A pandemic, a natural disaster, a security incident, or a sudden drop in travel demand can shut down a hospitality business almost overnight, and the properties that survive are rarely the ones that reacted fastest — they're the ones that had already planned for it. Hospitality Crisis Management exists because the hospitality and tourism industry is uniquely exposed to disruption, dependent on travel, public confidence, and in-person gathering in ways few other industries are. The Crisis Management in Hospitality and Tourism Training Course, delivered by the British Academy for Training and Development, is built for professionals responsible for keeping a business standing through disruptions that are often unpredictable but rarely unprecedented.

This course treats crisis management as a structured discipline built well before a crisis hits, not an improvised response assembled in the moment. Participants learn how to build emergency planning frameworks that cover the specific scenarios hospitality and tourism businesses actually face, how to design disaster recovery processes that restore operations methodically rather than chaotically, and how to build business continuity plans that keep critical functions running even under severe disruption. The course also covers how to build long-term organizational resilience, so recovery from one crisis strengthens the ability to withstand the next one rather than simply returning to a fragile status quo. Participants leave with a practical crisis management framework built specifically for the realities of hospitality and tourism.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply hospitality crisis management principles across likely disruption scenarios
• Build emergency planning frameworks specific to hospitality and tourism risks
• Design disaster recovery processes that restore operations systematically
• Develop business continuity plans that protect critical operational functions
• Build organizational resilience that strengthens recovery over time
• Communicate clearly with guests, staff, and stakeholders during a crisis
• Coordinate crisis response across departments and property levels
• Evaluate and improve crisis preparedness through regular review and testing

Target Group

• Crisis and emergency management professionals in hospitality organizations
• Hotel and resort general managers responsible for crisis preparedness
• Tourism board and destination management professionals
• Operations and security managers involved in emergency response planning
• Hospitality professionals preparing for crisis or resilience leadership roles
• Owners and investors seeking stronger organizational resilience

• Foundations of Hospitality Crisis Management
  • Core principles of managing crises specific to hospitality and tourism
  • Understanding why the industry faces unique exposure to disruption
• Emergency Planning Frameworks
  • Building emergency planning frameworks for likely hospitality risk scenarios
  • Structuring plans around natural, security, health, and demand-based crises
• Disaster Recovery Processes
  • Designing disaster recovery processes that restore operations methodically
  • Prioritizing recovery actions based on operational and guest impact
• Business Continuity Planning
  • Building business continuity plans that protect critical functions
  • Identifying single points of failure that threaten continued operations
• Crisis Communication
  • Communicating clearly with guests, staff, and media during a crisis
  • Managing information flow to prevent confusion and reputational damage
• Coordinating Crisis Response
  • Coordinating response efforts across departments and management levels
  • Clarifying roles and decision-making authority during an active crisis
• Building Organizational Resilience
  • Strengthening resilience so recovery improves future crisis readiness
  • Learning from past crises to reduce vulnerability going forward
• Testing and Reviewing Crisis Plans
  • Running drills and simulations to test emergency and continuity plans
  • Identifying gaps in crisis plans before a real crisis exposes them
• Sustaining Crisis Preparedness Long-Term
  • Embedding crisis preparedness into ongoing organizational culture
  • Reviewing and updating plans as risks and conditions evolve