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Research Outline
Prepared for C J. | Delivered August 5, 2020
Business Success Stories During COVID
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Goals
To identify major success stories for businesses during COVID for the purposes of creating a presentation on innovation to help business leaders get past their fear and open themselves to the possibility of success.
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Early Findings
The Red Roof Inn is an example of a major success story of a business that pivoted during the COVID crisis.
Red Roof Inn
When the pandemic hit,
hotels were practically empty
since travel was discouraged and people were not enthusiastic about sharing living space with strangers.
Red Roof Inn recognized that to survive the crisis, it would have to
pivot its business model
.
Additionally, many employees who had to suddenly begin working from home either didn't have the space to work or found there were too many distractions at home to get work done.
Therefore, Red Roof Inn began offering its rooms as "
makeshift workspaces
" through its newly branded "Work Under Our Roof" program.
Employees looking for a quite work room can pay
$29 per day
to access a private hotel room between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Rooms come equipped with "
WiFi and a communication package
that includes free local and long-distance calls and faxing."
Employees were also allowed to bring along "one well-behaved
domestic cat or dog
" free of charge.
Other benefits of the "
Work Under Our Roof
" package include a flat screen television, a work station, and free in-room coffee.
Red Roof Inn was able to successfully take advantage of the significant increase in employees working from home, especially when "
co-working spaces, libraries
, coffee shops and other places that workers flock to [were] shut down."
No more than two people
could be in a single room under the day rate and rooms could not be used for meetings.
Red Roof Inn also developed its "
Student Support Program
" to help college students find lodging when their campuses shut down amid the pandemic.
Students could access rooms at
30% off
and receive a $25 Amazon gift card to purchase necessities.
Furthermore, Red Roof Inn provided
first responders with free rooms
, thereby garnering positive public attention for its brand.
This strategy is considered a major success story because Red Roof Inn was able to think outside the box to
offer necessary services
and keep revenue coming in at a time when most hotels suffered dramatic losses.
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