As the owner of a small PR agency focused on luxury hotels, the current situation defies every worst-case-scenario one can draw with most of the clients being closed, laying off people and fighting for economical survival.

One can always compensate for the loss of one or two clients at the same time, but to see most of them shut down is an unprecedented scenario, which left me and my colleagues somewhat paralyzed. At least for a while.

After having organized the agency, critical reflection set in and I started to question the purpose of my work – does one really need PR for the luxury hotel industry, which is in any case only available to a lucky few? Would it not make more sense to engage in something more meaningful – where you help people in need or support systems that do?

I had to completely switch off and work through a few things to get my head around this new situation, which is very scary and unsettling on the one hand, but can also be perceived as a great chance and re-set for us all.

And this is how I chose to see this unprecedented shut-down, the restrictions, the confinement and the uncertainty – as being grounded and given the time to think things through, alter priorities and re-define. Which brings me to itmustbeNow – as it is the only survival strategy for the luxury hotel industry.