relationship.
“We agreed with one coaching company to trial run its methods and procedures,” Chris reveals. “It was happy with what we did because we went above and beyond the ‘good to go’ scheme. I brought in a separate company to go through the work we do ourselves and the risk assessments. Right now, the biggest thing to demonstrate is that we take this seriously.”
Coaches are not just business to The Portbyhan. Chris sees them very much as partners. That is why conversations are so important with operators, especially in a community where drivers are now often questioned by locals as to the nature of their visit. The hotel has been strict on its policy regarding visitors from tiered areas. “We have to look at restrictions in their totality. And it was a big decision to turn around and say we can’t take customers from tier 3 and 4 areas,” he says.
But with the enhanced safety, the measured approach to welcoming back guests and the tighter relationship with operator partners, Chris says the venue has only benefitted. “The experience has elevated. While the pandemic has been bad for business and the holiday industry as a whole, it has given us the opportunity to reset and up our game. The customer comes first, and that has been the most important ambition the hotel has been able to put into position and achieve.”
Sharing ideas
Working to the same standards with coach tour operators was one of Chris’ biggest concerns, but reveals the value in communicating ideas and perspectives on moving customers between locations safely. Procedures should synchronise nicely in order that passengers are not exposed to differing standards between departure and arrival. If there’s one thing Chris dislikes when it comes to coronavirus COVID-19 precautions, it’s inconsistency.
This is all worked out by the hotel requesting a copy of an operator’s risk assessment to understand its methods and know what to expect. If a company’s procedures are robust, the two can work together. Chris encourages operators not to shy away from questioning standards and raising them: “I’ve been doing risk assessments in hotels for nearly 20 years, so I quite enjoy trying to raise standards in that sense. It has been a great opportunity to start questioning the acceptability of current standards, which should always be as high as possible.”
Dealing with drivers has been one of the most challenging aspects, yet further emphasises the importance of harmonious working between operator and venue. “The driver has a hard job, with potentially multiple pickups, the logistics of luggage, tight schedules and drivers’ hours to consider,” says Chris. “When it comes to excursions and departure days, they sometimes need to understand that things need to slow down. Rushing the job through can risk making the situation unsafe. Drivers need to be brought on board as a member of the team. Now, when drivers come to us they know what to expect. It’s second nature for those who have returned multiple times, and feels like it may become the new norm.”
Safer visits
The venue speaks to an operator at least two to three times in the build-up to a visit, and insists the driver telephones one hour before arrival. The group is briefed on what to expect regarding luggage, meal bookings and cleaning procedures. Housekeeping is more stringent. Some guests have taken a dislike to the extra details needed from them, but this again often comes down to inconsistency in expectations from other hotel experiences.
Temperatures are taken when the coach arrives, and if a passenger should demonstrate a higher-than-average temperature, in this case 38°C or above, the group must remain in the vehicle for 60 minutes to await another check. This can jeopardise an entire group’s visit, which is why communication between coach operators and venues, and consistency in procedures, is so important.
On the whole, the changes have been received positively, both by visitors and, equally as important, by Chris’ own colleagues. “It’s been fantastic to see,” he says. “Every single team member has been behind the changes and is confident in discussing our procedures with customers. You need everybody on board.”
All this could not have been done without coach operator cooperation. “I’ve done nothing but talk to people to find out what their customers are saying to them,” Chris adds. “We can do every bit of paperwork, but at the end of the day, the most important person in all of this is the customer and how they are engaged.”
Specifically, coach passengers have guided the hotel with regards to refunds and exchanges. Portbyhan works with coach operators and customers to transfer bookings in the event that passengers cancel, which is crucial when rooms have been held for coach groups over an 18-month period.
2021 looking bright
The Portbyhan has 164 contracted coach groups expected in the new year, and the ability to sharpen the partnership working with coach operators has allowed for “more flexibility” moving forwards. “We have an amazing base of a business already on the books and more opportunity to come,” Chris reveals.
With the stringent cleaning methods and extra communication, Portbyhan and its coach operator partners are a model of how to make a success of coach tourism in the post-pandemic world.
There is still unpredictability in the UK’s coronavirus COVID-19 response, but if the contracted groups for the new year reveal anything, it is of a coach industry ready to work with venues to stringent safety measures and a passenger base champing at the bit to start travelling.
“We’re pushing for positivity,” Chris says, “and we want to come back swinging in 2021.”
