All articles by Ky Nikitha
Ky Nikitha
EHMA is trending
A study by consultancy company Horwath HTL has identified new trends that are impacting the activities of hotel managers. Ezio A Indiani gets to grips with these figures.
Walk the talk
Last year, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) proclaimed it wanted to become one of the top three hotel operators in the world. It seemed a wildly ambitious statement of intent, but events over the period since suggest the company is charting the right course. Andrea Valentino talks to Elie Younes, executive vice-president and CDO at Radisson Hospitality, about where new development is focused and how a new ownership model could push it up the hotel league table.
Just as well
The global wellness industry is now valued at over $4 trillion, with an increasing amount of focus and money being invested into hotels’ spa offerings. But, in an ever-more competitive marketplace, what are hotels and brands doing to differentiate their wellness offerings from their rivals and what trends are emerging on the horizon? Patrick Kingsland speaks to Rosewood’s Niamh O’Connell and Anna Bjurstam of Six Senses to find out.
Stars in our eyes
Ezio A Indiani, president of the European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA), reflects on a busy first few months in the role and highlights the exciting plans that have been set in motion.
Woman on the rise
Maram Kokandi is the first woman in Saudi Arabia to rise to the role of general manager, having been awarded the position at the Park Inn by Radisson Madinah Road, Jeddah.
Room at the top
In the space of just six years, OYO has established itself as one of the biggest
players on the hospitality scene and a significant threat to more established
operators within the economy segment. Ralph Hollister of GlobalData looks
at how this Indian success story has travelled so far so quickly and analyses
the factors that will ultimately define its next stage of growth.
Guests of honour
The franchise model is expanding across Europe and into higher-end hotels, partly because of the success of third-party hotel management companies. Elly Earls meets Hilton’s Patrick Fitzgibbon, Interstate Hotels & Resorts’ Nicholas Northam, and RBH Hospitality Management’s Neil Taylor to find out about the benefits of the brand-owner-management company partnership and whether it can make for a more guest-focused experience.
A hospitality hub for the future
In April, operators from across the MENA region gathered at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference to discuss how best to synchronise for success. Hotel Management International looks back on those three days and the topics discussed, deals signed and challenges anticipated by regional stakeholders.
Hot property
The pipeline is bursting, and investor, developer and operator interest in the German hotel market is higher than it’s been in years. Elly Earls meets industry insiders to find out where opportunities still lie, who’s making the most of them and how long the good times are likely to last.
Public relations
Operators are having to fundamentally rethink the ways they deliver hospitality within the midscale segment, placing an ever-greater emphasis upon design, technology and public spaces. Abi Millar meets the hotel leaders trying to do something new in what has traditionally been the least ambitious of hotel tiers.