Marko's hotels hit hard by pandemic: "We need open borders"

Many entrepreneurs and businesses have been affected by the coronapandemic, as has Helmut Marko who, in addition to his work for Red Bull Racing, runs four hotels. Hotels have been hit hard by the closing of the borders immediately and Marko has experienced this in the same way, who states that it will only be on the rise when the borders are completely open again.

He expected his hotels to suffer the most from the pandemic and in an interview with the Steirische Wirtschaft he says: "That is still true. As a city hotel business, we are geared towards business guests. We are logistically insanely challenged to keep people on short-time so that we can get through this financially halfway."

"As long as there is no certainty of return in international travel, that will not change. We simply need open borders. I am in the hotel business, renting and leasing. Suddenly, businesses that have been with me for decades could no longer pay rent or lease."

Now that everything is starting up a bit, Marko is still experiencing fierce competition, because now everyone is putting themselves in the spotlight. "Everyone wants to show themselves, so you have to tap into a different clientele." Nevertheless, Marko himself has certainly not been idle in recent months. For example, he spent six hours a day in the office and six hours outdoors in nature.

For Marko, his daily life will soon look different again, as the season starts this weekend in Austria where he will again take on the role of team advisor.