Analyzing COVID-19 Impact on Hospitality Businesses: Whitbread Plc

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK hospitality sector, with a specific focus on Whitbread Plc. The study begins with an introduction that outlines the background of the pandemic and its devastating effects on businesses globally, particularly within the hospitality industry. The report establishes the scope of the research, narrowing it to the UK hospitality sector and the hotel segment, specifically considering Whitbread Plc as a leading hotel chain. The research aims to determine the state of the UK hospitality industry, identify challenges faced by Whitbread Plc, and evaluate strategies adopted to combat the pandemic's implications. The report is structured into five chapters, including an introduction, literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion with recommendations. The literature review will critically assess existing arguments, while the methodology will detail the research methods, approach, and data collection and analysis tools. The data analysis will present findings with supporting evidence from literature, and the final chapter will offer conclusions and recommendations for Whitbread Plc to mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19. The report's significance lies in its potential benefits for businesses, scholars, and analysts within the hospitality sector, offering valuable insights for strategy development and future research.

ANALYSING THE IMPACT
OF COVID 19 ON
BUSINESSES WITHIN THE
HOSPITALITY SECTOR

CHAPTER – 1: INTRODUCTION
Title: To analyze the impact of Covid – 19 over the businesses operating in hospitality sector of
UK: A study on Whitbread plc.
Background of the study
Covid – 19 as emerged in the end of 2019 has affected almost all the business enterprise
across the globe leading to facing several unforeseen challenges by businesses. With the spread
of pandemic, the primary focus of businesses as well as the government is for ensuring the safety
of people. Therefore, the effect of Covid – 19 has been experienced by almost all the sectors
throughout the world and the hospitality sector is not an exception which is considered to be
ruined hardest as a result of pandemic. Accordingly, the recovery of businesses within this sector
would definitely took time to get to the level of pre – Covid 19 (Sanabria-Díaz and et.al., 2021).
Therefore, there would be both substantial and subtle shifts within the hospitality businesses in
the post pandemic era.
The effect of Covid – 19 was found to be huge on supply chains as well as the revenue
and even it is not predictable yet. This is because the businesses that are operating in hospitality
industry are bound to take decisions such as shutting down of hotels, theme parks, cinemas,
restaurants, etc. This has happened because of restrictions on travel and movement of people
from one regions or place to another. This had forced professionals of the hospitality sector to
assess the effect of pandemic over their business in order to decide upon the protocols they are
required to implement in the future for recovering from the crises that has resulted from Covid.
The spending of consumer over hospitality has become nil to zero which seems to be
taking a turning point in May 2021 with a 70% less than what consumer used to spend pre-
pandemic times leading to turnover being just one – quarter in post – pandemic era (Aigbedo,
2021). The confidence that the hospitality business would survive of the pandemic was much
low leading to large number of layoffs where many staff of this sector losses their jobs.
Therefore, here in this dissertation, the researcher will analyze how the devastating
pandemic that has emerged in 2019 has ruined the entire hospitality industry of the world by
giving special consideration to the hospitality industry of UK by taking the case of Whitbread
plc. It is popularly known as the multinational British restaurant & hotel based in Houghton

England. It is considered as the leading hospitality business due to being the biggest hotel brand
of UK.
Scope of the research
In this research, the scholar is trying to analyze the impact of coronavirus pandemic over
the businesses across the globe by giving consideration specially to the hospitality industry of
UK. Therefore, the research scope here is narrow in terms of carrying out study of a single
hospitality business unit of the entire nation. Further, the scope would be narrower as the study
will be restricted to the hotel segment only. Accordingly, the entire study would be concerned
about the situation of UK hospitality industry resulting from the emergence of pandemic along
with challenges faced and strategies adopted with respect to combating the implications of Covid
– 19. For this, the special concern would be given to Whitbread Plc which is a leading hotel
chain of UK.
Aims & objectives of the research
Aim: The study aims to analyze the impact of Covid – 19 on the hospitality industry of UK with
reference to Whitbread Plc.
Objectives
 To determine the situation of hospitality industry of UK with the advent of Covid – 19.
 To identify the challenges that Whitbread plc has faced due to the implications of Covid
– 19.
 To determine the strategies that hospitality businesses like Whitbread Plc has adopted in
an attempt to respond to the challenges faced due to pandemic.
Research Questions
1. How the situation within the hospitality industry of UK has changed with the emergence of
Covid – 19?
2. What are the challenges that hospitality business like Whitbread plc has faced as a result
pandemic implication?
3. What are the strategies that hospitality business like Whitbread plc has adopted in order to
combat the challenges resulting from coronavirus pandemic?

Rationale of the research
The rationale for which the research has been undertaken is to analyze how pandemic has
affected the businesses within the UK’s hospitality industry. Accordingly, the situation resulting
from pandemic in hospitality industry will be determined. The Covid – 19 has been taken as an
issue for this research as it is necessary for hospitality business to overcome the challenges that
have emerged because of coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the scholar will determine what
policies have been adopted till now by the businesses within this sector and what else could be
done to combat the devastating effect of pandemic. The reason for suggesting strategies is to
bring the hospitality business back on the track of performance where they were on prior to the
pandemic.
Significance of the research
The study is significant for those businesses that are operating within the UK’s
hospitality industry and especially for hotel segment. Also, the analysis that would be done in
this research will also benefit those scholars who have or are going to undertake their
investigation in related aspects such as study of hospitality industry, effect of Covid – 19 on
businesses, hospitality industry pre & post pandemic era, etc. Further, those analysts who are
going to conduct their study on the same topic in terms of determining the research gap that is
required to filled which would help them in framing appropriate research question for their
respective research. At last, the study is also important for hospitality businesses in UK in
adopting effective strategies that would be recommended through this research in order to
combat the negative effects of pandemic.
Structure of the Dissertation
The entire dissertation would be consisting of five chapter, which are as follows:
Chapter-1: Introduction
In this chapter the overview of the investigation will be stated through indicating the parameters
of research. The aims, objectives and questions that the scholar would answer will also be stated.
Also, the rationale for undertaking the research, the beneficiaries of research along with the
scope will also be identified here.

Chapter-2: Literature Review
In this chapter, the research will undertake to critically evaluate the arguments given by the
different authors pertaining to the given research issue. Therefore, the secondary research would
be conducted by referring to books, journals & articles and identified data will be presented
through forming themes based on research questions. This chapter is very important because the
data collected here will be used for supporting primary data.
Chapter-3: Research methodology
Here the scholar will state the type of research methods that they would be going to adopts will
be stated. In addition to this, the approach, philosophy and data collection & analysis tool that
would be used by the research in their study will be stated in detail.
Chapter-4: Data Analysis & findings
Here the analysis of data that has been gathered through primary investigation will be done.
Also, the findings would be presented through charts & graphs along with supporting it with the
existing literature identified in chapter 2.
Chapter-5: Conclusion & recommendations
On the basis of research findings, whatever the conclusion has been drawn by the researcher will
be stated with regards to the research aims & objectives. Accordingly, the recommendations will
be made for strategies required to be adopted by Whitbread plc in order to combat the negative
effects of Covid – 19.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Sanabria-Díaz, J. M., and et.al., 2021. Public strategies to rescue the hospitality industry
following the impact of COVID-19: A case study of the European Union. International
Journal of Hospitality Management, 97, p.102988.
Aigbedo, H., 2021. Impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry: A supply chain resilience
perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 98, p.103012.