“I think people’s confidence has to be built. It will take anywhere from 18-24 months to get better,” said Rushi Patel, vice president of operations at the Hampton Inn and SpringHill Suites in Pearland.
Occupancy at the Hampton Inn and SpringHill Suites is down to single digits, Patel said. The business is averaging around nine rooms a night.
“I was joking with somebody and said, ‘When you do financial models, you don’t ever plan for nine rooms or you wouldn’t do the project,’” he said.
Before the pandemic, Pearland often had people coming in for business trips, sports-related travel or the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, said Tracy Rohrbacher, interim executive director and marketing manager at the Pearland Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Manny Patel is the owner at both the Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn and Suites in Pearland. The hotels had relied on the business from the rodeo, he said.
“We were sold out for the whole month of March, and then, we were empty,” Manny said.
Both Manny and Rushi said the occupancy is the lowest they have seen during their time in the business, including in the Great Recession.
As work-related travel is one of the reasons people stay in Pearland, Manny said he is not sure when the industry will pick back up again. He and Rushi both said they think the virus will change the hotel and travel industry for good.
“Major corporations are able to save money right now,” Manny said. “They can see we can get work done efficiently without the travel. I just think it is going to be a totally different industry across the board.”
However, changes in the industry do not mean a permanent drop in tourism, Rohrbacher said in an email.
“This has been an incredibly challenging time but also a reminder the travel industry is resilient. In the recovery, we’ll have to adapt and come out stronger,” she said. “It’s only a matter of time before we’re all moving again, and Pearland will be prepared to welcome visitors.”
