INTERNATIONAL. In our special series to close out 2020, we focus on the heroes and heroines who stood up as a global pandemic raged and ensured that airport, travel retail store and restaurant environments were safe and hygienic, that shelves were stocked and that customers – though few in number – could still enjoy a reassuring shopping, dining or general airport experience, even in constrained conditions.
On this page we pay tribute to the men and women of global travel F&B powerhouse HMSHost International, whose teams have been affected by the virus in markets across the world.
The company says: “Through all that our company has been through, the toughest days, the most euphoric, our people have been our own heroes. They have closed stores only to reopen them, they have turned up for work when their friends and family were in lockdown, they have pooled hours to secure jobs for the many rather than the few, they have organised donations for the vulnerable, and kept a close eye on each other for health and wellbeing. All the time, greeting travellers with a smile and some of our special HMSHost attention.
“For that reason, we are so glad to read of your initiative [to champion these front line heroes] and reached out to our regions to share with us some of their own heroes. This is only a small expression of our heroes, as truly, whether front of house or back of house, we couldn’t be more proud of our associates and the commitment and passion that they have shown for our company all over the world.”
We feature images of many of those workers from Norway to Turkey, and from the UAE to Vietnam on this page.
Watch out for more stories in which we recognise the front line workers of the aviation and travel retail sectors.
