The new omicron COVID-19 variant has not stopped Americans from vacationing, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (Dec. 29), although they’re looking for more flexibility and have been being more careful.
This, the report says, has fueled startups that have been helping navigate the realities of pandemic travel.
Startups have been offering services like flexible booking, apartment stays and touchless hotel check-in. One of these startups, Fora, helps people sell travel, either as a full-time job or in their spare time.
CEO and co-founder Henley Vasquez said omicron’s travel changes and cancellations “have created a lot of opportunity.”
Vasquez said it had never been this confusing to travel, so more people have been looking to travel agencies for assistance. Fora agents had been helping people find alternatives for friends whose plans had changed because of omicron.
Another startup, Mint House, manages 2,000 short-term rental apartments include kitchens stocked with groceries that visitors can order before their stays. Per the WSJ, the company saw its revenue quadruple in 2021, compared to 2020.
Company CEO Will Lucas said the pandemic had “reshaped” how people work and travel, which has been a boon for Mint House — in particular, those working remotely can add more days on a weekend away and work part of the time. Lucas said the world’s changes were “perfectly aligned” with Mint House’s business.
Meanwhile, hotels did better in the week ended Dec. 18 than they were doing in 2019, according to data from STR, a hospitality industry data provider.
In the U.S., hotel occupancy was around 53.8% for the week, and the average daily rate was $121.87. Those two numbers are up 7.7% and 11.6% from 2019, respectively.
PYMNTS writes that the pandemic could have other effects on various parts of life — for example, hospitals might not see many other procedures going on.
See also: Goldman: COVID Surge Could Reduce 2022 Demand for Elective Medical Procedures
Analysts from Goldman Sachs have said there might be another wave after omicron, which could damage procedure volumes, worsen nursing shortages and delay elective procedures.
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NEW PYMNTS DATA: AUTHENTICATING IDENTITIES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY – DECEMBER 2021
About:More than half of U.S. consumers think biometric authentication methods are faster, more convenient and more trustworthy than passwords or PINs — so why are less than 10% using them? PYMNTS, in collaboration with Mitek, surveyed more than 2,200 consumers to better define this perception versus use gap and identify ways businesses can boost usage.
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