Hospitality Talks

Growth & Development - Africa's Hotel Industry

Travel & Tourism contributes more than 8% of the continent’s GDP and has been one of the fastest growing tourism markets in the world. Hospitality Talks is thrilled to have Wayne Goodwin – Sr Vice President, JLL Hotel & Hospitality Group; Bernard Micallef – Senior Industry Specialist International Finance Corporation and Oum-Hani Saaf – Regional Director of Sales Iberostar Group for a conversation that will focus on the challenges and growth in the hospitality sector.

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Innovation has always been core to the hospitality business, coupled with the changing demands and expectations of the travels, several new concepts are being introduced around the world. These concepts consider, cutting-edge designs while providing local experiences. Please join Hospitality Talks for a conversation with Zachary Schwartz – CEO, YAYS; Saurabh Chawla – CEO PropCo, Selina and Jessica Sager – Design Director, Page Southerland Page about new accommodations.

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Hotels around the world continue to recover from the worst downturn in history, but which market recovers faster depend on several factors. As we prepare to welcome guests back to our hotels there are new efforts and initiatives to stay relevant and profitable in the transformed landscape. What has been done to innovate and make businesses more resilient? Please join Hiran Cooray – Chairman, Jetwing Hotels; Anuraag Bhatnagar – Chief Operating Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Jesper Palmqvist – Area Director Asia Pacific, STR for a discussion regarding the ups and downs of the industry.

Cruise lines are setting their sails once again, but with some caveats and changes. The industry faces a long road back to normal and the operators still must contend with a patchwork of domestic and international rules along with heightened environmental requirements, port infrastructure development, and the sourcing of skilled crew? We are thrilled to have Roberto Martinoli – President and CEO, Silversea Cruises join us to discuss trends in luxury cruising.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that a business has a responsibility to the society that exists around it. Until recently, most businesses were driven almost exclusively with a single goal in mind: profit. Most firms are driven to embrace corporate social responsibility due to moral convictions and doing so can bring several benefits. Hospitality Talks is thrilled to have industry leaders to help us understand the successes through conducting business responsibly. Please join Jared Meyers – Co-Founder & Chairman, Legacy Vacation Resorts; Portia Hart – Founder Blue Apple Beach House, and Jake Haupert – Co-Founder, Transformational Travel Council.

Business executives have varying perspectives on the approach and qualities necessary for effective leadership. Great leaders adapt to their surrounding environments and empower the team to succeed together. Leading in turbulence requires keeping up an active presence. Leaders need to demonstrate internally and externally that uncertainty creates opportunities and that a well-led organization pursues value creation in good times and bad. Please join Hospitality Talks for a discussion regarding this very important topic with Rick Smith – Vice Dean Corporate and Global Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University; Alma Seidel – Vice President Human Resources, Real Hospitality Group and Samantha Crowe – Founder and CEO, Evalia Consulting.

Widespread changes in food preferences and dining experiences are being experienced globally. Some such trends prove to be long-lasting while others tend to be more of a fad. Please join us for a discussion regarding the crucial connection between consumer trends, behavior, and values, to provide context for the sectors, demographics and global themes that can help us prepare for the future. Hospitality Talks is thrilled to bring a global panel together. We are joined by Deepak Ohri – Chief Executive Officer, Lebua Hotels & Resorts; Ziad El Kerdany – Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Revel Hospitality and Matthew Jaffe – Managing Partner, Capital Burger.

The importance of destination positioning, and the image is critical since it can affect an individual’s perception and resulting behavior regarding selection and visit. How do attributes like exciting nightlife, restaurant variety, friendly local communities, etc help destination positioning?

Please join Hospitality Talks for a discussion with Peter Greenberg – Travel Editor, CBS News; Dan Fenton – EVP & Global Tourism Director, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group and John Perrottet – Global Tourism Specialist, The World Bank, to understand the positioning process. Listen to the end for the surprise finish.

With rapid vaccine distribution, some countries in Europe are now turning their sights on reopening travel, tourism and hospitality sectors in time for the summer holidays - though, perhaps the focus will include local tourism. What are the issues facing the hospitality industry as we recover from the pandemic? What does the recovery look like? We are grateful to have Nikola Reid – Senior Director Hospitality & Leisure, Alvarez & Marsal; Dermot Crowley – Chief Executive Designate, Dalata Hotel Group and Lionel Benjamin – Co-Founder, AGO Hotels for this important conversation.

As the public health restrictions are being lifted, we start to recover from the shock of lockdown. However, the recovery process will be challenging, and we might find ourselves in a different business environment. Please join Hospitality Talks in a conversation with Rahul Chaudhry – CEO, CG Holdings, and Dillip Rajakarier Group CEO, Minor International to learn about the difficulties during the current environment and the opportunities it presents.