Agnès Roquefort has been at Accor for more than a decade, taking on various senior roles until in November she became the company’s chief development officer.

Is the future of restaurants in delivery? How can you use technology to drive revenue in the F&B space and future-proof your business? Salima Vellani, Founder and CEO of Kbox Global tells us how.

Max Cergneux, Chief Development Officer at Louvre Hotels Group, discusses the group’s global strategy ahead of his participation to IHIF in September.  

Join us this week for all the latest news and development in the hospitality industry with Alexi Khajavi, Katherine Doggrell and this week's guest Tom Oakden of Hilltop Hospitality Advisors.  In discussion with Katherine, Tom explains "if sellers don't sell now, there will be a wall of assets on the market" and buyers will see a wall of capital competing their capital....What we need to see are deals which will lead to pricing discovery with transactions beginning to happen at prices both parties are comfortable with and that "certainty of sale" will emerge.

We caught up with Tony Capuano for a moment to discuss what he has missed themost about IHIF and why it was great to be back.

Abbas Rangwala, Head of M&A at InterGlobe, one of India's largest groups with businesses across hospitality, real estate, travel technology and business services, shares his views on hospitality investment ahead of his participation to IHIF.

The mood is shifting in hospitality as it continues to rebound with growth in Europe and the US. What will the new holiday experiece look like? And how are Choice managing their expansion strategy in Europe?

This is the second in a series of roundtables with some of the industry's top thought leaders in which we will discuss actionable best practices to ensure the needs of diverse guests are met in a thoughtful, inclusive, and hospitable way.

What is happening to your business? Christie & Co would love to hear from you on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on your business and assets.

We are seeing lots of innovation and excitement in the resort market for customers right now, but what is attracting investors?

HB Titan's Investment Director, Alastair Carmichael, joins us this week to discuss why they are bullish about the hotel sector.  Alastiar leads HB Titan's lending and investment activity in the UK and Europe.  Carmichael agrees that while hospitality has been one of the hardest hit sectors, it has the fundamentals to enable a quick bounce back, having seen the potential from the brief relaxation to travel resrictions last summer

IHG Hotels & Resorts' EMEAA CEO Kenneth Macpherson shares his thoughts on development, relations with owners and recovery in the region.

Good news this week as Europe is easing travel restrictions. This can only be a good thing for travel and tourism, especially the hospitality industry. We are discussing the state of the hospitality investment sector.

Paul Pisani, Senior Vice President Hotel Development and member of the founding and owning family of Corinthia Hotels, shares his thoughts on how the Covid19 crisis has affected hospitality in 2020 and his expectations for 2021 and beyond.

We caught up with Christopher Nassetta for a short interview after his session on stage at IHIF2021 in Berlin.

Whitbread's Mark Anderson joins us this week to discuss their growth and expansion in Germany as well as brand awareness and developing market appropriate business models.  Whitbread own and operate all their hotels as well as a lot of the real estate, which allows for more flexibility and a greater control over their properties and a more stable operation all round.  An understanding of the market and where it works was vital for expanding in Germany. "It functions at its best in a large market that is domestic", Germany is a market that has favoured considerably well for the group and of course other brands as well. 

How is Choice Hotel Europe’s CEO, Jonathan Mills, tackling the challenge of expanding in a recovering market? 

Join us every week for a new podcast from the people and the stories behind the news in hospitality investment, development and operations. 

This week on In Focus we introduce our monthly special: A seat at the table; a monthly roundtable with our IHIF Advisory Board to inform and connect the hospitality investment and development market. The panel uncover their hospitality investment trend predictions for 2021, discussing the return of leisure and corporate travel, consolidation of brands and the role of sustainability as a demand driver. Never miss a thing, keep up to date with the IHIF event and news here.  This week's panel was hosted by Alexi Khajavi, Jonathan Langston and Julie Rey-Gore with guests: Robert Alley, COO Roomzzz Aparthotels Carine Bonnejean, Managing Director Hotels, Christie & Co Will Duffey, Head of Hotels & Hospitality EMEA, JLL Neville Graham, MD International Member Services, Best Western Hotels Anders Nissen, CEO Pandox Thomas Page, Global Head of Hotels & Leisure, CMS Gesa Rohwedder, Head of Hospitality, Drees & Sommer  Maria Zarraluqui, Global Development MD, Melia Hotels International

We are seeing more and more brands and companies moving into Adjacent Spaces. Why is this segment so attractive to investors and how can they do it differently?

Questex's first quarterly Investor Sentiment Assessment for 2021 in partnership with ABP Invest, is underway and Thanos Papasavvas, founder & CIO, ABP Invest, caught up with Questex Hospitality & Travel's President Alexi Khajavi and Content Director, Julie Rey-Gore to discuss some of the key takeaways. This is the first of a two part episode diving into those findings.  In this episode we look at how the range of sellers and buyers has changed in the last year.  Keep an eye on your inbox for your copy of the Investor Sentiment Assessment Q1 2021.

“Positivity, humility, and connectivity” are the words Agnès Roquefort uses to describe her role at Accor this past since November 2020. 

Jens Mathiesen, President and CEO of Scandic Hotel Group, shares his thoughts on driving recovery in cities, leisure and the corporate segment, and sharing risks among partners.

On 16th January Armin Laschet was elected leader of Germany’s CDU party, putting him in a good position to succeed Angela Merkel when she steps down as German chancellor in September. What does his election mean for Germany and the hospitality market?

“Hospitality is here to stay” said Dimitris Manikis when we caught up with him at IHIF 2021 in Berlin in September.

In this roundtable we look at sweating the assets, and find out how hotels make the most of their real estate.

This week's guest on In Focus is Accor's Chief Development Officer Agnès Roquefort. 

Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor, and Mark Okerstrom, CEO, Expedia Group discuss perspective. 

Christian Walter, CEO & Partner at PKF hospitality group shares his optimism about the potential for innovation and transformation in hospitality, ahead of his participation to IHIF in Berlin in September.

This week on In Focus we dive into the results from Questex's fourth quarterly Investor Sentiment Assessment, in partnership with ABP Invest. Join us for insight into the economic outlook of investors globally and a look at the market: where is the dry powder sitting? How is financial support, monetary and fiscal, both hindering and propelling the sector.  Stay tuned for further instalments from the team discussing the latest Investor Sentiment Assessment. Thanos Papasavvas, Founder & CIO of ABP Invest joins Alexi Khajavi, Julie Rey-Gore alongside guest Nevius Glussi, CEO at Trinity Hospitality Group.

“It shows how strong the industry is” said Dillip Rajakarier when we asked him how it felt to be back at IHIF2021. 

In the second of our two part episode, A Seat At The Table, we continue the conversation of opportunities in adjacent spaces and explore the contradictions within simplified business models in a time when owners need to be more agile.

The HAMA Europe Asset Management Achievement Awards, in partnership with IHIF and HAMA Europe, provide an opportunity to formally recognise results of successful asset management strategies accomplished by the winning companies across three categories; Single Asset Strategy, Portfolio Strategy and Sustainability Strategy. We sat down with Jochen Schaefer-Suren, CEO, Hotel and Leisure Division, Principal Real Estate Europe,  to discuss their achievement as Portfolio Strategy Award 2020 winners, sponsored by HotStats.

Omer Isvan, President Servotel and Greg W. Greeley, President of Homes, Airbnb discuss thinking differently. 

So why the sudden fall from grace for Europe's economic powerhouse? In this first part of our July edition of A Seat at The Table, we focus on the German and DACH markets.

Thanos Papasavvas, Founder & CIO of ABP Invest joins Alexi Khajavi, Julie Rey-Gore alongside guest Nevius Glussi, CEO at Trinity Hospitality Group sat down to review the fourth quarterly investor sentiment assessment, published by Questex and in partnership with ABP Invest.  In this episode the group discuss the economic outlook, comparing regions Asia, Europe, the US and the UK and analyse the factors contriubting to the varied results.  They also discuss the varying percentage of dry powder investors have allocated to the sector. Not to be missed!  Join us for weekly interviews from the team at Hospitality Insights.

We discuss stakeholder alignment, lease models and hotel financing on this week's episode of In Focus.

Gilda Perez-Alvarado is the global CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality shares her thoughts on on the hospitality real estate market.

Unlocking travel - Will this save the summer?  A mixed week for hospitality, Patrick Whyte and Julie Rey-Gore review the latest developments in the industry as destinations such as the US has opened, Europe is slowly re-opening but in the UK its another tough month for the hospitality industry. 

Don't miss out on the 23rd International Hotel Investment Forum 2020, 2-3 March

Hotel Intercontinental, Berlin, Germany

The Meeting of Global Collaboration 

Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, shares how the company's roots in leisure hospitality have helped focus its recovery strategy, ahead of his participation to IHIF.

What is the market sentiment for economic slowdown, how do investors rate their concerns for inflation and ESG?  Thanos Papasavvas and Alexi Khajavi discuss how ESG is now a key focus for investors: "as we see it maturing in the asset management industry. It is no longer considered a marketing term but involved in the decision making process. It is a very different conversation to what it was 3-4 years ago." Julie Rey-Gore and Nevius Glussi discuss the importance of brands as well as local integration.  Investors' sentiment for hotels in the current market shows a positive increase compared to the previous quarter. More episodes discussing the fourth quarterly investment sentiment survey can be viewed here. 

“It’s all about making connections” said Pieter Elbers when we caught up with him at IHIF 2021. 

Thanos Papasavvas, founder & CIO, ABP Invest is joined by Questex's Alexi Khajavi and Julie Rey-Gore to discuss how the sector is moving in the right direction.

Volume up for this one! Tune into this week's podcast with IHG's Karin Sheppard, Managing Director Europe. The leisure segment is an increasingly competitive area which IHG are investing in right now, how are they setting themselves apart, where are those growth opportunities?

President and CEO of Hilton, Christopher Nassetta interviewed by Conference Host Nick Ross.

Perhaps the prevalence of leasing as the dominant owner operator model is now less favoured by investors? In the second part of this month's Seat At The Table, we are reviewing lease models in the German and DACH markets and the owner-operator-lender relationship. 

As Pandox released their reuslts last week, CEO Anders Nissen stated "we are preparing for a brighter future". After a difficult fourth quarter in 2020 they remain optimistic. In this interview with Alexi Khajavi, Anders discusses their strategy, future opportunities and shares his knowledge from both an owner and operator persepctive.  Anders discusses why they may be looking outside Scandinavia for their next investment and the benefits of hybrid lease structures right now.  Don't miss our roundup video, Diversity is key, with Hotel Management's Elaine Simon reviewing the latest results.  

Navigating the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

In this episode we focus on the return of travel, will climate issues hinder the recovery? Are destinations focusing on infrastructure to pave the way?

Rock climber, mountaineer and author, Cathy O'Dowd addresses the international hospitality investment audience with an inspirational presentation of her remarkable achievements and learnings on how communication and flexibility is key to situations of acute stress. 

The ZIA German Property Federation acts as the voice of the property sector’s entire value chain. Two of its members comment on the hospitality market and their views for the future, ahead of IHIF in September.

The HAMA Europe Asset Management Achievement Awards, in partnership with IHIF and HAMA Europe, provide an opportunity to formally recognise results of successful asset management strategies accomplished by the winning companies across three categories, Single Asset Strategy, Portfolio Strategy and Sustainablity Strategy. We sat down with the recipients of the 2020 HAMA Awards Sponsored by Hotstats, Amaris Hospitality represented by Peter Stack, CEO.

Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, shares his positive outlook on hospitality: “what we offer is still centred on making sure people enjoy life when they are ready to reclaim their time to travel”.

In part two of our latest Seat At The Table, we look to resorts and cities, what locations are dominating that pipeline? Resorts are evolving, how interested are investors and brands? 

Tim Arthur, previously editor and global CEO at Time Out and creative director at Virgin Money, reminds us how to transform businesses to better fit the changing world in which they operate by using emotional connections: trust; compassion and attraction.

Accor's Duncan O'Rourke discusses the company's strategy and how it is staying ahead of the curve.

How are stakeholders innovating to support each other, ensuring a strong recovery? Where are the opportunities to innovate for owners and brands and how will it impact the guest? Pritchard asks what it will cost the owners and how can they measure a return on that investment. In this discussion, sustainability, talent, and technology are just some of the topics in review.  Are brands doing enough to demonstrate the value that they bring? As Harnisch highlights "the need to invest in innovation is higher than ever but the ability to do so is very low." It comes at a cost and owners are already looking for more transparency of costs and system fees. Anand adds that Marriott are looking at how they can deliver the best returns for the owners, as they assess their competitiveness in the market while Menis Dyksztein mentions flexible lease structures which will be more agreeable for both owner and operator. Lean in for expert opinions and insight from our IHIF Advisory Board.  Hosted by Alexi Khajavi, President of Questex Hospitality & Travel, Jonathan Langston, Chair IHIF Advisory Board with guests: Satya Anand, President, EMEA, Marriott International Olivier Harnisch, Head of Hospitality, Public Investment Fund Paula Menis Dyksztein, COO, Excem Real Estate S.L.  Owen Pritchard, Chief Operating Officer, Hotels, CBRE.  Never miss a thing, keep up to date with the IHIF event and news here. 

Hotel Management Agreements are one of the hot topics on this week's In Focus as we are joined by guest Karen Friebe of Bird & Bird, while Julie Rey-Gore is in conversation with Alexi Khajavi to cover the top stories from this week. One of those being Blackstone and Starwood's acquisition of Extended Stay America.

This month's Seat At The Table looks at how asset management has evolved over the years and Jonathan asks if asset management is seen as much more than a grudge purchase or necessary evil, insisted on by lenders, tolerated by owners and resented by operators?

Marcus Bernhardt, CEO, and Claus-Dieter Jandel, EVP & CDO of Deutsche Hospitality, share their views on recovery, diversification, and the company’s goal to become one of Europe’s leading hotel groups by 2026, ahead of their participation to IHIF on 1-3 September in Berlin.

Results are rolling in from the big global players as both Accor and IHG announced results this week. IHG refer to a muted recovery while Accor calls on discipline. And what will be of Marriott? We hear from Vrbo's Karen Mullins as she describes how the Expedia group's brand is performing with continued rise in extended stay.  And Alexi and Katherine are placing bets, join us to find out what is at stake! 

Welcome to the first of a three-part series from our Sustainability Council, an initiative from Questex Hospitality and The Considerate Group. In this episode we are discussing sustainable design, construction, and engineering.

Implementing seamless and touchless technologies is essential to boosting the health and safety of our guests now, while ensuring our luxury all-inclusive resorts remain profitable investments in a post-pandemic world.

Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer of IHG Hotels & Resorts, shares his insights on the future of hospitality, the importance of a strong brand portfolio, ESG goals and looking forward to travelling again.

Satya Anand, President for EMEA at Marriott International, feels positive about the recovery of hospitality in the region and his group’s position in it. He discusses adapting to diverse geographies, new market conditions, and using the crisis to improve processes and offerings, ahead of the group’s participation to IHIF.

Results are rolling in from the big global players as both Accor and IHG announced results this week. IHG refer to a muted recovery while Accor calls on discipline. And what will be of Marriott? We also hear from Vrbo's Karen Mullins as she describes how the Expedia group's brand is performing with continued rise in extended stay.  And Alexi and Katherine are placing bets, join us to find out what is at stake! Watch the latest In Focus episode here. 

Maria Vafiadis, Founder & Managing Director of MKV Design, shares her views on what luxury should mean in hospitality.

CBRE Hotels’ Executive Director and COO Owen Pritchard shares the company’s views on recovery in the hospitality sector, key growth segments, and ESG goals ahead of the company's participation to IHIF.

In this episode we dive into the metrics. What are the key ways to measure the efficiency of real estate and is RevPAR still relevant?

We are at the pivotal point where the hospitality industry has the chance to take a more considered approach to design and development. How has the meaning of luxury changed during the pandemic and the importance of design as it evolves?

This week's guest for our In Focus series is Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, who tells Katherine how Wyndham have navigated the storm this year with evidence of rebounding.  "It's all about retain, develop, serve: retain your customer base, develop your hotels and serve your customers." Katherine asks how targets have changed since the pandemic and what types of locations and types of properties they are now looking at. Wyndham have seen strong results from their loyalty programme and the newly launched Wyndham Direct, targeting corporate travellers from small organisations and he predicts that while luxury will remain an important investment, economy is going to be big in the years to come.  An interesting point Dimitris makes, is how he sees destinations competing for the same traveller and remains optimistic for the future of travel and hospitality.  You can watch the latest In Focus episodes here. 

In this podcast we are joined by Accor's CEO Northern Europe, Duncan O'Rourke, to discuss how the hotel company has seen strong growth in the luxury market.

Does profit REALLY matter?  How it has changed since covid, how to measure it and how to improve it. Jonathan asks if this is this an opportunity to reset?

Georgios Filiopoulos, CEO of Greece’s investment and export promotion authority Enterprise Greece feels positive about the return of travel and investment opportunities in the country’s tourism sector. He shares his views on recovery, real estate investment, hospitality segments, ESG and his participation to IHIF.

Henri Giscard d’Estaing, President of French travel and tourism operator Club Med, shares how the company has navigated the past 18 months by evolving its product and focusing on a transformative experience, global development and digitalization.

On 19th November, the IHIF Advisory Board met virtually to take a temperature check on industry sentiment in a fast-changing market. Kicking off the conversation was a panel of investors hosted by Michael Hirst OBE, Chairman of the UK Government’s Events Industry Board, with Keith Evans, Chief Investment & Development Officer at Ennismore, Benjamin Habbel, CEO & Founding Partner of Limestone Capital, and Jan-Willem Terlouw, Director of Development Finance at Westmont. The panellists shared their experiences of the past year, and views for 2021 and beyond.

This week on In Focus we are discussing corporate travel with a glimpse of some of the sessions from IHIF2021 last week.

We asked our IHIF AB does profit really matter? Having reviewed how and if profit matters, the panel are now looking at how to sustain that profit by investing in technology. But what does investing in technology mean? 

This week's discussion is based around sweating the assets and as our guest Salima Vellani of Kbox Global describes it, "going beyond that, to really understand the customer and retain your revenue in house." Is this the end of room service? 

How has the meaning of luxury changed during the pandemic and the importance of design as it evolves? Maria Vafiadis, Founder and Managing Director, MKV Designs will be speaking at IHIF on the session, Luxury: What does it Mean Now? Register today to secure your ticket.  In this week's podcast, we sat down with Maria to discuss the design process, how it is evolving and why investors are increasingly interested in sustainability matters. 

Is it better to be the first or last to the party? As the market piles up, now is the time to consider the value of your assets. Alexi & Katherine discuss the deals and bargains out there for investors with guest Tom Oakden. "This is the hotel sector, a mature asset class....you can bank on it so long as you take a long term view." 

ESG is no longer an inspirational theme or a trend in the sector but simply business and there was a real sense of urgency as we heard from companies across all sectors of the industry at IHIF.