Determining the crisis management strategies applied by hotel managers in Eskişehir during the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19)

In this research, it is aimed to reveal how the hotel businesses operating in the province of Eskişehir are affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic and to determine the crisis management strategies that hotel managers applied during the epidemic period. Qualitative method was used in this research. In this context, semi-structured interview questions prepared in accordance with the purpose and method of the research were used to collect the data. The interviews were held with 13 hotel managers who provide services in Eskişehir between 25th September and 21th October 2020. Face-to-face (12) and Zoom (1) interviews were conducted during this time interval. Descriptive analysis and content analysis were used to analyze the data obtained from the interviews. As a result of the analysis, five main themes and nine sub-themes were determined. The findings show that hotel managers feel the negative effects of the crisis in the hotels where they work. However, despite the fact that hotel managers were caught unprepared for the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, they managed to control the crisis process well with their knowledge, skills and experience. At the same time, it was concluded that managers adopted a reactive approach since there was no similar crisis situation before and made the necessary efforts to overcome the crisis with the least damage in the hotels they work in. Based on the results of the research, suggestions were presented to researchers for future studies on the subject and to practitioners in the tourism sector on the development of crisis management strategies.