RIHA Monthly Column

Dale J. Venturini

Looking Back on 2022, and Looking Forward to 2023…

ByDale J. Venturini, President/CEO, RI Hospitality Association (RIHA)

After a year in which our industry began to recover from the restrictive regulations of the pandemic, global economic pressures, and concerns around inflation, staffing, and product shortages, supply chain issues, and more, our staff, owners, and operators all deserve a big pat on the back. As was reported to you back in October, the economic experts’ consensus is that Rhode Island’s recovery process is ongoing and all projections are pointing to a better 2023, for the hospitality industry, in particular.

Overall, 2022 was a successful year for the RI Hospitality Association (RIHA). We launched the RI Hospitality Association Group 401(k) Plan, established in partnership with Napier Financial, to make retirement benefits available for our industry’s workers; saw the 10th Annual Rhode Island ProStart® High School Culinary and Management Competition return to the Rhode Island Convention Center after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic; hosted a number of successful events for our members, including the recent “Women in Hospitality” Self-Defense Awareness Training Seminar, in partnership with the Providence Police Department’s training division; and spearheaded a number of important legislative wins, including the permanent allowance of “alcohol to-go,” the passing of H-7910, which gives hotel management the ability to remove guests who verbally abuse hotel employees, and the extended moratorium on the enforcement of any municipal ordinance or zoning requirement, which allows restaurants to continue outdoor dining through April 1, 2023. New trends emerged in 2022, specifically for restaurants, many of which now have fewer workers and more seating capacity. Many dining establishments are also cutting costs by eliminating paper checks and menus and by revamping menu items and specialty dishes to be more budget friendly. Additionally, an increasing number of restaurants are now charging cancellation fees for reservations that are not honored by their guests. To combat labor shortages and concerns around employee retention, businesses are offering more wellness benefits, including access to educational opportunities; granting permission for more flexible work schedules; recruiting from outside of the hospitality industry; and placing a greater emphasis on company “values.”

For hotels, an increased level of attention is being placed on accommodating business leisure travelers, many of whom are now permanent remote workers who are looking for make-shift offices while on the road. Since the pandemic, many hotel services have become digitized, most notably with mobile check-in, contactless payments, and voice-controlled amenities. The everyday consumers’ increased desire for safety, sustainability, convenience, and wellbeing has influenced each of these new practices.

All things in life are subject to change, and if the pandemic taught us one lesson, it is that we cannot become set in our ways. Business models that refuse to adapt are failing, while those embracing new technologies, trends, and standards are thriving. As it pertains to the hospitality industry, our staff members and valued customers have been telling us what they want since way before the pandemic, we just have no choice but to listen now. By accepting that we cannot undo the damage of the last two-plus years, and instead looking forward to a brighter future, we are putting our industry in the best position to succeed in 2023, and well beyond.

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engines from wandering up the stairs. 5.5. The average man spends seven hours a year hiding in the bathroom for “peace and quiet,” according to a 2018 survey. 6.6. In the US, about 40% of college students drop out, the top reason being money. 7. In 1993, “Tetris” became the rst video game ever7. played in space. 8. Roughly 2% of people are considered “sleepless elite,” early-birds and night-owls that can8. run on less than 5 hours of sleep without needing co ee or naps. 9.9. When ”Jump Around” plays at the University of Wisconsin football games, the fan’s jumping registers on the Geology Department’s seismograph, located two miles away.10. 10. If California were its own country, it would be the fth richest country in the world. 11. 11. George Washington died in 1799 after doctors drained nearly 40% of his blood in an attempt to cure a sore throat.12. 12. Texas is so large that El Paso (in the western cornerofthestate)iscloser to SanDiego, California, than it is to Houston, Texas.

more than 21 days in advance. 5. Studies show that, when it comes to food, the human brain is bad at judging quantity increases but accurate at judging quantity decreases. 6. A new U.S. study has found that economy round-trip and one-way airline tickets are the lowest they’ve been since 2013. 7. By 2050, it’s estimated that four trucks of plastic waste will be added to the ocean every minute.

Research shows that kids are more likely to be hon8. est when they know it will please their parents, even if their parents still punish them. 9. A recent study found that higher blood pressure in an expectant mother is associated with having a boy. 10. In 2015, Americans wrote out 17.3 billion checks. In the same year, they made 69.5 billion debit card purchases. 11. According to a survey, 67% of hiring managers cite lack of eye contact as the biggest mistake candidates make in interviews. 12. New research has found that the NFL players that incur the most penalties get arrested more than their teammates.

4. levels in most people, regardless of skill.

A U.S. study found that the most disproportionately common interest found on people’s resumes in New 5. Hampshire is “Bigfoot.”

The design of the tallest residential building in the world, 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, was inspired 6. by a trash can.

Studies show the key to happiness is spending your money on experiences rather than possessions. 7.

On average, early risers writing emails between 4am 8. and 8am make 11.8 mistakes per 100 words.

A study found that only 24% of Canadians know that

Queen Elizabeth II is their head of state. 9. Research has found that, on average, a person’s social media writing contains three times as many 10. mistakes as their emails.

Amy Schumer is the only woman ever to land on

Forbes’s list of the world’s highest-paid comedians. 11.

According to USDA projections, by 2025 Americans 12. will consume 219 pounds of meat per year on average.feeling to occur.

4. One man, without help and without proper construction tools, spent 34 years building the Watts Towers, which still stand in Los Angeles. 5. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate of any

U.S. state, and New Orleans has the highest incarceration rate of any city in the state. 6. Samsung has been granted a patent in South Korea for contact lenses that project images directly into the wearer’s eyes. 7. By 2017, it is estimated that nearly 207 billion emails will be sent every day. 8. Studies suggest that gifted people often have bad handwriting because their brains work faster than their hands. 9.

Cheetos are naturally gray before they are given a bright orange artificial color. 10.

Looking through Instagram accounts of healthy meals can actually trick you into enjoying those foods 11. more than you otherwise would, a study found.

Women are statistically better drivers then men. 12. It cost $15 million to build Disneyland’s New Orleans

Square—the amount the U.S. paid for the real New

Orleans in the Louisiana Purchase.

4. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.

5. The shortest war in history was between

Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar 6. surrendered after 38 minutes.

A polar bear’s skin is black. Its fur is not 7. white, but actually clear.

Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland 8. because he doesn’t wear pants.

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes. 9. Shakespeare invented the words “assassination” and “bump.” 10.If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white. 11.The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with. 12.The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

You can control the volume of a YouTube video by using the up and down arrows on your keyboard. In New York City, about 1,600 people are bitten by other humans every year. 50% of Netflix users watch an entire season of a show in a week. Studies show the key to happiness is spending your money on experiences rather than possessions. Air Jordans were banned from the NBA, however Michael Jordan always wore them as Nike was willing to pay the fine for each game. Studies show Americans ages 18-29 are far more stressed out that anyone else in the country. Cotton candy only costs about six cents per serving to make, including the cardboard cone. According to NASA, the perfect nap should last no more than 26 minutes. Studies suggest that eye contact must be held for about 8.2 seconds for that “Love at first sight” feeling to occur.

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