Adaptive Legal Literacy in Crisis: Responsible Hotel Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Decision-making in relation to changing legislation within the hospitality sector, especially in hotel operations, has faced unforeseen challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper deals with critical aspects of hotel management in times of crisis. It focuses on the question as to how responsible hospitality management is constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing insights from a corpus-assisted analysis of hospitality legislation and 240 press releases of the Austrian Hotel Association between 2020 and 2021, it aims to shed light on the role of hospitality managers’ legal literacy and communication skills in dealing with the practical uncertainties and indeterminacies of the legal-linguistic landscape during the pandemic. We propose that hospitality managers, such as General Managers (GM) were confronted with rapidly developing an in-depth understanding of dynamic legal frameworks while adapting to the disruptive and unstable circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. We provide theoretical considerations as to how legal discourse and business communication intersect in the context of hotel operations and foreground the need for effective communication strategies for GM in times of crisis. The challenges posed by the indeterminacy of legal literacy and the duty of GM to adapt and respond effectively during the pandemic are addressed. In this context, learnings gained for responsible hotel management practices are presented. We conclude that GMs need to develop not only legal knowledge and literacy but also effective communication skills to articulate suitable measures for achieving compliance.