LONDON, April 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Day two of Questex’s International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA (IHIF EMEA) brought deep insights into macro travel trends, supply and demand, the drivers of profit, how capital is attracted and invested, how global level deals are done and how changing trends influence what owners, brands and operators do with the customer offering.
The Capital Talks panel session is one of the most eagerly anticipated spots on the programme. In a discussion moderated by Kenneth Hatton, managing director, head of hotels, Europe at CBRE, IHIF EMEA delegates learned about the underlying trends supporting hospitality investment. Representatives from KSL Capital Partners, Starwood Capital and AXA Investment Managers talked about the finer points of the current hospitality landscape.
Josh Cleveland, partner & head of EMEA, real estate, StepStone Group said that hospitality’s “strong inflation hedge” had convinced the firm to invest in the asset class in an increasingly significant way.
Hilton intends to establish “many more partnerships” with independent travel and hospitality businesses, said the company’s president and CEO Chris Nassetta from the stage. “You will see many more partnerships on the experiential side. Why? Because our Hilton Honors members, particularly, want more experiences, and the more we can offer them those adjacencies, the more we think they will remain loyal and we’ll get an incremental share of wallet,” he said, in conversation with consultant Nick van Marken.
The day closed with compelling thoughts from operators on how to differentiate the hospitality offering to maximise returns.
The presentations delivered market-making intelligence to underpin the industry’s decision making in a year which the conference believes has both promise and opportunity.
HAMA Awards
The highly anticipated HAMA Awards was presented today by IHIF EMEA and the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) Europe and co-sponsored by Questex Hospitality and HotStats.
The winner of this year’s prestigious HAMA Europe Asset Management Achievement Award was Iconic Luxury Hotels for its Mayfair Townhouse project.
Iconic Luxury Hotels acquired and rebranded the Hilton Green Park as The Mayfair Townhouse in 2020 due to underperformance. Three years later, the hotel's revenue nearly doubled, and profitability significantly increased, driven by a focus on essential services and guest needs-aligned strategies.
Current Chair of the Awards Committee, Harriet Durbin commented, “The HAMA Europe Award was established to recognise the key role played by hotel asset management in sustainably growing asset value and driving underlying investment returns. Iconic Luxury Hotels’ Mayfair Townhouse is an excellent example of the value provided by asset managers in the development, pre-opening and post-opening stages of an asset’s lifecycle, in an increasingly challenging operating environment.”
Announcements from IHIF partners:
- Horwath HTL Italy launches 11th Edition of Hotels & Chains Report, Unveiling Resilient Trends and Growth Prospects in Italian Hospitality [Press release]
- Ando Living Group announces its financial results for the fiscal year 2023. The group, comprising Ando Living and Lovely Stay, manages 2,000 apartments in Europe and achieved a turnover of €32 million, marking a significant year-on-year increase. [Press release]
- Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund (TDF) and Karisma Hotels & Resorts International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) exploring opportunities for developing luxury resorts in Saudi Arabia.
For more information about IHIF EMEA 2024 and to register for the event, visit IHIF EMEA website.
For a list of companies attending, please click here.
Stay connected with IHIF EMEA on X and LinkedIn.
About Questex
Questex helps people live better and longer. Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences. We live in the experience economy – connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.
Media Contact
Francesca Ruggiero
Senior Marketing Manager, Hotel Group
Questex
fruggiero@questex.com
