Jul 21, 2021
From bellboys and receptionists to chefs and concierges, hotel staff in Japan are likely to find they have more time to watch the Olympics than they ever expected.
A fourth COVID-19 emergency in Tokyo and a decision to bar spectators from the main athletics events have triggered a wave of hotel room cancellations. This latest setback puts further pressure on a hotel industry that bet big on the Summer Games serving as a springboard for Japan’s wider economic goal of attracting 40 million overseas visitors a year.
While large hotel chains with deep cash reserves can pace themselves for the long-run and a post-COVID-19 upturn in fortunes, for smaller operators the pandemic-hit Olympic dream is already testing their business stamina as bankruptcies in the sector pick up.