Impact of COVID 19 on UK Hospitality Sector: A Study on Marriott

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CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
Background of the study.........................................................................................................1
2. RESEARCH PROJECT OBJECTIVES.............................................................................1
Research Aim and Objectives................................................................................................1
Rationale of the study.............................................................................................................2
3. LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................................2
Concept of COVID and its relation with hospitality sector...................................................2
Changes in the working condition due to current pandemic..................................................2
Impact of changes on working and profitability of the hotel.................................................3
4. PROJECT METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................3
Research Type........................................................................................................................3
Research Approach.................................................................................................................3
Research Philosophy..............................................................................................................4
Data Collection.......................................................................................................................4
Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................4
Research Limitation................................................................................................................4
5. PROJECT RESULTS & FINDINGS.................................................................................6
Presentation of the results.......................................................................................................6
6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................7
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................7
Recommendations..................................................................................................................8
7. REFLECTION....................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................10

“Research topic – Impact of COVID 19 over the working and profitability of UK
hospitality sector”
1. INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Coronavirus disease (COVID – 19) is a type of infectious disease that recently
affected almost all the sectors. The impact of this disease was maximum experienced by the
Hospitality industry. It is a part of service-based industry inclusive of wide range of fields
like hotels, restaurants, tourism agencies, etc. Marriott is an international brand operating in
the hospitality sector. The performance of the company was majorly devastated during the
COVID – 19 pandemic time. The current research project will be developing a keen
understanding of the key concept that is COVID 19 and its connections with the hospitality
sector will be scrutinized (Karim and et.al., 2020). The various changes that the concerned
company made into its functioning and processes for effectively responding to the sudden
change in the external business environment will be studied. A critical evaluation of such
changes will be done in this project. The research project will examine in depth the impact of
changes by the company in reviving its operations and profits from the pandemic affects. The
current project will also be recommending some changes that will aim at helping the
company in adapting to sudden evolving environment easily.
2. RESEARCH PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Research Aim and Objectives
Aim
To analyse the impact of COVID 19 over the working and profitability of UK
hospitality sector. A study on Marriott.’
Objectives
 To develop understanding relating to the concept of COVID and its relation with
hospitality sector.
 To evaluate the changes brought within working condition of Marriott because of
current pandemic.
 To examine the impact of these changes over the working and profitability of
Marriott.
 To recommend some of the changes to Marriott with help of which the changes can
be adapted easily.
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Rationale of the study
The main reason for selecting impact of COVID 19 on the functioning and
profitability of Marriott that operates in hospitality sector is that these particular interests the
researcher. The hospitality sector is one of those industries that is currently growing at a
much higher pace as compared to the others. Researching on the topic will help in gaining
new knowledge and making enhancements to the researcher’s existing knowledge with this to
the topic (Sanabria-Díaz, Aguiar-Quintana and Araujo-Cabrera, 2021). Further the study is
helpful for the company in effectively analysing the impact of global pandemic over its
functions and profitability highlighting the areas to respond to.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of COVID and its relation with hospitality sector
As per the Statista (2020), the worldwide travel and tourism industry has directly
made a contribution of around 2.9 trillion dollars to the international Gross Domestic Product
in the year 2019. Employment in case of the hospitality industry has never reached at such
high point nor in the last few years. Inappropriately, this comes to an end rudely in the second
and third month of the year 2020. The first cases of Covid19 pandemic initiated in China in
the end of 2019 and has spread across the world quickly. It is being caused by a virus which
develops a bacterial infection that cannot be cured or fight by the anti-biotics. It is an
infectious disease which might leads to death of infected people. This pandemic had great
impact in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry and will continue to have this negative
influence. Most of the hotels around the world have lost billions and millions of dollars and
the occupancy rates were below 20 percent in the last few months.
Changes in the working condition due to current pandemic
According to Bloom and Cadarette (2019), the covid19 pandemic has compelled
different short term as well as long term negative influence on the hotel industry at the global
level. The immediate influence of this pandemic has been relevant and has also been reflected
in the intruded in incomes encouraged by unforeseen terminations of the business considering
the orders related to lockdowns being imposed by the governments of different nations. This
type of sudden closer has impacted the overall working and functioning of the hotels. As per
Jones and Comfort (2020), for sustaining business numerous changes in the working
conditions have been brought in the hospitality sector because of the current pandemic. Most
of the backend operations of the hotels were shifted to online means and workers were forced
to work from home which is quite difficult in case of hospitality sector. There were different
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