Hotel leaders, economists and analysts shared their top tips to help the hotel sector ‘chart the course’ through uncertain times at The Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) 2022.

More than 1,000 attendees, including hoteliers, investors and developers, spent two days absorbing valuable insight on pertinent topics delivered in keynotes, panel discussions and presentations at the event at Manchester Central Convention Complex on 3-4 October.

With so many unprecedented domestic and global events both impacting the hotel sector and creating new opportunities, the “incredible amount of content” delivered will help guide the industry at such a pivotal moment, said Alexi Khajavi, President of Hospitality & Travel at Questex as he opened the conference with Jonathan Langston, co-founder of HotStats and The AHC.

Economy

Unsurprisingly, the economy and how events are shaping the industry now and in the future, was a central topic within the conference programme. In his opening keynote session, The Economic and Business Outlook: What Is in Prospect amid the New Uncertainty, David Smith, Economics Editor at The Sunday Times likened a string of events – the global financial crash, Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine – to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Despite obvious challenges facing the industry, including labour shortages, supply chain difficulties and central banks tightening policy, Smith suggested there were opportunities for hospitality in the coming year. The £200 billion war chest of savings built up by consumers during the pandemic was yet to be spent and pent-up demand for travel and experiences could see a large chunk directed towards hospitality. “People have got money to spend if they can be persuaded,” he explained.

There were further glimmers of positivity found in The Power of Insight: Consumer Confidence and the View from Wall Street, where Sam Ward, UK Hotels Leader at PwC, noted that the current situation was not as severe as other “black swan events” and highlighted opportunities for UK hotels, after research showed UK consumers were planning fewer trips abroad and instead planning holidays closer to home.

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent for The Independent, and Justin Reid from TripAdvisor echoed this in Shift Happens: Unpicking Big Impact Trends to Drive Competitive Edge. Calder stated: “Pent-up demand is there in spades. At the end of all this they are desperate to make up for lost travel.”

Leadership

Hotel leaders Kenneth Macpherson, CEO for EMEAA at IHG Hotels & Resorts and Federico J Gonzalez, CEO of Radisson Hotel Group, shared their learnings and how they led their teams and businesses through one of the most challenging and changeable times in recent history. When asked how he’d led through the last three years, Macpherson answered “through reputation, with purpose and getting through challenges.” He added: “Firstly, always start with reputation. Trust is extremely important for sustainable growth. You need to keep your reputation pristine, think about guests, health and safety, owners, your role in the industry, collaborative growth and people. Secondly, lead with purpose. Tell your staff why it matters – communicate it. And thirdly, constantly ask ‘how do we improve?’ Be stronger, collaborate better, be more efficient and build partnerships.” Gonzalez went on to explain that the pandemic has made leadership more humble: “It’s more important than ever to be honest. There’s no space for bullshit.”

Tips for navigating change were also shared in Succeeding When Nothing is Normal. Phil Andreopoulous, Chief Operating Officer of Owner & Franchise Services at Marriott International, commented: “Always challenge the status quo so that when you are forced to do it you know how to do it.” Dimitris Manikis, President for EMEA at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, suggested that cutting out the noise from outside and focusing on what is going on within an organisation. “Control the controllable. Focus on the things you can control.”

Leadership was also high on the agenda in Tuesday’s session How Can the Hospitality Industry Win the Talent Challenge, where the panel featuring industry leaders from Accor, Aimbridge and GIG discussed the importance of changing the narrative around hospitality to encourage young people to enter the industry, and then mentor them to success once they start their journey. Accor’s Vice President of Operations, Ronan McGovern, stated: “Match the talent with a good mentor. Every experience is a learning experience. The GMs who have a natural talent to develop their teams don’t tend to have problems recruiting.”

ESG

Those seeking sustainable economic solutions were steered ahead through sessions across both days. Robert Godwin, Managing Director of Lamington Group, explained why his company – which is set to open three new Room2 hometels across the UK – was aiming for net zero in Zero Means Zero: Forging the Path to Whole Life Net Zero and outlined how others could start their journey by “avoiding, reducing and offsetting”. Lamington Group handed out an oak sapling to all attendees to plant in their drive towards net zero.

In The Sustainability Conundrum: Accreditation, Measuring and Reporting, moderated by Energy & Environment Alliance CEO Ufi Ibrahim, the overarching message was that while standards are currently being set by government in relation to international environmental standards for developments, there is still much that can be achieved in current operations. As Susan Bland, Managing Director of RBH Management, affirmed: “E is only one part of the ESG and carbon is only one part of the E – it gets talked about a lot, but there are a lot of parts in the S and the G to focus on. The environmental focus is newer to the conversation, but within it there are a lot of parts easy to understand and already measurable.”

Opportunities

While challenges were highlighted, there was an overwhelming feeling of positivity from panellists and speakers. In Crunching the Numbers: The Key Demand, Revenue and Cost Trends to Monitor in Times Ahead, Thomas Emmanuel of STR stated that things were “unashamedly positive” and that “when looking at the data, things are good.”

The opportunities presented by public-private partnerships were also explored in How to Fill the Hotel Development Viability Gap. Andy Townsend of Legacy Hotels said many local authorities were keen to develop hotels for the future, but still needed guidance in getting it right. “For every local authority it’s a journey of discovery. The real selling point is the future economic benefits,” he argued. “That’s what ultimately attracts the investment.”

The same topic continued in Levelling Up: Maximising the Social and Economic Impact of the Hotel Sector. Jon Day of Cardiff Council emphasised that the public-private partnership had to be strong in order for it to work, but that there were clear economic and social benefits for both hotels and a local area when it was.

Speaking in the same session, Andy Jansons, Managing Director of Jansons Property, noted: “Two years of tourism and events lost to Covid-19 has grown a huge amount of pent-up demand that presents a favourable investment opportunity. And with the inbound investment stimulated by hotel developments, urban regeneration projects and economic rebalancing in the UK will reap the benefits- both socially and economically.”

This sentiment was echoed in the concluding key note interview with Steve Morgan CBE, founder of housebuilding company Redrow, owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club and formerly the largest shareholder of De Vere Group. While discussing the opportunities he had been offered – and taken – he talked about the impact the pandemic had on Carden Park. While others stopped, Morgan chose to invest millions into the business. “Part of my philosophy in life is when everyone retreats, go on the attack!”

Stakeholder alignment

Practical advice around a range of topics, including technology and staffing, was also delivered in bitesize sessions in The AHC Fringe. Held during coffee and lunch breaks over the two days, the 10-minute sessions by industry experts from organisations such as Springboard, Amazon, Hotel Cloud and Duetto offered insight and talking points. There were also multiple networking opportunities over the two days with events at Society, Yotel and Hotel Brooklyn affording delegates the chance to continue discussions and make new connections.

Joe Stather, Market Lead for Questex’s Operational Real Estate portfolio, commented: “The AHC is all about stakeholder alignment and bringing all parties together to share ideas, discuss challenges and opportunities while finding ways to tackle industry headwinds. It is rare to get so many industry figures together in one place at any time, so to have our highest number of attendees yet at the AHC, especially while everyone is feeling the pain of the current economic situation, is fantastic.

Stather concluded: “If there is one thing that has become clear throughout these two days, it is that there is a positive outlook, and the fundamentals of the sector are still very strong. People still want to travel!”

The Annual Hotel Conference 2023 will take place on 25-26 September. For more information visit https://www.theahc.co.uk/

CREDITS
Photography: © Simon Callaghan