Suffering through the Pandemic: The Intercontinental Los Angles Downtown Hotel Experience

HTMT 210, Fall 2020Dr. Daniel GuttentagEssay: Hospitality and Tourism during COVID-19 Key info•25% of final grade•To be completed individually •Roughly 6 pages (double-spaced)•Due date: Sunday, November 22 at 11:59pm•Submit in Word or PDF format (not .pages) via OAKS•Late assignments will be deducted 10% per day•Essays may be checked with plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, WCopyfind)Assignment overviewThe COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the hospitality and tourism sector, and every business within this sector has been forced to adapt to the realities of the ongoing pandemic. To better understand the pandemic from an industry perspective, you are responsible for conducting an interview with someone who has a management or ownership role within a hospitality/tourism business in order to learn more about how the business has been impacted by the pandemic, how it has responded, and what it is expecting and planning for the future. You also will critique the business’s past and future actions as you explain what you believe they have done well and what could be done better. The interviewYour interviewee •Your interviewee should have a management or ownership role in a hospitality/tourism business. •You should not already have a personal relationship with the interviewee or the business (e.g., you should not interview the owner of a restaurant where you worked last summer). •Beyond that, you can choose essentially anyone you want, whether it be a hotel general manager, a meeting planner, a food truck owner, an attraction’s marketing director, etc.•The business can be based in Charleston, but does not need to be.Conducting your interview•The interview should be conducted as a live conversation (e.g., via Zoom or telephone). It should not be conducted in writing, such as via email. •The best way to conduct your interview is probably in a “semi-structured” format, in which you are prepared with numerous questions in advance, but also adjust your questions and add in new questions as the conversation unfolds and you learn more about the individual and the business in question. •It is up to you if you wish to record your interview. If you do so, be sure to receive permission from the interviewee in advance.•Prior to the interview, you are strongly encouraged to research both the company and the interviewee, using Google, LinkedIn, etc. Such background research will assist you in posing intelligent questions and extracting maximum insight and knowledge from your interview.HTMT 210, Fall 2020Dr. Daniel GuttentagEssay sectionsThe essay should contain four sections, as described below. You also should be sure to clarify who you interviewed, his/her role, and the business where he/she works.1.Impacts – Summarize how the business has been impacted by the pandemic. This should include consideration of business performance, possible closures, new regulations imposed by the government (e.g., capacity limitations), loss of staff, etc. (Roughly 1 page.)2.Strategic responses – Describe ways in which the business has responded strategically to the challenges posed by the pandemic. For example, this response may have entailed instituting new cleaning regimens, cross-training staff, changing advertising, adjusting target markets, embracing new distribution channels, etc. (Roughly 1 page.) 3.Future – Explain what the individual expects from the future and how the business plans to continue enduring the evolving and challenging circumstances created by the pandemic. (Roughly 1 page.)4.Critical analysis – (This is the most important part of the paper.) Offer your own personal assessment of what the interviewee has described. In particular, assess the strategic responses that have been implemented and any additional plans for the future. Explain things that have been done well or other things that you feel could be improved upon, and be sure to explain why a particular idea was good or bad. Every paper should include several ideas for additional strategic responses. (Roughly 3 pages.)ReferencesEvery paper should include at least two references to external literature or other media sources. Such sources may include academic papers, media stories, podcasts, etc. Formatting/presentation•Use a title page that includes:oEssay title (be creative – do not just put something like “HTMT 210 Essay”)oYour name and email addressoCourse number and termoDate•Essays should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double-spaced. •Divide the paper into sections based on the instructions above. •Submit as a Word or PDF document. If you submit another type of file (e.g., .pages) then you will lose two points from your “Writing, referencing, and general presentation” grade.•The six-page length stated above is a suggestion, not an absolute guideline (e.g., you will not lose points solely for being a little too long or too short). That being said, your essay should not be dramatically longer or shorter than what has been suggested. Also, if your essay is especially short, even though marks will not be deducted for page count per se, your essay length would probably signal that you did not explore the different topics in sufficient depth, for which you will lose points. •References should be in APA format. (See the “APA referencing” guide in the “Essay” module in OAKS.)HTMT 210, Fall 2020Dr. Daniel GuttentagGrading•Breakdown:oImpacts / Strategic responses / Future sections (45%)oCritical analysis section (45%)oWriting, referencing, and general presentation (10%)•The essay should demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of relevant topics and concepts, as covered in the course readings and lectures.•The assignment should be well-written, in a formal and scholarly tone, and absent of errors. (See the “Common grammar errors” document in the “Essay” module in OAKS.)