All articles by Surendra Prasad Peravali
Surendra Prasad Peravali
Time to make things better
Despite stepping down as president and CEO of Jumeirah last year, Gerald Lawless still has much he would like to achieve. Phin Foster meets our 2017 recipient of the European Hospitality Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Hotel Community to reflect upon his time establishing one of global hospitality’s most iconic luxury brands, identify the goals of his chairmanship of the WTTC, and discuss the significance of travel and tourism in creating a better planet.
A new start for Turkey
After last year’s attempted coup d’état and slew of terrorist attacks, Turkish hoteliers are hoping that 2017 will see new opportunities emerge to allow the industry to return to its former glory. Greg Noone talks to Metin Erdogdu, president of consulting firm Horwath HTL; Mehmet Onkal, managing partner at BDO Turkey; and Edwin Broers, regional vice-president for Central and Eastern Europe at Wyndham, about new initiatives to diversify the tourism industry and why conversion may be the name of the game when it comes to new development projects.
How to adapt a hotel for business and conferences
Congresses and conferences are becoming an increasingly important market for the hospitality sector. Ana María Fernández, product manager at Simon, reveals how lighting control systems can help to attract and satisfy corporate guests.
Design-led hotels fuse style with substance
Traditionally the forgotten end of the hotel market, the budget segment is undergoing something of a revolution, with design-led, select-service, affordable brands making a number of the more established players look distinctly dated. Is this the future of the sector, and are such concepts sustainable across the sorts of massive franchise roll-outs that drive so much of the budget segment? Vicki Poulos, senior global brand director for Moxy, and prizeotel founder Marco Nussbaum, tell Abi Millar about fusing style with substance.
Stop hackers cleaning up
Tackling cybercrime requires hotel operators to implement resilient defences against attacks and robust insurance cover to deal with the aftermath of any breaches. Andrew Pickthorn, managing principal at Integro Insurance Brokers UK, and Bill Egerton, chief strategy officer at cyber expert Vauban Group, discuss ‘cyberhygiene’ and what exactly hotels should expect from insurers.
The importance of internal communication
Effective internal communication creates greater employee engagement, efficiency and productivity, to improve guest services and to be more successful in business. EHMA president Hans Koch explains how new media can connect employees with each other as well as with guests to solve problems, answer questions and engage in conversations, while raising a company’s profile.