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07:30 - 20:00
07:30 - 08:30
Networking
09:00 - 09:10
09:10 - 09:40
How are hotels performing across the world and what trends and forecasts are to be expected in the coming years? Do the key metrics to measure hotel performance need to change in the context of evolving hospitality products?
Robin Rossmann – Managing Director, STR
Robin Rossmann
Managing Director, STR
Robin Rossmann is Managing Director of STR, leading its operations across the Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Central and South America regions. Robin is focused on continuing to improve the way STR provides the hotel industry with robust and insightful performance benchmarking that enables stakeholders to make better decisions. Prior to STR, Robin was a Senior Director in Deloitte’s Global Hospitality Advisory Team in London. During his 13 years with Deloitte, he advised leading hotel brands, operators, investors and lenders in most major global markets. His wide range of experience includes advising on hotel strategy, business planning, investment appraisal, market reviews, financial and commercial due diligence, IPOs, debt advisory, valuation, financial assurance, controls improvement and risk management.
09:40 - 10:20
Regardless of your management structure, the key to success is to ensure stakeholder buy-in and alignment of goals. But as the market evolves, what is the best way to manage a property (in-house asset management, third party operator?) and how do you maintain brand relations and guarantee the delivery of brand promises?
Moderator:
Russell Kett – Chairman, HVS - London Office
Russell Kett
Chairman, HVS - London Office
Russell Kett is Chairman of the London office of HVS, the leading global specialist hotel valuation, consulting, asset management and brokerage firm, which he joined in 1995.
Russell has 40+ years' specialist hotel consultancy, investment and real estate experience, focused on providing valuation, feasibility, property, brokerage, investment, asset management, strategy and related consultancy services, advising hotel, serviced apartments and hostel companies, banks, developers and investors on all aspects of their hospitality industry related interests, throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.
He is a frequent writer, moderator and speaker on the international hotel industry, especially on topics relating to hotel valuation, investment, marketing and finance. Russell received a Lifetime Achievement Award from HOSPA in 2011 and the ‘Hall of Fame’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hot.E hotel investment conference in London in 2017. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a member of the International Hotel Investment Council.
He celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary in June 2018 and is blessed with two children and three grandchildren.
In conversation with:
Michael J. Deitemeyer – President & Chief Executive Officer, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Michael J. Deitemeyer
President & Chief Executive Officer, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Greg Hegarty – Chief Operating Officer, PPHE Hotel Group
Greg Hegarty
Chief Operating Officer, PPHE Hotel Group
Greg Hegarty is Chief Operating Officer since November 2018 for PPHE Hotel Group. He was previously appointed Executive Vice President UK and Chief Commercial Officer in December 2017. Greg has overall responsibility of overseeing the operations of the Company’s regions. Greg holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and brings over 22 years experience in the hospitality sector including roles at global brands such as GLH Hotels and BDL Hotels. In 2004 Greg won a prestigious Acorn Award, which recognises the flair and passion of rising stars in hospitality, and has further shown his commitment to the industry by becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a Master Innholder.
Stéphane Obadia – Head of Investment, Schroder Real Estate Hotels
Stéphane Obadia
Head of Investment, Schroder Real Estate Hotels
Kike Sarasola – President and Founder Room Mate Group
Kike Sarasola
President and Founder Room Mate Group
Kike is a trendsetting pioneer in the tourist industry thanks to his visionary, disruptive and rebellious character. It all began over 10 years ago when he created Room Mate Hotels as an extension of what was to become his most renowned formula: “the 3B’s”: Bed, Bath, Breakfast. The idea of affordable luxury right smack in the center of the most important cities in the world was the formula for success at Room Mate Hotels, now present in Europe and America with 1.500 rooms and 1.600 about to open in the next 18 months.
In 2014, Sarasola turned it up a notch and challenged the entire industry with the creation of Be Mate, a breakthrough company offering the freedom of an apartment combined with the services and safety of a hotel. Kike broke all the rules in the hospitality sector by bringing to life a new business model that his professional colleagues viciously rejected. Three years later, many followed suit.
In 2017, convinced that happiness is profitable, Kike launches his newest business venture:
X-Perience, which consists in sharing the “key factors” of the successful business model of Room Mate with those hoteliers that are seeking to improve their business in this new digital era, becoming part of the X-Perience community.
Kike competed as an Olympic equestrian in Atlanta, Barcelona and Sydney and still maintains Spain’s record in his specialty; he authored the acclaimed book, More Ideas, Less MBA’s; starred in the Spanish version of the TV program “Hotel Hell” and is regarded as one of Spain’s most influential business people in social media. Furthermore, over the past year, Sarasola has been invited to lecture at over 100 conferences worldwide.
All of the above has led to several international recognitions, including but not limited to the 2017 European Gold Medal for Merit at Work and the 2015 Medal for Tourist Accomplishments granted by the Spanish Council of Ministers.
Simon Vincent – President Europe, Middle East & Africa, Hilton
Simon Vincent
President Europe, Middle East & Africa, Hilton
Simon Vincent is President Europe, Middle East & Africa for Hilton. Based in London, Vincent is responsible for more than 539 hotels across eleven brands with more than 70,000 team members in 69 countries.
Since joining the company in 2007, Vincent has overseen the opening of more than 350 hotels and spearheaded growth in the multi-brand proposition, which along with core brand Hilton includes, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Curio – A Collection by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton
A 25-year veteran of the leisure and travel industry, Vincent was previously CEO of Opodo, the pan-European online travel agency. Vincent has extensive international experience having held a number of pan-European roles and has also worked in North America and Japan. He spent the early part of his career in International Banking with HSBC.
He sits on Hilton’s global executive committee, represents the company as co-Chair of the UK Tourism Council and is a member of the governing council for the International Tourism Partnership.
Vincent is also a non-executive director at iconic London retailer Fortnum & Mason and a Trustee of the Jigsaw School, an independent day school for children on the autistic spectrum.
In January 2015 he received an OBE for his services to the hospitality and tourism industries, having been recognized in the New Year Honours List.
10:20 - 10:40
A conversation between two CEOs on leading performance through deep-thinking vision, performance-led strategy and creating an innovation culture.
Sébastien Bazin – Chairman and CEO, AccorHotels
Sébastien Bazin
Chairman and CEO, AccorHotels
After five years working in several financial positions in New York, San Francisco and London, Sébastien Bazin was appointed CEO of Hottinguer Rivaud Finances, an investment bank, in 1990, and then CEO of L’Immobilière Hôtelière, a hotel developer in France, in 1992. In 1997, he moved to Colony Capital, a private real estate investment firm, to head up its European branch and lead several acquisitions, principally in the hospitality sector (Générale des Eaux, Club Méditerranée, Lucien Barrière, Fairmont & Raffles, Buffalo Grill, Château Lascombes, Stadia Consulting and others).
He joined Accor’s Board of Directors in 2005 and, via Colony Capital, became a Paris Saint-Germain shareholder in 2006 and the club’s Chairman in 2009.
In August 2013, he resigned from his duties at Colony Capital and was appointed Chairman and CEO of Accor.
Sébastien has been Chairman of the Théâtre du Châtelet’s Board of Directors since 2015 (and a Board member since 2013), is Vice-Chairman of the Gustave Roussy Foundation’s Supervisory Board, and has been a member of GE’s Board of Directors since 2016.
Sam Shank – Head of Hotels, Airbnb and CEO, HotelTonight
Sam Shank
Head of Hotels, Airbnb and CEO, HotelTonight
Sam Shank is Head of Hotels at Airbnb and CEO of HotelTonight, the mobile-first hotel booking platform he co-founded in 2010. As a travel-obsessed serial entrepreneur, Sam previously founded and was CEO of DealBase, a travel deals search engine, and was CEO of TravelPost, a hotel reviews site. SideStep acquired TravelPost and Sam worked there as VP of Business Development. Sam also worked in comparison shopping at Excite, CNET and NexTag. Sam attended the University of Virginia and received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
10:40 - 11:30
This power panel brings together the CEOs of some of the largest global brands to discuss their views of what is performance in today's hospitality, and their strategies to achieve it.
Patrick Pacious – President and CEO, Choice Hotels International
Patrick Pacious
President and CEO, Choice Hotels International
Patrick Pacious is President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world.
Throughout his 14 years of leadership in increasingly senior roles at Choice, Pacious has led enterprise-wide technology transformation initiatives, revitalized legacy brands, launched new brands, and acquired a brand that is the fastest growing in its segment. He has improved business delivery to hotel owners and advanced an inclusive and performance-based culture for Choice associates.
In 2018, Choice Hotels reported over $1 billion in revenue; exceeded 7,000 hotels in its global system; expanded its pipeline to over 1,000 hotels, the largest in company history; and drove an increase in the company’s 10-year total shareholder return to 278 percent. Before becoming CEO in 2017, Pacious was the company’s president and chief operating officer.
Pacious served as a U.S. Navy officer after earning his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and went on to earn a master’s in business administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Keith Barr – CEO, IHG
Keith Barr
CEO, IHG
Keith has been Chief Executive Officer of IHG® since July 2017. He is responsible for implementing IHG’s strategy for high-quality growth and generating industry leading value creation for hotel owners, operators and shareholders.
Keith has spent more than 25 years working in the hospitality industry across a wide range of roles, having started his career in hotel operations. He has been a member of IHG’s Executive Committee since April 2011 and served as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for four years before being appointed CEO. Prior to his role as CCO, Keith spent four years as CEO of IHG’s Greater China business.
Keith joined IHG in 2000 and subsequently held a number of senior positions, including Vice President of Operations for Midscale brands in North America, Vice President of Operations for the Holiday Inn brand in North America and Chief Operating Officer for Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific.
Prior to joining IHG, Keith held several senior positions at Bristol Hotels and Resorts, which was acquired by IHG in 2000. He is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and is currently a member of its Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. He also sits on the International Advisory Board of EHL.
Federico J González – President & CEO, Radisson Hotel Group
Federico J González
President & CEO, Radisson Hotel Group
Federico J. González is the President and CEO of Radisson Hospitality AB and the chairman of the Global Steering Committee of Radisson Hotel Group.
Federico has extensive global executive leadership experience in the hospitality, leisure and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors. Prior to joining Radisson Hotel Group, he was Chief Executive Officer of NH Hotel Group – where he led a major turnaround of the company – and as Deputy General Manager of Disneyland Paris.
He previously spent 16 years in senior management positions at Procter & Gamble in Brussels, Madrid and Stockholm before becoming the company’s Country Head of Portugal in 2000.
A respected marketer and hotelier, González has written three books: Living and Working Abroad; How to Live and Work with Portuguese, Cómo Hacerse El Sueco En Los Negocios Con Exito; and How to act as a Swedish Manager!
As a global leader, Federico’s personal mission is to motivate and energize large organizations to be more ambitious – in profitability, purpose and people – through respect for diversity of thoughts, culture, gender, experience and beliefs.
González majored in Economics at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and received a Masters of International Trade and Finance from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
11:00 - 12:00
Networking
12:00 - 13:00
Finance
What is the most suitable capital structure for your business? Who provides it? Which will be the most sustainable in the long-term? How do they vary between different regions and asset classes?
Moderator:
Paul Kapiris – Head of Cross-Border Hotel Investment Properties, EMEA, CBRE
Paul Kapiris
Head of Cross-Border Hotel Investment Properties, EMEA, CBRE
In conversation with:
Christopher Heath – Partner, Dentons
Christopher Heath
Partner, Dentons
12:00 - 13:00
Asset Management
Whilst often maligned, the Asset Management function has proved to be a critical part of the hotel operation, driving performance and value. This panel will look at key priorities, evolving trends, which types of assets respond best to asset management, incentivising an asset manager and establishing key performance metrics.
Moderator:
Ben Godon – Head of Hospitality Asset Management, Colliers
Ben Godon
Head of Hospitality Asset Management, Colliers
As Co-Head of the Hospitality Asset Management division, Ben helps to develop the business nationally and internationally based upon his extensive knowledge and experience within the hospitality sector.
Over a career that spans more than 30 years Ben has developed his expertise within the sector from the ground-up, working in a variety of management roles in a diverse range of hotel properties and brands. This has provided him with the experience and hands-on knowledge to provide Collier’s clients with the insightful support and advice they require that helps to make their investments and properties a success.
The invaluable experience and expertise that Ben gained over his time in these management roles has provided him with the knowledge to advise our clients on a broad range of relevant subjects.
Ben and his team have significant experience in the implementation of strategic plans as well as maximising the return on investment for our clients. He has responsibility for the asset management of our expanding portfolio of Central and Eastern European properties, as well as our luxury properties across Western Europe.
His team is tasked with driving improved performance of these properties and investigating opportunities for generating additional cash flow and revenue. Through the identification of operational strengths and weaknesses they have achieved outstanding results for our clients and continue to help grow and support their investments.
Combining strategic thinking with operational expertise, Ben offers the insight that our clients are looking for, whether that be on brand, people, resources, management or operations.
In conversation with:
Andrea Genfeld – Director of Acquisitions & Asset Management, PPHE
Andrea Genfeld
Director of Acquisitions & Asset Management, PPHE
Andrea Genfeld is Director of Acquisitions & Asset Management at PPHE Hotel Group (PPHE), responsible for the creation and implementation of PPHE’s international asset management strategy. This includes the maximisation of hotel asset values, sourcing of new asset opportunities and feasibility studies to achieve optimal return on investment and effective deployment of the group’s assets. Andrea works closely with the Corporate Finance and Acquisition & Development teams, applying over ten years of hospitality and real estate experience. Andrea holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management Business Administration from Hotelschool The Hague.
PPHE is an international hospitality real estate group with a £1.7 billion portfolio of primarily prime freehold and long leasehold assets, enlisted for the FTSE 250 and FTSE All Shares Indices of the London Stock Exchange. PPHE owns, co-owns, develops, leases, operates and franchises hospitality real estate. Its primary focus is full-service upscale, upper upscale and lifestyle hotels in major gateway cities and regional centres. PPHE’s property portfolio comprises 37 hotels and resorts with approximately 8,800 rooms, along with a development pipeline.
Thorsten Purkus – Head of Asset Management - Hospitality, Union Investment Real Estate
Thorsten Purkus
Head of Asset Management - Hospitality, Union Investment Real Estate
Thorsten Purkus leads Union Investment Real Estate GmbH’s international hotel asset management. The 2.5 billion EUR portfolio consists of 34 assets spanning 8 countries. Most recently, Mr. Purkus served as Managing Partner at PVP Hospitality LLC, an advisory firm with expertise in asset management and hotel development in Africa. He also has experience as Head of Hotel Asset Management with Munich Hotel Partners GmbH. Mr. Purkus is a 15-year veteran of Hyatt Hotels Corporation where he was most recently the Vice President of Feasibility & Development Finance for Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Southwest Asia. During his tenure he appraised and valued with his team some 200 projects annually with a sales volume of 3 billion EUR.
12:00 - 13:00
Development & Design
Looking at the key trends developers and their partners need to understand now and in the coming years: regulation/compliance, sustainability, well-buildings, mixed-use projects.
Mark Adams – Senior Property Development Manager, McAleer & Rushe Property
Mark Adams
Senior Property Development Manager, McAleer & Rushe Property
Mark is a highly experienced property professional and Chartered Surveyor with 24 years experience in commercial real estate development across the UK & Ireland specialising in the hotel and mixed-use sectors working across the various brands.
Mark is part of McAleer & Rushe, one of the UK’s largest property development & construction companies which specialises in hotel development. Established over 50 years the company has delivered of in excess of 25,000 hotel bed rooms for all major operators including Premier Inn, Accor, Dalata, Hilton, Travelodge, IHG and Starwood.
Property acquisitions, deal structuring, planning, complex large-scale developments, multi-faceted contract negotiations, forward funding and construction are Mark’s acknowledged areas of expertise.
Yasmine Mahmoudieh – Architect and interior designer
Yasmine Mahmoudieh
Architect and interior designer
Yasmine Mahmoudieh is a London-based Architect and visionary designer/project enabler, working globally. She opened an office in Los Angeles at age 26 after graduating from UCLA and had scaled her business to 4 offices in Europe. She has a holistic approach to design, which merges from human psychology and cutting-edge technology.
Experience:
•Expert on hotel projects
•Visiting professor for 9 years at the EHL Hotel School in Lausanne and Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon
•Worldwide guest lecturer on hotels and mixed use projects, own projects and future vision of design and architecture
•Nominated for Brit List 2018, most important personalities in the hospitality sector in the UK.
•Worked on Airbus A380, Deutsche Bank, Kempinski Hotels in Moscow, Bad Saarow, Intercontinental Hotels, Berchtesgaden and St Petersburg, Radisson SAS Hotel, Copenhagen and Berlin, Nevai Verbier, Switzerland, Saalbach Hinterglemm, Film festival Berlinale, Augeo in Rimini, Italy, the latest project Strandhotel Atlantic & Villa Meeresstrand, Usedom
•Office, shopping centers, museums and mixed use projects in Russia, USA,UK, Eastern Europe
•Development of Lifestyle Hotel brands
•Selected for the second time to design a sleep set at Sleep+Eat 2018 in London.
Other activities
•Board member of BLLA (Boutique, Lifestyle and Lodging Association)
• One out of 5 European design office to be included in ‘Leading by design’ by Leading Hotels of the World
• Visiting professor at EHL ( Hotel Ecolière de Lausanne) for 9 years and at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon
• Foundation of myKidsy, a tech company.
• Knowledge of 6 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Farsi).
Selection of awards
• European Spa Award for Augeo , Rimini . Italy
• Euroshop Award, best Stand design for HI-MACS®
• Nevai Hotel Verbier Hospitality Design award
• Resort Intercontinental Berchtesgaden European Hotel Design Award and 5 times winner of the World Travel Award
• Radisson Hotel Copenhagen European Design Award
• Radisson SAS Berlin Innovation Award
12:00 - 13:00
Hospitality Trends & Concepts
Assessing branded residential accommodation as an investment and development opportunity. Digging deep into the business model, stakeholders involved, legal implications and demand for a rental programme.
Moderator:
Rob Sykes – Director of Strategy, WATG
Rob Sykes
Director of Strategy, WATG
Rob Sykes is an experienced real estate economist with extensive advisory experience. Rob has delivered a broad range of projects including hotels and resorts, branded & unbranded residential real estate, golf clubs, spas and visitor attractions. Knowledge of global markets is a key strength, with recent consulting experience in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
Through his comprehensive experience and market research capability, Rob equips developers, investors, hospitality operators and other stakeholders with the tools needed for effective project planning.
Rob holds an MA in Real Estate Management from the University of the West of England, with core modules in Valuation and Appraisal, Strategic Estate Management, Property Economics and Real Estate Investment. He also achieved a first class BSc in Business and Tourism Management from the University of Surrey.
In conversation with:
Daniel von Barloewen – Regional Senior Director - Mixed Use Development Europe, Marriott
Daniel von Barloewen
Regional Senior Director - Mixed Use Development Europe, Marriott
Julio Delgado – CEO, Ombria Resorts
Julio Delgado
CEO, Ombria Resorts
Julio Delgado has a degree in Business and Economy by Seville University and a master degree in Hotels Management, by Madrid Polytechnic University. He also has a Master in Golf Management by Wales University/EADE, a General Manager Program in Cornell University New York and another Master in Real Estate Management, by Law and Economy Institute of Barcelona, among other courses. Julio has particular expertise on five star resorts management, standing out as CEO/GM at: Ombria 5 star Resort in Algarve, Portugal, PGA Catalunya Resort***** ; Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa***** in Italy ; La Manga Club Golf Resort***** in Cartagena ; La Cala Resort***** in Malaga, Resort Barceló Envía Golf & Spa***** in Almeria, among several other professional experiences on luxury tourism sector.
Miguel Espada – Founder & CEO, Propriétés & Co
Miguel Espada
Founder & CEO, Propriétés & Co
Founder & CEO at Propriétés & Co, based in Paris, successful Resort Investor & Entrepreneur, graduated from Paris-Dauphine University and ESCP Europe, 15 years of experience in the Hotel & Resort industry, currently investor & developer of LUX* La Baraquette, the first seafront vineyard branded resort ***** in Europe (250 keys including hotel & branded residences, GDV 170M€) www.la-baraquette.com and others resorts www.proprietes.co.uk
Jeff Tisdall – Senior Vice President Development, Residential and Extended Stay, Accor
Jeff Tisdall
Senior Vice President Development, Residential and Extended Stay, Accor
Jeff Tisdall is the Senior Vice President Development, Residential and Extended Stay for Accor. Accor is a global leader in the extended stay and branded residence segments, offering a comprehensive suite of serviced apartment and private residence solutions. Working closely with the investment partners, Tisdall oversees the global development 15 serviced apartment brands, including Novotel Living, Swissôtel Living and Pullman Living. The company also operates and is developing branded private residences under most of its premium and luxury brands – including Raffles, Orient Express, Banyan Tree, Fairmont and Sofitel.
Prior to joining Accor (via FRHI Hotels and Resorts), Tisdall was the Managing Director of Singapore-based LIFT, where he served as branded residential advisor to FRHI and the Jumeirah Group. Previously, Tisdall worked with Wyndham Worldwide in Dubai, holding the position of Managing Director with responsibility for the company’s RCI and Registry Collection brands in the Middle East and North Africa region. He was also Vice President of Real Estate at Kingdom Hotel Investments, where he managed the company’s residential and commercial real estate portfolio. Earlier in his career, Tisdall spent 13 years with Intrawest, leaving as a Senior Vice President at the company’s premium vacation ownership division.
Tisdall holds a degree from McGill University in Canada and lives in Singapore with his family.
12:00 - 13:00
Destination Development
How are shifting travel patterns and travellers' expectations changing hospitality? What travel trends should investors be aware of when assessing real estate investment strategies? Looking at tourism trends, including destinations, length of stay, seasonality, experience travel.
Moderator:
Ursula Kriegl – Associate Partner, EY
Ursula Kriegl
Associate Partner, EY
Ursula oversees hotels & hospitality real estate services in the German speaking region.
From 2002 to 2016, she worked for JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group with responsibility for this firm`s hotels practice in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for many years. Previously, she also was with Arthur Andersen and a tourism consulting practice in Austria. Moreover, she gained operational hotel experience in the US, in Egypt and in Austria.
She is in the advisory board of the World Tourism Forum Lucerne and a regular speaker at conferences. Ursula is a graduate (B.Sc., MMH) of Cornell`s School of Hotel Administration and a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS).
In conversation with:
Savvas Perdios – Minister of Tourism, Republic of Cyprus
Savvas Perdios
Minister of Tourism, Republic of Cyprus
12:00 - 13:00
Tech Hub
A presentation on the key trends in proptech will be followed by a panel discussing tech disruption, how proptech impacts investment, and how hotel investors/developers/operators should build partnerships with proptech companies.
12:00 - 13:00
Moderated by:
Georgios Filiopoulos – CEO, Enterprise Greece
Georgios Filiopoulos
CEO, Enterprise Greece
Georgios Filiopoulos is the CEO at Enterprise Greece, Greece's national trade and investment promotion agency. Before devoting his work to the public sector, Mr. Filiopoulos worked as business executive for companies and organizations in the US and Greece.
He received his MBA from HEC Paris and he holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an MA in Journalism from The University of Memphis and a B.A. in Advertising from Kansas State University.
Natalie Weisz – Senior Manager, Research & Analysis, STR
Natalie Weisz
Senior Manager, Research & Analysis, STR
13:00 - 14:30
Networking
14:00 - 14:45
Tech Hub
Hear from the most innovative start-ups in hoteltech, travel tech, proptech, showcasing their products.
15:00 - 16:00
Tech Hub
A presentation followed by Q&A on the impact of 5G and IoT on hotels in terms of enhacing the customer experience and managing properties, with examples from other sectors including retail, transport and sports real estate.
Erik Meijer – Senior Vice President - Europe, Mach49
Erik Meijer
Senior Vice President - Europe, Mach49
Erik Meijer is Senior Vice President for Europe at Mach49, bringing his long standing career in innovation strategies and building new business at the two sides of the house: in startup capacity and at global 1000 companies. He has extensive digital strategy and transformation experience and executed new (platform) business models. He has been managing client accounts and driving growth and development of staff(agile work methods, Design Thinking and SCRUM PSM and PSPO certified), where by expanding and securing new business and managing project portfolios.
Before joining Mach49, Erik was at Deutsche Telekom’s Board Area Technology & Innovation, responsible for digital transformation for the global Service Delivery Platform (SDP); at the heart of Deutsche Telekom’s new ‘Easy to Partner’ and highly successful‘Un-Carrier’ Strategies.
Furthermore, he was involved in rolling out the group wide Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning efforts; which were ranging from hybrid bots for customer service to decision strategies for e.g. procurement, network optimization, real estate, customer finance and revenue management.
He started his career in a high-profile MIT start-up, followed by two Consulting-IT mergers, subsequently founded his own company with delivery of multi-year high profile projects for global clients in EMEA, Asia and the US, before joining Deutsche Telekom.
Erik is an active supporter of TED,TMForum Advisory Board Member, guest lecturer at IMD Business School (Lausanne,Switzerland) and a frequent global keynote speaker. He holds a BA and MSc, completed with education at IMD, Harvard, MIT, CEIBS and in Finance. He is fluent in four languages.
16:30 - 17:30
Tech Hub
From operational efficiencies to revenue management and tools to improve the guest experience, what hotel tech solutions are making the biggest difference to hospitality?
Ait Voncke – Global Senior Vice President, Lodging and Activities, Expedia Group
Ait Voncke
Global Senior Vice President, Lodging and Activities, Expedia Group
Ait studied engineering in Belgium and the UK, and an MBA in the US. He lived in 10 countries across the world, starting his career as an engineer, in the microchip industry in South Korea. He then moved to consulting, helping internet and telecom companies to innovate and accelerate, across the world for 13 years. Before joining Expedia, Ait joined a Berlin based start-up incubator (Rocket Internet), where he build up the travel business for Groupon, across the EMEA region, with what was known to be the most talented travel team ever seen in the region. He joined Expedia in 2014, as Vice President for Market Management in EMEA, and became the Global Account Management Senior Vice President in 2018. In this role he travels the world every week, working with independent hoteliers and other supply partners, to make them successful on the Expedia Group platform and stay ahead of digital innovation.
With the combined experience in engineering, process optimization, and sales, Ait also takes on the ambition to make his team one of the highest performing travel teams the world has ever experienced by fostering a culture where individuals can be their best self. His work philosophy is that it should feel like a challenging team sport and he encourages individuals to follow the formulae of setting your goal, raising the bar and challenge the status quo to re-define the rules in travel. Ait has a habit of starting every day with a little adventure, in the form of a 5k outdoor run where-ever he is in the world. Ait lives in Switzerland with his wife and 2 kids, with whom he shares a passion for adventures, and water and mountaineering sports.
14:00 - 14:45
Hosted by:
Luís Araújo – President, Turismo de Portugal
Luís Araújo
President, Turismo de Portugal
Luis Araújo is the President of Turismo de Portugal (Portuguese National Tourism Authority) since february 2016. Previously was a Board Member at Group Pestana responsible for the Hispanic America hotels operations (Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba). He was also Head of Development for the same Continent and Head of Sustainability since the creation of the department in 2009. He has a degree in Law. Luís Araújo began his career in the Group Pestana in the Law Department, in 1996. From 2001 to 2005 he worked for the Brazilian branch of the company where he was successively Board’s Associate for New Projects in Brazil, Board Member and Vice President for the Group Pestana in South America, with responsibility for New Business Development and Area Operations. He served the Portuguese Government as Head of the Cabinet of the Portuguese Secretary of State for Tourism between 2005 and 2007. He returned to the Group Pestana as Board Member, where he was responsible for Human Resources, Communication and Marketing, IT and Central Purchases as well as New Projects in South America until 2011.
12:00 - 13:00
Regional Outlook
March 2019 marks the date of the UK leaving the EU: how is Brexit going to affect the British and European hospitality industry? Will the UK remain Europe’s most popular market? Who is going to be the beneficiary of Brexit?
Moderated by
In conversation with:
16:00 - 16:45
Regional Outlook
Frank Reul – Head of Development, Accor/ Orbis Eastern Europe
Frank Reul
Head of Development, Accor/ Orbis Eastern Europe
Frank is the current Head of Development for Accor/ Orbis Eastern Europe. He has extensive experience in hotel management and operations. He started his career in 1988 in Brussels and Bruges in Belgium in senior operational roles at Accor. He quickly got promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at the Novotel Sheremetyevo-2 in Moscow, Russia in 1992.
After spending three years in Moscow he moved back to London to and begun his ten years long career in the United Kingdom at Accor. He started at one of the busiest airport’s Novotel, at the Heathrow as an Operations Manager. He then held several General Manager positions across the United Kingdom: Novotel Preston, Novotel Southampton, Novotel Milton Keynes, Novotel Bristol Centre. In 2006 he moved to Turkey, where he directed and managed one of the key hotels in Istanbul, the Novotel Istanbul. He then spent two years as a General Manager at Novotel Trabzon.
After more than 20 years of service at AccorHotels he had been appointed to Area General Manager for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, then from 2014, to the Area General Manager for Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia where he oversaw of operations and development including development in the Balkans and Croatia. From September 2017 he has been appointed to Head of Development Orbis/Accor for Eastern Europe.
He is fluent in Dutch, English, French and speaks German as well. He is an avid fan of history, wines and the Arsenal.
Jakub Stanislav – Director , CBRE
Jakub Stanislav
Director , CBRE
Jakub Stanislav is a Director in the CEE Hotel Investment Properties team based in Prague, Czech Republic. Jakub was previously a director in Ernst & Young in charge of the Central Europe for Real-Estate & Hospitality team focusing on various real-estate and hotel services. Before that Jakub worked for C&W at the EMEA Hospitality Group, out of Prague, focusing primarily on hotel investments. Jakub has covered various projects across 16 different countries advising clients on investments, disposals, financing, operator selections and feasibilities. Jakub’s role is to advise clients on disposals, acquisitions, operating structures, and capital markets (debt and equity) activities within the Central European hospitality investment arena. Jakub further advises investors, developers, and property owners on capital agendas either on single asset or portfolio level.
17:00 - 17:45
Regional Outlook
The growth of tourism across Africa is fuelling a boom in the hotel market, and international investors and brands are increasingly targeting key markets on the continent. The session will discuss the need-to-know facts about entering the emerging markets of Africa.
Thomas Emanuel – Director, STR
Thomas Emanuel
Director, STR
Thomas Emanuel a Director at STR. He is based in London, and leads a team focused on driving business with Industry Partners.
He has spent his entire career in the hospitality industry, beginning in 2000 with Miki Travel, before joining Hyatt Hotel & Resorts, where he gained experience in corporate sales at both the worldwide sales office and at property level. Thomas then led the corporate sales function for Hazlitt’s Hotels, a group of independent boutique hotels in London.
In 2006, Thomas joined the Deloitte HotelBenchmark team, where he was responsible for creating and leading the department’s business development function. He held this role until the formation of STR in March 2008, and has since focused on overseeing STR’s rapid expansion outside North America. Throughout his time with STR, Thomas has gained a wealth of experience working with hotels, investors, developers, consultants, banks, governments, destination management companies and many others.
Thomas has been a guest lecturer at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, and been invited and participated in the OECD's high level meetings on tourism policies.
Thomas has worked in over 45 countries across 6 continents and regularly speaks at major hospitality conferences around the world. He is also frequently interviewed for his insights on the hotel industry by news outlets including CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, as well as various tourism and hospitality publications.
Thomas holds a BA (Hons) in International Business.
14:30 - 16:00
Asset Management
In partnership with HAMA, a series of case studies showcasing the best of asset management in the past year.
14:30 - 15:00
Development & Design
A presentation on how the wellness dollar merges with the real estate dollar.
Ingo Schweder – Founder & CEO, GOCO Hospitality
Ingo Schweder
Founder & CEO, GOCO Hospitality
As CEO and founder of GOCO, Ingo brings more than 20 years of experience from the fields of spa and hospitality.
Working with and managing some of the world’s most prestigious hotel groups, Ingo has been involved with the design, development, and worldwide operation of iconic hotels and wellness destinations. Under his guidance, Ananda in the Himalayas, the globally-recognized destination spa, was established.
During his tenure at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, he established from the ground up 15 resort spas on four continents whose strong holistic roots are credited to him. He earlier was Group Director of Hotel Operations for Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Managing Director of Rafael Group Hoteliers, Southeast Asia.
Always engaging and willing to share his expertise, Ingo is a frequent speaker at Cornell University, ISPA events, Hospitality Finance Conferences globally, and other hospitality-related symposia around the world. He also sits on the Board of the Spa India Association and the China Spa Symposium.
Ingo has a true passion for photography and traveling off the beaten path, where he enjoys combining the discovery of new countries and their people with the practice of yoga, making time to practice with well-renowned yoga masters around the globe.
15:00 - 16:00
Development & Design
How do you turn a building into a successful hotel? This series of case studies followed by Q&A will look at the investment, construction and design implications of developing a hotel from another existing property.
Neville Graham – Managing Director International Member Services, BWH Hotel Group
Neville Graham
Managing Director International Member Services, BWH Hotel Group
Neville joined Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2006 with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Hospitality Industry. Neville previously held a sales role in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland as well as having brand experience with both Hyatt and Choice hotels in both sales and catering/convention services. In his current role as Managing Director of International Member Services for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Neville oversees hoteliers and owners relationships in various international regions and is currently focussed on the current relaunch of the various Best Western brands for Spain and Portugal.
16:30 - 17:30
Development & Design
How to manage a hotel development: from planning to construction and design? A series of case studies will look at greenfield hotel developments.
Moderator:
Jonathan Humphries – Chairman, HoCoSo
Jonathan Humphries
Chairman, HoCoSo
Almost twenty years’ experience in the hotel and real estate sectors. For the last eleven years he covered Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), supporting the expansion of Marriott International’s fifteen brands, for hundreds of projects, across the region in the role of Vice President Development Planning, based out of the regional HQ in Zurich. During this time the company doubled its presence in Europe and become one of the largest hotel companies in the Middle East and Africa. He created the company’s first ever comprehensive development strategy, across 55 countries, for the African continent.
Personally, he was the lead for a two-year project which brought about the tailor-made extended-stay Residence Inn by Marriott concept to Europe in 2008. He was instrumental in the subsequent roll-out of the Residence Inn by Marriott portfolio across Europe and the Middle East, including the now open projects in Edinburgh, Munich, Sarajevo, Bahrain and Kuwait.
He has been engaged on major acquisitions, renovations, extensions, re-brandings, contract extensions and terminations and created strategic road maps for both countries and cities across EMEA.
A repeat speaker at international major conferences such as International Hotel Investment Forum and Serviced Apartment Summit. He was also on the Serviced Apartment Advisory Board of the British Hotel Association during 2014-15.
In the past two years, Jonathan was in charged with creating and delivering new industry focused courses in Hotel Asset Management and Hotel Planning and Development, as a Senior Lecturer, for École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL). Over 1,000 students completed the first ever Hotel Asset Management course for Europe and courses in Hotel Development & Planning.
14:30 - 16:00
Hospitality Trends & Concepts
Hear from the most innovative new brands entering the hospitality market. A series of case studies assessed by an expert panel to be inspired from new concepts.
Hosted by:
Michael Widmann – Managing Partner, PKF hotelexperts GmbH
Michael Widmann
Managing Partner, PKF hotelexperts GmbH
Before joining PKF hotelexperts, worked for Stouffer Hotels & Resorts in Seattle after a management training programme with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Singapore and Bangkok.
1992 - 1996 consultant and manager at PKF hotelexperts in Munich, afterwards managing director until 2003.
Currently managing partner of PKF hotelexperts in Vienna and lecturer at various universities as well as member of the Cornell Hotel Society.
Panel of judges:
Blanche van Berckel – Founder and CEO, Vous Hotels & Retreats
Blanche van Berckel
Founder and CEO, Vous Hotels & Retreats
Blanche van Berckel is one of the leading authorities in hotel management and one of the few female entrepreneurs in hospitality today, with more than 30 years’ experience in the sector. She is the Founder and CEO of Vous Hotels & Retreats.
Nicholas Northam – Managing Director UK, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Nicholas Northam
Managing Director UK, Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Nicholas Northam is Managing Director for Interstate Hotels & Resorts in the United Kingdom. He is responsible for over 60 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Belgium. With more than 33 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Nicholas plays a pivotal role in the company’s growth, leading Interstate’s UK senior management and support teams to provide superior returns for hotel owners.
Before joining Interstate Nicholas spent 10 years as Vice President of Asset Management for Realstar Hotels UK Ltd, the asset management company responsible for the LRG UK portfolio of 73 hotels under IHG management. He was directly responsible for 38 assets including the central London hotels.
Prior to this he had spent 17 years at Whitbread where he was the UK Operations Director responsible for 70+ Marriott hotels as well as having been General Manager at a number of Marriott properties.
Brands:
Abhay Bakaya – Vice President, Development, SH Hotels & Resorts
Abhay Bakaya
Vice President, Development, SH Hotels & Resorts
Abhay Bakaya has close to 15 years of experience in the hotel industry; having worked with Fairmont-Raffles and Starwood Hotels & Resorts / Marriott International prior to joining SH Hotels & Resorts in 2017. He has worked in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North America and holds a Master’s degree from The Hotel School at Cornell University.
As Vice President, Development, Abhay is involved in the global expansion of the 1 Hotel, Treehouse and Baccarat Hotel brands. The company is building momentum beyond its properties in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and London with future openings in Hawaii, San Francisco, Nashville, Toronto, Los Cabos, London, Paris, Bordeaux, Haitang Bay and Melbourne.
Jacques-Olivier Chauvin – CEO, Fauchon Hospitality
Jacques-Olivier Chauvin
CEO, Fauchon Hospitality
Jacques-Olivier Chauvin has been President of Fauchon Hospitality since early 2018. His professional experience in the hotel and restaurant industry include Deputy GM of Taillevent Group (1992-1995), DG of the Relais & Châteaux chain (2000 to 2010), Chairman and founder of Colbert Management & Conseil (since 2013)
His professional experience in the luxury sector include Sales Manager at Louis Vuitton (1996-1999), Vice President at Van Cleef & Arpels (2011-2012) and Senior Advisor at Condé-Nast (2014-2018).
He is also Director of the Baths of Brides les Bains (Savoie France) and of the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz.
He graduated from HEC in 1991.
16:30 - 17:30
Hospitality Trends & Concepts
Regardless of budget, today's traveller is demanding better designed hotels with more personalised touches. But how can brands deliver the optimum customer experience and an inspirational product whilst limiting development costs. Is affordable luxury the answer? If, so how does a developer make it profitable?
Moderator:
Matthias Huettebraeuker – Hospitality & Brand Strategist
Matthias Huettebraeuker
Hospitality & Brand Strategist
A Renaissance man by design and a strategist by profession, Matthias has created, accelerated and transformed brands for the last 20 years.
He held Managing Director positions at the much-awarded creative agencies Pixelpark and Scholz & Friends and is advising global heavyweights across all industries, from automotive to aviation, real estate to telecommunications, mobility, healthcare and more.
Matthias joined the world of hospitality 15 years ago as Director of Global Marketing and Product Development at Design Hotels, shaping the personality and appearance of the brand to this day. He has started his independent practice in 2007 and has since been behind some of the most exciting hotel projects of the last decade, including the experimental pop up hotel as well as some regulars in the world´s-best-hotels rankings, the individual nine-room gem as well as the billion-dollar-valued global hotel group.
Matthias is working on multiple levels of brand development, brand strategy and brand therapy, product innovation and customer experience. His radical-brand approach is always deeply consumer centric, often disruptive and never boring. He lives in Munich.
In conversation with:
Fabrice Collet – CEO, B&B Hotels
Fabrice Collet
CEO, B&B Hotels
Fabrice Collet joined B&B Hotels in 2012 where he
held various positions starting as Chief Financial
Officer before being appointed Vice President in
2016 and Group CEO in 2018. Fabrice has
strongly contributed to the Group’s expansion
strategy that propelled it to no. 1 independent
budget hotel operator in Europe backed by 580
million revenues and 500-plus hotels in August
2019.
Before joining B&B Hotels, Fabrice served in
several senior management roles within large
industry-leading multinational companies (From
2009 to 2011 at Deutsch Group, a leading
manufacturer of high-performance electrical
and fibre optic connectors (a Wendel Group company) and Neopost; from 2001 to 2009 at Polyconcept, the world’s largest
supplier of promotional products and from 1997 to 2000 at Elis, a multi-service
provider of textile, hygiene and facility services solutions for business).
For more than 15 years, he developed strong expertise in implementing group
performance management and reporting systems and M&A transactions Fabrice
began his career in 1993 as auditor with Arthur Andersen. He is graduated from the
École Centrale de Paris.
Dimitris Manikis – President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Dimitris Manikis
President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA), Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Dimitris Manikis was appointed President and Managing Director for EMEA in April 2018. In his role, he is responsible for the development of all of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ brands in the EMEA region as well as maximising the performance of all new and existing franchise and managed hotels. He focuses on driving the strategic objectives of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts including quality and technology solutions as well as loyalty, sales and marketing.
Dimitris Manikis has a long-standing career and deep knowledge of the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, he spent over 27 years with RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, across a number of senior roles, and most recently served as Vice President of Business Development for EMEA. Earlier in his career, he also held a number key positions in the region as Managing Director of RCI Greece and RCI South Africa.
A Greek national, Dimitris was born in Athens and holds a Bachelor degree in Tourism and Administration from the University of Patras in Greece, and an MSc Postgraduate degree in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey. His passion for people and work ethic comes from his father, who built up a grocery retail business in Athens where Dimitris learned the value of high customer service, positive outlook and hard work as being the foundations of success in both business and life.
He is based in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ London office.
Wytze Van den Berg – Managing Director EMEA
Wytze Van den Berg
Managing Director EMEA
Wytze is a hospitality veteran with over 20 years of experience in the International Hospitality industry. Wytze joined Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2006. Prior to this he held different roles with Accor hospitality in corporate marketing and revenue management. Currently Wytze oversees the Best Western territories of Belgium and The Netherlands where he is responsible for all of the services provided by Best Western to 50 branded Hotels. Besides providing best in class services to the existing hotels, his other key focus is the development and growth of brand family in the territory.
15:00 - 16:00
Finance
This informative session will look at the negotiator's toolkit to finalise a deal.
Moderator:
Frederic Le Fichoux – Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
Frederic Le Fichoux
Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
In conversation with:
Anthony Say – Head of Hotels, Natwest
Anthony Say
Head of Hotels, Natwest
Louise Wallace – Partner, CMS
Louise Wallace
Partner, CMS
Louise is a senior corporate partner in the Hotels Group at CMS. Louise covers all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, joint ventures, hotel management and franchise agreements, due diligence and post merger integration, outsourcings, corporate governance, advice to directors and a wide range of corporate restructurings and ancillary advice. Louise specialises in the hotels & leisure and the consumer and retail sectors. She is ranked in the top tier of Chambers 2017 for her work in the hotels & leisure sector and is recognised in Chambers for M&A (High End) GBP 250m+ deals.
16:30 - 17:30
Finance
The concept of leveraging finance via a ground rent is becoming more prevalent. This panel comprised of an investor, lawyer and intitutional fund will assess which markets they are best suited to and the benefits and drawbacks.
Moderated by:
Tom King – Head of Pubs and Leisure, CBRE
Tom King
Head of Pubs and Leisure, CBRE
In conversation with:
Patrick Grant – Partner, Alpha Real Capital LLP
Patrick Grant
Partner, Alpha Real Capital LLP
Patrick joined as a partner of Alpha Real Capital LLP in January 2015 and leads the Alpha origination team focusing primarily on growing the group’s institutional ground rent and other long income property businesses in the UK and Europe. Patrick has over 20 years’ experience in real estate, the majority which has been spent in transaction and advisory within the hotels and alternative asset sectors.
Michael Jung – Managing Partner, Continuum Capital Investment Management GmbH
Michael Jung
Managing Partner, Continuum Capital Investment Management GmbH
Michael cofounded Continuum Capital in 2009 and has been a managing partner since. Between 2004 and 2008 Michael was initially CFO and subsequently CEO of Vivacon AG, a publicly listed real estate company in Germany. In that position Michael was instrumental to the introduction of commercial ground rent investments in the German real estate market and devised the first three capital market ground rent securitisations in Germany. Between 1996 and 2004 Michael worked in the investment banking divisions of Deutsche Bank and Rothschild, where he held director positions and focused on M&A and equity capital market transactions. Michael graduated as Diplom-Kaufmann (MBA) from University of Mannheim.
Vikki McKay – Partner, Proskauer
Vikki McKay
Partner, Proskauer
Vikki McKay is a partner in Proskauer’s Corporate Department and a member of our Private Equity Real Estate practice and Hospitality, Gaming & Leisure group.
Vikki has experience in all aspects of commercial real estate work, and acts for a broad range of clients including private equity firms, developers, landowners, and large international companies and ultra-high net worth off shore individuals.
She advises across a broad range of real estate investment classes, including logistics, office and leisure assets.
John Tew – Head of Single-tenant Credit and Special Situations, Europe, Eastdil Secured
John Tew
Head of Single-tenant Credit and Special Situations, Europe, Eastdil Secured
John joined Eastdil Secured in 2012 and currently leads the European Credit and Special Situations Group, which focuses on delivering credit oriented real estate solutions and special situations advisory to corporate, private equity and hedge fund clients. Since joining Eastdil Secured in 2012, John has been directly involved with over $40 Billion in capital transactions spanning nearly all asset classes and transaction types. John started his career in the Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group at Wells Fargo Securities working on debt and equity issuances as well as M&A.
Kevin Vickers – Investment Director, M&G RE
Kevin Vickers
Investment Director, M&G RE
Kevin is responsible for originating, structuring and executing transactions across the UK and the rest of Europe on behalf of M&G RE long income funds. Prior to joining M&G Real Estate, Kevin worked at Deloitte where he specialised in real estate finance, leading transactions, and advising corporate occupiers across a diverse range of financial structures and property asset classes. His previous experience also includes eight years as a partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s corporate finance team, where he led corporate occupier-led transactions in addition to originating, arranging, and executing sale and lease back deals. Prior to that he worked at EY in their real estate finance business. Kevin has a BSc (Hons) from the University College London and holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).
17:30 - 18:30
A gathering of hospitality CEOs, offering an informal environment to share ideas and experiences with peers at the top of the sector. The discussions follow Chatham House rule, ensuring confidentiality and free debate.
15:00 - 16:00
Destination Development
Municipalities, local authorities and their partners look at how policy and incentives for hotel investment can support regeneration in towns and regions.
Inmaculada Ranera – Managing Director - Spain & Portugal, Christie & Co
Inmaculada Ranera
Managing Director - Spain & Portugal, Christie & Co
In conversation with:
George Campanellas – Director General, Invest Cyprus
George Campanellas
Director General, Invest Cyprus
George Campanellas is a Graduate of the Department of International and European Studies of the Athens University of Economics and Business with post-graduate studies in Public Sector Management (Master’s in Public Sector Management) and Business Administration (MBA in Oil & Gas and Energy Management). Throughout his career in the public sector, he gained valuable experience working directly with the Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism and the Minister of Health. Mr. Campanellas has been actively involved in drafting the regulatory framework and incentives for attracting Foreign Direct Investment in sectors of strategic importance to the economy. Amongst others, Mr. Campanellas dealt for a number of years with the Cyprus Oil & Gas activities, as well as with the development of nationwide large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the natural gas liquefaction terminal (LNG) and the Cyprus TechnoPark. Appointed by the Ministerial Council, Mr. Campanellas also served as Project Manager for the City of Dreams Mediterranean Integrated Casino Resort, the country’s largest FDI project and the largest integrated casino resort in Europe. He also served for many years in various governmental committees. Also, he has been actively participating as a speaker in a number of conferences in Cyprus and abroad, presenting investment opportunities in different sectors of the Cyprus economy. Since May 2018, he holds the positions of the Director General of Invest Cyprus and the Vice President of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association.
Richard Candey – Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
Richard Candey
Partner, Cushman & Wakefield
Richard is a Partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s Hospitality team with over 25 years of Hotel industry experience. Richard leads the business Investor & Development Services team across Europe and is responsible for promoting the business and coordinating hotel assignments across the region. Richard has in depth knowledge of the sector and has led multiple capital markets and advisory assignments, applying his skills in numerous markets and has a particularly close understanding of the hotel development and investment arena.
A leading advisor to the hospitality sector, Richard has led successful projects including Soho House White City, Pullman Liverpool and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam. Most recently he was involved in the sale of 5 Strand, London which will become a new luxury hotel. He leads a dedicated Hospitality team that combines real estate knowledge with practical hotel expertise which adds value for hotel investors, owners, operators, developers and financiers.
The team covers the full spectrum of advice in the hotel space including Valuation, Development and Brokerage services. The team has extensive experience in all market segments covering full and limited service hotels, boutique/lifestyle hotels, conference centres and venues, spas, gaming, golf and destination resorts, extended stay, fractional ownership and timeshare properties. From budget properties to luxury hotels!
Nick Smart – Vice President Development - North and West Europe, Hilton
Nick Smart
Vice President Development - North and West Europe, Hilton
A graduate of Surrey University Hotel Management School, Nick has worked for Grand Metropolitan Hotels, DeVere Hotels and Radisson Edwardian Hotels in a number of sales, marketing, operations and development roles.
In 2006, Nick joined Hilton as Vice President Development UK & Ireland. That role has since expanded to include North and West Europe, which extends to France, Benelux, the Nordics, Spain and Portugal. In that time Nick has overseen the signing and development of well over 250 hotels in the territory ranging from upscale brands including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection, Curio Collection and Canopy, to focused service brands including Hilton Garden Inn, Motto by Hilton and Hampton by Hilton.
Under Nick’s leadership, Hilton has overseen a period of accelerated growth and significantly increased market share in the North and West Europe region. In the UK, Hilton has doubled the number of its hotel rooms to over 32,000 in the past ten years, while extending its network of focused service Hampton and Double Tree hotels adjacent to UK airport terminals nationwide. Nick has also overseen the signing of over 20 new hotels in France in the past four years alone, with strong growth in Spain, including Europe’s first Tapestry by Hilton properties, Le Belgrand Hotel Paris Champs Elysées and Atocha Hotel Madrid, opening in early 2020.
With almost 20 hotels opening in 2019, Hilton’s footprint in the North West Europe region rose to over 210.
Nick is married with eight children. He is also a former rugby player and enthusiastic supporter (especially Wasps RFC!).
16:30 - 17:30
Destination Development
16:30 - 18:00
Sustainability
In response to the increasing demand for sustainable considerations in hospitality real estate, IHIF is launching the Sustainability Council: a working group of investors, developers and operators aiming to build a set of goals and criteria to improve sustainability in hotel investment and development. The discussion will cover Construction; Asset management; Operations; Architecture & Engineering.
Moderated by
Xenia zu Hohenlohe – Managing Partner, Considerate Hoteliers
Xenia zu Hohenlohe
Managing Partner, Considerate Hoteliers
In conversation with
Vanessa Butani – Director of Sustainable Business, Scandic Hotels
Vanessa Butani
Director of Sustainable Business, Scandic Hotels
Luc Boschmans – Director, Asset Management, Archer Hotel Capital B.V.
Luc Boschmans
Director, Asset Management, Archer Hotel Capital B.V.
Luc, a Belgian national, is responsible for the day-to-day asset management of the Archer Hotel (AHC) Capital portfolio. Before the creation of AHC in December 2018, Luc was VP Asset Management with Host Hotels & Resorts in Europe since 2010. Before that, Luc worked as Director Operations for Blackstone and Lone Star Funds. His career started with Hyatt International. Luc has an MBA and a Diploma of the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. He is also a Certified Hotel Asset Manager (CHAM) and a board member (Education) at HAMA Europe.
Rosa Brand – Principal, Real Estate KKR
Rosa Brand
Principal, Real Estate KKR
Gesa Rohwedder – Head of Hospitality, Drees & Sommer
Gesa Rohwedder
Head of Hospitality, Drees & Sommer
Employment history
since 2014 Drees & Sommer, Head of Hospitality
2006-2013 InterContinental Hotel Hamburg, General Manager
2004-2006 InterContinental Hotel Berlin, General Manager
2003-2004 InterContinental Hotel London, General Manager
2002-2003 InterContinental Hotel Cologne, Hotel Manager
1991-2002 Various Hotel Management Position
1990 Graduation as hotel specialist
Personal experience
- 26 years professional experience
- International management international 5*- Hotels in Germany and
abroad
- Review of hotel conversion projects from hotel operator - and
owner overview (evaluation of profitability, potential analysis,
development of financing models, conversion scenarios)
- Analytical researches & feasibilities of hotel projects, locations,
renovation, conversion and expansion opportunities.
Personal reference projects
- Hotelconsulting for international hotel project across Europe; e. g.
Operator Search, Feasibility-, Market and Best Use Studies for hotel
development and conversion in Europe
- InterContinental Berlin: Conversion- and expansion of Hotel Facilities
- InterContinental Cologne: Hotel opening
- InterContinental London: Refurbishment and economic evaluation
- InterContinental Hamburg: Renovation of hotel and economic
evaluation
Hans-Peter Hermann – Senior Director - Asset Management, Europe, Invesco Real Estate
Hans-Peter Hermann
Senior Director - Asset Management, Europe, Invesco Real Estate
Hans-Peter Hermann joined Invesco Real Estate in 2011 and is a Senior Director - Asset Management co-heading the specialist hotel fund management team. He brings over 30 years’ experience from both the real estate and the hospitality industry to Invesco, and is in charge of an experienced team of senior professional industry specialists dedicated to the hotel sector overlooking the entire pan-European portfolio across all mandates.
Previously, Hans-Peter worked for ArabellaStarwood Hotels and Resorts, where he led the development department and was responsible for overseeing research and sourcing new hotel developments in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and the Balearic Islands. Within the brand portfolio of Starwood he dealt with St. Regis, W, The Luxury Collection, Westin and Sheraton projects.
Prior to joining ArabellaStarwood, Hans-Peter worked in the Hotel Finance Team at Aareal Bank and was responsible for the structure, organisation and execution of various forms of financing within the hospitality industry. Hans-Peter also worked as a consultant for Cendant Corporation / Wyndham Worldwide and completed a four-year tenure as Consultant Corporate Services at American Express Germany. In addition, he has also held several different operational management positions at InterContinental Hotels both at home and abroad. He is based in the Munich office.
18:30 - 20:30
IHG will surprise and spoil IHIF attendees and, as always, deliver the utmost in true InterContinental-style hospitality at our evening Gala Reception.
The Annual Hotel Conference (AHC)
7-8 October 2020
Manchester, UK
Mediterranean Resort & Hotel Real Estate Forum (MR&H)
19-21 October 2020
Tivoli Marina Vilamoura, Portugal