The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every industry, in every corner of the world. Yet this universal impact also brings a time of stark contrast. In the hospitality industry, for example, many hotels shuttered their doors amid global travel restrictions, and the ones that remained open have largely struggled to attract travelers; in early May, nearly 7 out of 10 hotel rooms sat empty in the U.S., according to STR. At the same time, other industries like retail have had the opposite dilemma, struggling to meet surging consumer demand. Amazon reportedly hired more than 100,000 new employees in the first four weeks of widespread U.S. shutdowns alone.
