The pandemic has had repercussions in every sector, with companies facing important challenges due to resulting uncertainty. Out of necessity, they have had to prioritise the immediate and focus on the needs of their employees, customers and suppliers. In parallel, they have tried to stabilise revenues, take care of customers, reshape their businesses in alignment with changing demands and identify new growth opportunities.

All sectors have been called upon to modify their protocols to ensure hygiene and safety, first for their employees, then for suppliers and customers. However, the biggest challenge is for companies in sectors with high levels of human interaction. How is it possible to create and deliver value through human contact in times of social distancing?

Companies in services sectors, including transport, commerce, gastronomy, tourism, hospitality and education, have been required to undertake an urgent and substantial rethink of their business. Initially, at least, they had to do so independently as, in Italy, the first government guidelines were issued several weeks after the lockdown was declared.

Entrepreneurs and managers in those sectors found their companies suddenly closed, without knowing when and, above all, how they could reopen.It is interesting to assess how hoteliers in the tourism sector tried to understand and interpret what was happening around them while remaining determined to reopen their facilities as soon as possible. It is also interesting to investigate how they acquired information and what efforts they made to restart their businesses.

This case study, which takes the form of a website, offers an interdisciplinary view of Misano Adriatico hoteliers’ reactions after the first wave of COVID-19.