Contents In this issue 8 News & numbers 16
The headlines and vital stats impacting the industry.
10 National calling It’s been a tough year for British hotels with pandemic-induced lockdowns hurting the bottom line and leaving staff stranded at home uncertain when work would resume. Extensive vaccination campaigns and a much- needed summer of travel have bolstered hotel occupancy rates, but anxieties still persist as 2022 approaches. STR looks at the data behind an unprecedented year for British hospitality.
EHMA 11 Choosing a positive mindset The European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA) continues to support hoteliers, as it has done throughout the pandemic. EHMA president Ezio A Indiani shares the latest news from the organisation and reflects on the recent recruitment issues hampering the hospitality industry, including staff retention and mental health concerns.
12 All about passion
Between 18 and 20 March 2022, the 48th EHMA general assembly, hosted in Lugano, Switzerland, reveals the passion for hotels.
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
London gallery for a networking dinner, including Dexter Moren, founding partner of Dexter Moren Associates, Rob Steul, creative director at Edwardian Hotels Group, and Tina Norden, partner at Conran & Partners, to discuss the ‘The Futureof Mixed-Use Development’ and the form urban hospitality developments mighttake in the post-pandemic era. Will Moffitt reports.
23 The hard truth about soft skills Heyward Group
24 Unlock guest-centricity with smart technologies Siemens Smart Infrastructure
In the lobby 14 Industry insight Turning a family business into a hospitality empire is no mean feat. CEO and heir of Meliá Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume explains the importance of passion in the hotel industry, and why preserving family values is critical to the company’s success.
Big interview 16 Adapt to expand
For hotels across the globe, the arrival of vaccine programmes has sparked welcome signs of recovery. While some have been happy to see guests return and finances reboot, others have continued to expand at a frenetic pace even as the pandemic remains far from over. Will Moffitt speaks to Elie Younes, executive vice-president and global chief development officer at Radisson Hotel Group, about proactive leadership, how the company has fared over an immensely challenging year and a half, the areas it is targeting for long-term growth, and the threat new Covid variants pose to hospitality.
Business management & development 20 Diamonds in the MUD In October Hotel Management International invited a trio of architects to Iris Ceramica Group’s
Regional focus 27 A kingdom of possibilities For decades, millions of people have flocked to Saudi Arabia each year as Muslim pilgrims to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Now, with the government eager to diversify the national economy away from oil and gas dependency, hotels and hospitality ventures are sprouting up all over the country. Andrea Valentino speaks to experts across Saudi hospitality to learn how the kingdom’s long heritage of Islamic tourism is shaping a new era of luxury hotel, and how the very structure of Saudi society will need to change if the revolution is to thrive.
Technology 31 Welcoming change
After working as a mobility instructor for 18 years for Guide Dogs UK, Gavin Neate saw first-hand the challenges visually impaired people face on a daily basis. It gave him an acute understanding of the wider disability sector and, coupled with an increasing interest in new and ground-breaking assistive technologies, it led him to create Neatebox. Founded in 2020 as a scalable and sustainable enterprise that creates solutions to help disabled people, the Edinburgh-based organisation’s app WelcoMe won the
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