In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural hazards exacerbated by climate change, HOTREC, in collaboration with Hotel Resilient (climate change resilience consultant), has launched a new Crisis resilience guide for hotels, restaurants, bars, cafesThese recommendations aim to help hospitality companies prepare for and recover more easily from natural disasters, such as heat waves, floods, windstorms, droughts and wildfires.

Natural hazards already pose a significant threat to the hospitality sector, and climate change has only intensified these risks. As such, resilience to these growing crises has become more crucial than ever. The new guidelines focus on strengthening the industry’s capacity to cope with these threats and recover. They do not focus on sustainability measures such as environmental protection, but instead focus on “crisis resilience” – the ability to recover from the impact of natural hazards. “Crisis resilience” in the hospitality context prioritizes the safety of guests and staff above all else, ensuring that essential services can continue, if possible, during disasters and that businesses can recover quickly after any impact. According to the Guide, resilience is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a dynamic process that requires continuous adaptation and learning from experience. Businesses must remain agile and proactive in planning for future crisis events.

The crisis resilience guidelines emphasize nine key criteria, classified into three main areas and provides practical advice on why each criterion is important, how to implement it, and what resources are available for additional assistance. For example, hotels may need to provide shelter to people evacuating from disaster-affected areas, while restaurants need to protect their food supplies and ensure the safe shutdown of kitchen equipment.

Importantly, this Guide is voluntary and represents recommendations rather than mandatory requirements. Companies are encouraged to adopt it to improve their resilience to the crisis, but must also comply with local and national legislation.

With these guidelines, HOTREC hopes to empower its members to protect their businesses, employees, and customers while ensuring continuity of services during increasingly frequent natural disasters.