CAN BE COVID’19 CRISIS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RENTAL APARTMENTS IN THEIR COMPETITION WITH THE HOTELS?

The field of hospitality is very dynamic, even if, some trends are difficult to change. Despite some strategic alliances were made by the large hoteliers, small accommodation units managed to retain to a certain extent an important part of the market. During the peak periods of the season, their role is an important one, because they take over the demand that remained unsatisfied by the big hoteliers. In the off-season, however, their lives are not easy. However, in certain specific situations, such as this health crisis, small hoteliers can take advantage of certain opportunities. Moreover, the COVID’19 crisis has upset an industry in which, even so, things were not very clear. If, in the first months of 2020, it seemed that the entire hotel industry will be affected equally, it later proved that those who adapt faster and take advantage of the opportunities offered by various decisions of the authorities, will have, at least in the short term, an advantage. This paper aims to study the way in which Romanian consumers will choose between classic accommodation in hotels and rental apartments in a daily basis. Since COVID’19 crisis will force the entire tourism industry to move from mass tourism to small groups tourism, we also aim to anticipate if this niche of accommodation in rental apartments will be capitalized.