(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Ivanka said that attention to details is key in building luxury hotels and it can only be up to a certain level if the developers aren't highly involved in the design and construction process.
Global leaders at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (Ahic) on Thursday agreed that technology and innovation is very important in developing hotels for the next generation.
Ivanka Trump executive vice-president of Development and Acquisitions of The Trump Organisation and Susan Harmsworth founder and chairman of ESPA debated the future of luxury and the next generation of luxury traveller.
Ivanka said that “attention to details is key in building luxury hotels and it can only be up to a certain level if the developers aren’t highly involved in the design and construction process.
In order to build something exceptional developers and brands need to be onsite during the construction and incredibly hands on” Ivanka also expressed that 'leadership has to be strong in hotel management and that cultural sensitivity has been growing in the past few years in hospitality shifting from the standardisation that hotels used to adopt a few years ago.'
“Dubai’s standards are very high which raised the bar to other countries we don’t have those standards all over the US in most of the hotels so here design has to be spectacular to meet people’s expectations. She confirmed that innovation is key for high end brands because people are pushing themselves to try new experiences” Ivanka said.
$68b deals likely
In an update on the transactional market of hotels globally JLL explained that $68 billion worth of global deals expected the third highest on record and a 15 per cent increase on 2014 levels.
Mark Wynne-Smith global chief executive officer Hotels & Hospitality Group at JLL elaborated that it’s a very active market at the moment. “We are seeing a huge amount of cross-border transactions — we reckon about 30 per cent of deals taking place this year will be capital moving from one region to another.”
Mark Shea head of hospitality for Faithful+Gould Middle East said at another session that the hotel industry has seen an increase in diversification largely due to rise in demand from price-conscious international tourists and business travellers who want something other than a full five-star luxury experience at premiumprices in the form of mid-market hotels.
“Medical and religious tourism are also fuelling the growth of the mid-range market which could provide profitable long-term investment opportunities.”
Focus on Africa
At the session titled ‘Global leaders panel discussion president and group chief executive of Jumeirah Group Gerald Lawless said Jumeirah has had a solid first quarter and is on track to open 430 new rooms by June next year.
“Governments are beginning to realise the need to open up visa regimes. We are seeing a move in the right direction and need to keep up this momentum. It’s up to us hoteliers to keep it on the agenda” he said.
Jean Jacques Dessors chief executive of Mediterranean of Middle East Africa and Caribbean Islands at Accor said: “When it comes to Africa you need to focus on a specific area or city. Too often we generalise about Africa and this is a mistake. You also need to have a diversified strategy to mitigate any upheavals that may occur — it’s the safest way.”
Meanwhile Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and Sisban Holdings have announced the signing of a new 350-room luxury hotelin Jeddah. The new hotel is scheduled to open in late 2018.
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