Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #42

THE PROFESSIONAL BUYERS’ REFERENCE 

SMARTreport 

ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS 

#17 / TRAVEL: ULTRA-PERSONALISED 

NEW DESTINATIONS EXPERIENCED IN 

DIFFERENT WAYS 

SPOTLIGHT ON 

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA 

#25 / THE NEW BOOM IN MEA TOURISM 

UNWTO REPORTS AFRICA AND MIDDLE 

EAST LEAD THE CHARGE BOOSTS FIGURES 

INNOVATIONS 

& TECHNOLOGIES 

#37 / SPOTLIGHT ON GEN Z 

TRAVELLERS 

ADAPTING TO NEW WAYS OF 

COMMUNICATING 

WE INTEND TO 

LIMIT THE NUMBER 

OF TOURISTS, BUT 

CONCENTRATE ON 

THOSE WHO SPEND 

MORE. 

Ahmed Bin Nasser 

Bin Hamed Al Mahrizi 

Minister of Tourism, 

Sultanate of Oman 

#42 - 2019 SPING EDITION / A CLEVERDIS PUBLICATION

Richard Barnes 

Editor-in-chief 

richard.barnes@cleverdis.com 

Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 77 46 00 

Hotel & Tourism 

SMARTreport #42 

2019 Spring Edition 3 

3 

FOREWORD 

STAY UPBEAT… BUT KEEP YOUR FEET 

ON THE GROUND 

Growth in tourism continues – but caution reigns as UNWTO reigns-in forecasts 

Following several periods of upbeat 

expectations when it comes to growth in 

global tourism, prospects for this year are 

much more cautious. 

By the same token, according to the 

UNWTO, experts from Africa are the most 

optimistic about 2019, as a number of 

destinations in the region continue their 

recovery and experts in the Middle East 

continue to be optimistic this year, after 

an already positive performance in 2018… 

nice to know as this issue spotlights Middle 

East and Africa. 

The UNWTO’s projection for Africa is for 

3% to 5% growth in 2019, after 7% last 

year, as some destinations consolidate 

their rebound. Prospects for the Middle 

East point to 4% to 6% growth, following 

a 10% increase last year. In both cases 

the projections contain a larger degree 

of uncertainty due to higher volatility and 

more limited data availability. 

For this edition, we are particularly grateful 

to have been accorded some quality time 

with Oman’s Minister for Tourism, Ahmed 

Bin Nasser Bin Hamed Al Mahrizi, during 

which he imparted his nation’s “tourism 

roadmap”. The President & CEO of the 

World Travel and Tourism Council, Gloria 

Guevara Manzo, also sat down with 

us to explain she is working towards a 

“seamless traveller journey” – a factor that 

will be essential when it comes to growing 

tourism numbers. 

Our Elite Travel Trends section features 

high-end gastronomy tourism, and in our 

Innovations and Technology pages, we 

examine the impact of Gen Z on tourism. 

All this and more make up the current 

edition of the Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport 

– aiming to put you a step ahead of the 

game thanks to bringing you the right 

information at the right time! 

4 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS 

4 OMAN: A DIFFERENT KIND OF DESTINATION 

IN THE MIDDLE EAST 

Ahmed Bin Nasser Bin Hamed Al 

Mahrizi, Minister of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman 

8 WTTC PROMOTES A “SEAMLESS 

TRAVELLER JOURNEY” 

Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and CEO, 

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 

11 EVENTS 

11 THE TOURISM INDUSTRY’S ANNUAL MEA 

HIGHLIGHT 

13 QYER AND ITB CHINA: IT'S MY WORLD 

TRAVEL AWARD 

13 AN EYE TO THE FUTURE OF SINO-WESTERN 

TOURISM RELATIONS 

15 US HOSPITALITY TECH EVENT OF THE YEAR 

16 EVENTS CALENDAR 

17 ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS 

17 2019 - THE YEAR OF ULTRA-PERSONALISED 

TRAVEL 

18 THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME OF EUROPE’S 

HOTEL MANAGEMENT MEETS IN PARIS 

20 SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD 

LEVERAGES “WELL BALANCED” PORTFOLIO 

22 IN THE FIELD WITH MARY GOSTELOW 

IDULGING THE SENSES IN THE MIDDLE 

EAST & AFRICA 

CONTENTS 

23 HONG KONG’S NEWEST ROOFTOP FOODIE 

DESTINATION 

24 DELICIOUS INDONESIA 

24 MACAO, “CREATIVE CITY OF GASTRONOMY” 

25 MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA 

25 MIDDLE EAST TAKES CENTRE STAGE 

AS MEA DRIVES TOURISM MARKET 

26 FACT & FIGURES 

MEA ON THE RISE 

26 EUROPEAN VISITORS TO GCC TO INCREASE 

29% BY 2023, SAYS ATM REPORT 

27 OMAN KICKS OFF FIRST EVER BEACH EVENT 

27 RAS AL KHAIMAH LAUNCHES NEW THREE- 

YEAR STRATEGY 

28 AIR TRANSPORT 

NEW DYNAMICS FOR MIDDLE EAST 

CARRIERS 

28 OMAN AIRPORTS LOOK FOR A PRIVATE 

MANAGEMENT COMPANY 

29 HIGH AIR FARES HINDER GROWTH 

OF AIR TRANSPORT IN AFRICA 

29 OMAN AIR BOOSTS CONNECTIVITY 

AT MUSCAT HUB 

30 TRENDING DESTINATIONS 

SPOTLIGHT ON ABU DHABI 

31 SHARJAH AIMS FOR 10 MILLION GUESTS IN 2021 

32 DUBAI – INCREASINGLY ON THE “MUST VISIT” 

LIST 

32 SOUTH AFRICA HERALDS 25TH ANNIVERSARY 

OF DEMOCRACY 

33 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT DRIVES 

KENYA TOURISM AHEAD 

33 ST HELENA: IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT NAPOLEON 

35 TRENDING HOTELS 

AL GHAITH LAUNCHES LUXURY HOTEL 

BRAND IN THE UAE 

35 NEW HOTELS TO CHECK OUT IN OMAN THIS 

YEAR 

36 WHERE LUXURY MEETS DESIGN 

37 INNOVATIONS 

& TECHNOLOGIES 

37 GENERATION Z – THE CYBER KIDS 

38 IN THE FIELD WITH DAVID ESSERYK 

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT): WHAT IS IT 

GOOD FOR IN THE HOTEL ENVIRONMENT? 

39 THE ASCENSION OF YOUTH TRAVEL 

40 TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN COME 

TOGETHER TO CREATE WORKLIFE ROOM 

41 INNOVATING IN WI-FI TECHNOLOGY 

42 THE NEXT-GENERATION RETAILING 

OPPORTUNITY

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

OMAN: A DIFFERENT KIND OF DESTINATION 

Exclusive Interview: Ahmed Bin Nasser Bin Hamed Al Mahrizi, 

Sultanate of Oman (Official ITB Berlin Partner Country 2020) 

Growth of visitor numbers to Oman has, since 2013 not 

been less than 5.7% per annum. We asked Ahmed Bin 

Nasser Bin Hamed Al Mahrizi, the nation’s Minister of 

Tourism, to tell us more. 

Ahmed Bin Nasser 

Bin Hamed Al 

Mahrizi 


Sultanate of Oman 

We think this kind of growth 

will continue up to 2028, and 

international reports confirm this. 

The government is taking care 

of the tourism sector, because 

we want to develop five sectors, 

including tourism, so as not to be 

so dependent on oil revenues. With 

oil prices constantly fluctuating, this 

is very bad for our future. Along 

with tourism, we aim to develop 

agriculture, light industry, logistics, 

and mining. One of our main exports 

is marble, which we even export to 

Europe. But we need to take care of 

our culture, our identity, and thus to 

avoid overtourism. The population 

of Oman is small: only three-million 

Omanis and a total of four-point-five 

million including foreign nationals. 

People are open to foreigners, 

but they don’t yet understand the 

tourism sector as a “business”. This 

is why we have created our own 

strategy up to 2040, taking care of 

these aspects – specially the culture. 

We also want to target adventure 

tourism, with hiking, biking and 

climbing, and so on. We have 

mountains, desert and beautiful 

seas for diving. MICE is another 

sector we want to grow. We intend 

to limit the number of tourists, but 

concentrate on those who spend 

more. Recently, the Sultanate has 

taken certain important measures




5 

© Richard Bartz 

© Shivinder Bhandari 

OMAN RECEIVES 

PATWA CULTURE 

AWARD 

IN THE MIDDLE EAST 


Wadi Bani Khalid, 

Sharqiyah region, Oman 

The minaret of Friday Mosque 

as seen from Nizwa Fort, 

Nizwa, Oman 

The Sultanate of Oman made a new 

achievement in the tourism sector 

this year as it was awarded the “Best 

Destination - Heritage & Culture” in 

2019 by the Pacific Area Travel Writers 

Association (PATWA), an official 

UNWTO affiliate in March this year. 

HE Ahmed bin Nasser Bin Hamed Al 

Mahrizi, Minister of Tourism, received 

the Sultanate's award, on the sidelines 

of ITB Berlin from Dr Taleb Rifai, 

former UNWTO Secretary-General, 

and Sagar Ahluwalia, the Secretary 

General of Pacific Area Travel Writers 

Association (PATWA). 

that have had positive impacts on the 

tourism sector of our country. These 

measures included making tourism 

visa easy, increasing investment in the 

sector, establishing more hotel and 

other related establishments, increasing 

promotional drive and exploring new 

markets. 

What are the main source markets 

and how are they evolving? 

The gulf countries – especially in 

June, July and August. They come to 

the south of Oman, because in these 

months, the weather is similar to India, 

with rain, and temperatures dropping 

to the mid 20s, when the weather is 

very hot in the north of Oman. It’s not 

far for them, and they prefer to come 

by car. In the winter time, they come to 

the north of Oman. After that, there’s 

the Europeans, with the number one 

market being the UK. We also have 

WE HAVE 

MOUNTAINS, DESERT 

AND BEAUTIFUL 

SEAS FOR DIVING. 

MICE IS ANOTHER 

SECTOR WE WANT 

TO GROW. 

many visitors from Germany and France. 

There are an increasing number of 

charter flights from Europe to the south 

of Oman – to Salalah. New markets for 

us are China, Iran and India. Indians 

have been coming for a long time, but 

we have been increasing our focus on 

this market since last year. 

OMAN TO BECOME 

OFFICIAL PARTNER OF ITB 

BERLIN 2020 

The Ministry of Tourism of the 

Sultanate of Oman has been named 

as Official Partner Country for ITB 

Berlin, held in March 2020. The major 

international forum of the travel 

and tourism industry will see the 

participation of many hotels and other 

tourism establishments of the country, 

along with the national carrier of 

the Sultanate, Oman Air, and Oman 

Airports Company. The Sultanate has 

recently taken a number of important 

measures to aid the country’s tourism 

sector. These included facilitating 

tourism visas, increasing investment 

in the sector, encouraging investment 

in the hospitality sector, increasing 

promotion and exploring new 

markets.

A day to 

discover 

new horizons 

Your next holiday 

starts here... 

#ATMHolidayShopper 

www.atmholidayshopper.com





7 

© Paasikivi 

© Ian Sewell 

Oman Air is increasingly opening up 

new destinations. They have been flying to 

new destinations in the United States and 

Australia since last year. 

What’s being done to develop 

infrastructure? 

Firstly, we have our new airport, we have 

a very good road system – even winning 

a prize this year thanks to our excellent, 

modern road network. In terms of 

communication, we have a better level of 

performance than even some European 

countries. Most of the world’s most 

famous hotel brands are present in Oman. 

At ITB in Berlin 2019, you had excellent 

participation from Omani tourism 

companies of different kinds. You must 

have been pleased with the turn-out 

– especially with a view to next year’s 

partner country status… 

Yes, I very much appreciated the 

participation of tourist companies of the 

sultanate in ITB Berlin. It was part of the 

efforts being made for private and public 

partnerships in the tourism sector of our 

country, finding avenues for cooperation 

between them. I laud the participation 

of these Omani tourism companies in 

international tourism events. The presence 

of these companies in such platforms 

opens-up more horizons of development 

of tourism. I would also like to praise 

those who work for the introduction of 

Omani tourism products and services 

on an international level in general. It is 

important to promote tourism wherever 

the opportunity arrives. The Ministry of 

Tourism is leaving no stone unturned to 

ensure presence of Oman in all tourism 

markets, marketing in conventional 

and social media. Indeed, all efforts are 

THE MINISTRY OF 

TOURISM IS LEAVING 

NO STONE UNTURNED 

TO ENSURE PRESENCE 

OF OMAN IN ALL 

TOURISM MARKETS, 

MARKETING IN 

CONVENTIONAL AND 

SOCIAL MEDIA. 

being made to introduce Omani tourism 

everywhere in the world, with hotels and 

tourism companies contributing effectively 

to the promotion of offers and services 

to attract a larger scale tourism flow. The 

participation of the Sultanate in the ITB 

Berlin this year was given extraordinary 

importance as the Sultanate was officially 

declared as the official partner of ITB Berlin 

2020 on this occasion. This shows Oman's 

popularity in the largest international 

tourism forum. It gives us a wonderful 

opportunity to introduce our tourism 

products even more strongly next year, 

eventually leading to an increase in Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP) and supporting 

the economic diversification efforts of the 

country. 

Oman recently won “Favourite roadtrip 

destination” at Conde Nast Traveller 

ME’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2018/19. 

What makes the Sultanate so attractive 

in this sense? 

Being chosen as the “Favourite roadtrip 

destination” was no surprise, as the 

Sultanate of Oman is bestowed with many 

kinds of natural scenery, offering combined 

experiences of both beaches and deserts, 

mountains and wadis as well as greenery 

in other parts of the country. 

What is your message to the world’s 

travel professionals? 

This is the real “authentic” place – Oman. 

Our people are always smiling, to the point 

that foreigners can even be surprised by 

their friendliness. Our country is very open 

to cultures from around the world 

Wadi Dayqah Dam, Oman 

Wadi Shab, Oman


HOW CAN WE INCREASE 

SECURITY WHILE HAVING MORE 

TRAVELLERS? 

Gloria Guevara Manzo 

President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council 

WTTC PROMOTES A “SEAMLESS 

TRAVELLER JOURNEY” 

Exclusive Interview: Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and CEO – 

World Travel & Tourism Council 

World Travel and 

Tourism Council 

President and CEO, 

Gloria Guevara 

Manzo, has been at the helm of the 

organisation for almost two years 

now. We asked her what her key 

milestones have been in that time. 

One of the differences is that since I joined, 

our members have been asking for the 

organisation to work more on tangible 

deliverables. Our mandate in the past was 

to increase awareness of the importance 

of travel and tourism, but now, we are also 

working more closely with governments to 

engage and influence the agenda. Let me 

give you a couple of examples. 

When I joined, one of the first things I 

did was to call all the CEOs and ask them 

“What are your priorities, what are your 

expectations?” In my case, as I came from 

the private sector and then the government, 

if you don’t know the expectations, how are 

you going to meet or exceed them? It was a 

fascinating exercise, because we were able 

to learn that there are three things keeping 

most of them up at night. These are security 

and travel facilitation… 

How can we increase security while having 

more travellers? Based on data from IATA, 

that we have four billion passengers, and 

we want to grow to eight-point-two 

billion, which is almost 100% growth, 

the question is, “How do we achieve that 

growth without having 100% growth in 

infrastructure, while we increase security 

and maintain that movement of people in 

a seamless way?” That’s one. The second 

is crisis management. It’s not a matter 

of if, but actually when and where the 

next crisis is going to hit. So, we want to 

make sure the governments are engaged. 

With the private sector, we are prepared, 

we are proactive, we learn and help them 

to recover faster. We are also quantifying 

the impact of the crisis so we can help the 

governments make better decisions. And 

the third one is sustainable growth. Yes, 

growth is fascinating, and brings a lot of 

jobs, but how do we make sure it is good for 

everyone? That climate change is included, 

that it’s good for the environment, that 

we have a long-term plan that is socially 

responsible. That has to do with things 

like destination stewardship to overcome 

overcrowding. It has to do with issues like 

illegal wildlife trade or human trafficking, 

and it also has to do with climate action. 

It’s all part of sustainable growth. So, in 

the past, we were just talking about the 

importance of the sector, and being the 

voice of the private sector. Now we’re 

engaged in a tangible outcome.




9 

Can you expand on what you’ve 

been doing in security and travel 

facilitation? 

Yes. In this field, we launched an initiative 

called the “Seamless Traveller Journey”. 

We are inviting the entire sector to share 

with us the different initiatives, in order to 

make sure we offer the traveller – because 

we need to think about the traveller 

at the centre – a seamless traveller 

experience. For that, we partnered with 

IATA, ACI, CLIA, WEF – all the different 

organisations – but we also partnered 

with Government organisms, like the US 

sector working together; we need the 

governments. If immigration, security and 

customs are not part of the process, then 

we have the bottlenecks. In that regard, 

we are working very proactively. At the 

G20 meeting last year, we published 

research that said up to 19 million jobs 

can be created if the G20 governments 

use biometrics. We know exactly how 

many jobs can be created by country. 

But then, on top of that, we also talk 

about security. Today, while the US CBP 

was late coming into the game, now 

they are leading, where before, it used 

with Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary- 

General of the UNWTO. I know him quite 

well, and we talk very often. What we 

did was that I looked at his agenda, his 

priorities for his members, he looked at 

mine, and then we found the synergies, 

and defined an agenda together. We did 

exactly the same thing with IATA, with 

CLIA, with ACI, with WEF, and with PATA. 

There are still some to do. For example, 

WTA were created recently, and we invited 

them to our summit, because I believe we 

need to be inclusive. There is opportunity 

in this sector for everyone 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

That’s very important, because we wanted 

to help transform the way people travel. 

Today, all people are considered highrisk 

travellers, but there is technology 

available that can help governments 

increase security and treat low-risk 

travellers in an easier, faster way. That 

means we can optimise infrastructure, so 

there can be more people moving in and 

out, we can have growth, we can increase 

security, and create a better experience 

for the traveller. It’s a win-win-win-win 

situation if we use the right technology 

and work on the entire process. But for 

that, it’s not enough to have the private 

to be Europe, who were already using 

biometrics in 2006. In the US, you can 

board a plane with your face as ID. You 

don’t need a boarding pass, you don’t 

need a passport. In a couple of years, the 

way you go through US airports will be 

transformed: you will arrive, and through 

facial recognition, you will be recognised 

as a low-risk traveller, and you will be able 

to walk straight through. 

How important is it for WTTC to 

coordinate with the UNWTO, PATA, or 

WTA, in a kind of alliance? 

We work very closely with them. I think 

it’s crucial. I have a very close relationship 

IN A COUPLE 

OF YEARS, THE 

WAY YOU GO 

THROUGH U.S. 

AIRPORTS WILL BE 

TRANSFORMED: 

YOU WILL 

ARRIVE, AND 

THROUGH FACIAL 

RECOGNITION, 

YOU WILL BE 

RECOGNISED 

AS A LOW-RISK 

TRAVELLER, 

AND YOU WILL 

BE ABLE TO 

WALK STRAIGHT 

THROUGH.

A world 

of insights 

revealed 

Register today at 

arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com 

Follow us on 

#IdeasArriveHere 

Premier Partner 

Official Partners

EVENTS 




11 

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY’S 

ANNUAL MEA HIGHLIGHT 

ATM to host inaugural Hotel Industry Summit as GCC plans 

for 58,761 new hotel rooms in 2019 

Danielle 

Curtis 

Exhibition Director ME, 

Arabian Travel Market 

Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of 

the annual Arabian Travel Market in 

Dubai, has announced it will host the 

first ATM Hotel Industry Summit as part 

of its line-up of special events. 

The inaugural summit, scheduled to take place 

on Tuesday 30th April on the Global Stage, will 

see various panels of experts discuss the latest 

hotel infrastructure developments, investment 

opportunities and digital innovations which are 

shaping the region’s ever-changing industry. 

The UAE’s hospitality market is expected to be 

worth €6.73 bn annually by 2022, growing at 

a five-year Compound Annual Growth Rate 

(CAGR) of 8.5% between 2017 and 2022, 

driven by Dubai’s Expo 2020, Saudi Arabia’s 

Vision 2030 and various other government 

initiatives to boost travel and tourism across the 

region. 

Over the same period, hotel supply is forecast 

to grow at a CAGR of 6% to 183,718 keys, 

according to research published in a report by 

Alpen Capital. 

In addition to this, STR data shows that the 

GCC is expecting an additional 58,761 hotel 

rooms to enter the market in 2019. The leading 

contributors are the UAE with 31,517 rooms 

(53%) in the pipeline; Saudi Arabia with 24,170 

(41%); and Oman with 2,984 (5%). 

Meanwhile, according to research conducted 

by Colliers International, personalisation 

through Artificial Intelligence (AI) could increase 

hotel revenues by over 10% and reduce costs 

by more than 15% – with hotel operators 

expecting technology such as voice and facial 

recognition, virtual reality and biometrics to be 

mainstream by 2025. 

“Hoteliers have been cautious of technology 

taking away the human touch from the guest 

service and overall experience. However, 

by giving guests the autonomy to choose 

at each touch point during their hotel stay, 

hoteliers can learn the right balance between 

staff interaction and AI-powered, automated 

customer service,” Curtis said. 

ATM – considered by industry professionals 

as a barometer for the Middle East and North 

Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 

people to its 2018 event, showcasing the 

largest exhibition in the history of the show, 

with hotels comprising 20% of the floor area. 

ATM 2019 will build on the success of last 

year’s edition with a host of seminar sessions 

discussing the ongoing unprecedented digital 

disruption, and the emergence of innovative 

technologies that will fundamentally alter the 

way in which the hospitality industry operates 

in the region 

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian 

Travel Market, says, “It is important to highlight 

that the GCC is one of the fastest growing 

regional hospitality markets on a global scale, 

with the UAE leading the way as it gears up for 

Expo 2020 which is now less than two years 

away.

BUILD YOUR OWN 

CHINESE SUCCESS STORY 

15 - 17 May 2019 · Shanghai · itb-china.com 

Partner Hotel: 

Organizer: 

Co-Host:

EVENTS 




13 

QYER AND 

ITB CHINA 

TO HOST IT’S 

MY WORLD 

TRAVEL 

AWARD AND 

EXCLUSIVE 

PAVILION FOR 

KOLS AT ITB 

CHINA 2019 

China’s biggest outbound travel 

service platform, Qyer, and ITB 

China have announced the renewal 

of their strategic partnership. For 

the first time ITB China will be 

fully devoting a travel experience 

hub for China’s travel KOLs (Key 

Opinion Leaders) to be hosted 

by Qyer. David Axiotis, General 

Manager ITB China, believes that 

KOLs have a strong influence on 

Chinese tourists. 

“Less young Chinese continue 

to travel with a group and 

more will travel independently. 

So, KOLs might provide the 

perfect inspiration for their next 

independent travel trip, plus 

provide inspiration and help 

travelers discover new destinations 

on social platforms such as 

WeChat or Weibo”, said Axiotis 

AN EYE TO THE FUTURE 

OF SINO-WESTERN 

TOURISM RELATIONS 

ITB China Conference 2019 to examine farreaching 

trends in the Chinese travel industry 

Decision-makers and 

influencers from the 

Chinese and international 

travel industries will 

impart their knowledge 

at the third ITB China 

Conference 2019, set to 

take place from 15 to 

17 May at the Shanghai 

World Expo Exhibition and 

Conference Centre. 

With 4,000 attendees 

featuring 120 outstanding 

speakers and 70 topics 

last year, the ITB China 

Conference this year will 

build on the success of the 

2018 event. 

Top speakers from China’s 

leading travel service 

provider and Conference 

Partner Ctrip, Partner 

Hotel Wyndham, Partner 

limousine services Shouqi, 

Mafengwo amongst 

others will provide 

important insights into 

their expanding markets. 

China’s travel think tank 

kicks off with the opening 

keynote speech by James 

Liang, Chairman of Ctrip, 

on 15 May. 

“If we think of the society 

as a human brain, everyone 

in the society is like a 

neuron. The more neurons 

there are and the greater 

the connectivity we have 

between the neurons, 

the better developed 

the brain will be. This is 

how the travel industry is 

building up neuron-like 

connectivity. I am proud 

to be in the travel industry, 

which enables people to 

move around, facilitates 

the communication of 

information and cultures, 

stimulates innovation in 

the society, and leads 

mankind to constant 

David Axiotis 

Director and General 

Manager, ITB China 

progress and exploration. 

Thanks to ITB China for 

providing a platform 

of communication and 

cooperation in travel”, 

said Liang. 

The three-day conference 

will provide up-to-date 

key insights relating 

to nine topics in total: 

“Destination”, “Travel 

Tech”, “Online Travel”, 

“MICE”, “Business Travel’ 

and “Education and Job 

Day”. For the first time 

the conference topics 

are being extended to 

cover all aspects relevant 

to “Themed Travel”, 

“Customised Travel” 

and “Hotel Marketing 

& Distribution” due to 

the shifting of Chinese 

traveller’s behaviour 

as the ITB China Travel 

Trend Report just recently 

revealed

EVENTS 




15 

Delegation at HITEC 2018 

US HOSPITALITY TECH EVENT 

OF THE YEAR 

Global thought-leaders get together yet again at HITEC 

Minneapolis 2019 

Thought leadership has always been at 

the heart of HFTP events, in particular 

Hitec USA. The “big event” this year – 

on Monday, June 17, will be a keynote 

by the award-winning global futurist 

Chris Riddel, entitled “Beyond Tomorrow 

– The Human Connection”. Riddel is a 

global pattern hunter, discovering and 

identifying how humans are changing 

and adapting to high speed change, 

unlocking insights for businesses and 

leaders in today’s highly disrupted digital 

world. His keynote, culminating the first 

day’s activities at Hitec 2019 – is set to 

be a veritable highlight for all those 

attending. 

Hitec 2019 will feature a number of notto-be-missed 

super sessions, including 

“What is AI really”, “Fraud best practices”, 

“Independent hotel in a big box world”, 

“Technology: and how it shapes brand 

standards”, “Distribution channel 

management today”, “Technology 

investment”, “5G – not just another G”, 

“Next Gen Travelers” … the list goes on. 

Hitec USA is the world’s largest technology 

show, bringing the brightest minds and 

hottest technologies from around the 

world together in one place. Produced 

by Hospitality Financial and Technology 

Professionals (HFTP), a global non-profit 

hospitality association headquartered in 

Austin, Texas, USA, HITEC offers a unique 

combination of top-notch education, 

and brings together the brightest minds 

and hottest technologies from across the 

globe to one place. 

The event offers attendees essential 

education, access to top hospitality 

technology industry experts and the 

resources to find cost-effective ways 

to improve company bottom lines. 

Combined with the intimate opportunities 

to connect with fellow professionals, 

HITEC has everything to enhance your 

career. 

Historically hosted annually in a different 

city throughout the United States, HFTP 

decided to break tradition in 2017 by 

hosting three HITEC events all taking 

place outside of US borders – in Toronto, 

Amsterdam and Dubai. 

In the Day one session on AI, the question 

is asked, “What you call AI is most likely 

just a complicated IF statement. So, what 

is real (not hypothetical) AI? What are 

the applications and repercussions in the 

industry? Are we in danger of losing our 

jobs? Are there any ethical considerations? 

Explore these questions and more in this 

session, including a discussion on which 

jobs in our industry are most likely to be 

replaced with AI, whether AI is a good 

investment as a service platform and 

voice activation in hotel rooms.” 

Day two of this year’s event will also 

see a technology showcase session – 

“All About the CCPA for the Hospitality 

Industry: How to Tackle California’s New 

Privacy Law” - Presented by OneTrust 

Further details can be found at www.hftp.org

EVENTS 

ATM - 2018 

EVENTS CALENDAR 

8-11 APRIL 2019 

HT-NEXT 

Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New 

Orleans, LA, USA 

www.ht-next.com 

9-11 APRIL 2019 

Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 

(AHIC) 

AHIC Village, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab 

Emirates 

www.arabianconference.com 

9-11 APRIL 2019 

HITEC Europe 

Convention Centre of Palma, Palma, Spain 

www.hftp.org/hitec/europe 

10-12 APRIL 2019 

World Travel Market Africa 

Cape Town International Convention 

Centre, Cape Town, South Africa 

https://africa.wtm.com 

15-16 APRIL 2019 

Global Lodging Forum 

InterContinental Paris - Le Grand, Paris, France 

http://globallodgingforum.com/en/home 

21-23 APRIL 2019 

The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 

Jeddah Center for Forums and Events, 

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

www.thehotelshowsaudiarabia.com 

25-26 APRIL 2019 

Asia Pacific Hotel Investment 

Conference (APHIC) 

Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention 

Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand 

www.questexevent.com/APHIC/2019/thailand 

28 APRIL-1 MAY 2019 

CLEVERDIS 

PARTNER 

Arabian Travel Market 

Dubai International Convention & 

Exhibition Centre, Dubai, United Arab 

Emirates 

https://arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com 

2-3 MAY 2019 

World Tourism Forum Lucerne 

Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, 

Luzern, Switzerland 

www.wtflucerne.org 

2-3 MAY 2019 

5 th UNWTO World Forum on 

Gastronomy Tourism 

San Sebastian, Spain 

www2.unwto.org/event/5th-unwto-worldforum-gastronomy-tourism-0 

8-9 MAY 2019 

Independent Hotel Show 

RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

www.independenthotelshow.nl 

14-16 MAY 2019 

IHTF - International Hotel Technology Forum 

Zagreb, Croatia 

www.arena-international.com/ihtf/ 

14-17 MAY 2019 

ILTM Latin America 

Fundacao Bienal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 

Brazil 

www.iltmlatinamerica.com 

15-17 MAY 2019 

CLEVERDIS 

PARTNER 

ITB China 

Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and 

Convention Center, Shanghai, China 

www.itb-china.com 

21-23 MAY 2019 

IMEX 

Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany 

www.imex-frankfurt.com 

22 MAY 2019 

Boutique + Lifestyle Hotel Summit 

The Kimpton Fitzroy, London, UK 

www.boutiquehotelsummit.com 

27-30 MAY 2019 

ILTM Asia Pacific 

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 

www.iltm.com/en/asiapacific/ 

11-14 JUNE 2019 

HOTEC Middle East 

Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea Jordan, 

Ishtar, Jordan 

www.hotecme.com 

17-20 JUNE 2019 

CLEVERDIS 

PARTNER 

HITEC Minneapolis 

Minneapolis Convention Center, 

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 

www.hftp.org/hitec/minneapolis/ 

23-25 JUNE 2019 

The Hotel Show Africa 

Gallagher Convention Centre, 

Johannesburg, South Africa 

www.thehotelshowafrica.com 

25-26 JUNE 2019 

Digital Travel Summit 

Twickenham Stadium, London, UK 

https://digitaltraveleu.wbresearch.com 

A CLEVERDIS Publication, 65 avenue Jules Cantini, Tour Méditerranée, 

13006 Marseille - France - Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00 - Fax: + 33 442 77 46 01 

E-mail : info@cleverdis.com - www.cleverdis.com 

SARL capitalised at Euro 155,750 - VAT FR 95413604471 - RCS Marseille B 413 604 471 

Publisher: Gérard Lefebvre - Publishing Director: Jean-Guy Bienfait 

Managing Director: Jean-François Pieri - Marketing Manager: Nathalie Meissner 

Editor-in-Chief: Richard Barnes Associate Editor: Simon King - Editorial 

coordination: Kira Behr - Art Director: Hélène Beunat. With the participation of: 

Bettina Badon, Benjamin Klene, Jasdeep Singh, Wenchao Wang >>To contact them: 

first name.last name@cleverdis.com 

Printing: Pure Impression, Mauguio, France 

Registration of Copyright April 2019 • ISSN 2110-8676. Information presented in this publication is purely indicative in order to illustrate subjects contained 

therein. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy of data or content at time of printing and thus the latter should not be used to professional or commercial ends. 

While all efforts have been made as to accuracy and pertinence of content and data contained in this publication, CLEVERDIS may in no case be held responsible for 

the consequences, whatever their nature may be, that may result from the interpretation of this data or content, or any eventual errors therein. All rights are reserved. 

Any reproduction of the content of this publication, even partial, by any procedure whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior authorisation of the publisher. 

Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetic tape, disc or other means constitutes a forgery, liable to punishment under French law under the 

legislation of 11 th March 1957 covering copyright. All brands cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong to companies which are their respective 

proprietors. The publishers and editorial staff decline all responsibilty as to opinions formulated in this publication by those interviewed or cited therein. Their opinions 

are entirely their own, and are included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, no malicious intent. The inclusion of all texts, photographs and 

other documents supplied by those included in the report imply the acceptance by their authors of their free publication therein. Documents and photgraphs are not 

returned. It should be understood that this publication contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than 

statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include assumptions relating to 

the timing of the record date. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actual results could differ materially from 

the expectations outlined in these statements. Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements during the period of 

publication. Photo Credits and Copyright: All Rights Reserved





17 

2019 - THE YEAR OF 

ULTRA-PERSONALISED 

TRAVEL 

The 2019 Virtuoso Luxe Report shows 

travel this year is more than ever highly 

personalised and inspired by a desire to 

experience new destinations in unusual 

ways. 

From specific seat numbers on planes and 

hotel room numbers to particular rental 

car types, travellers are more vocal about 

their precise preferences. Nothing is left 

to chance, as increasingly clients ask for 

prearranged meals and appointments. 

They are seeking not just restaurant 

reservations, but exact tables at in-demand 

hot spots as well as pre-ordering wine to 

accompany the meal. They also ask their 

advisor to book sessions with hairdressers, 

massage therapists and even tattoo artists. 

Virtuoso uncovered five key trends: 

1. Motivation: Social media’s influence is 

unmistakable, as it drives travellers’ desire 

to find the most captivating backdrops 

and the best time of day for snapping 

images. Clients are requesting on-site 

photography sessions to create Instagramworthy 

content, including replicating 

shots they admired online. 

2. Transportation: When flying commercial, 

airlines with state-of-the-art business and 

first-class cabins are a favourite. Upon 

landing, VIP airport arrival services that 

whisk travellers through customs and ease 

tight connections are growing in demand. 

3. Accommodation: Experiential travellers 

who have seen it all are craving stays in 

unconventional accommodations. 

4. Recreation: People want to explore their 

passions through bucket-list experiences. 

5. Conservation: Travellers are expressing 

heightened interest in animal-related 

experiences. But they also exhibit concern 

for animal welfare and want to ensure 

that interactions are sustainable. 

The following pages highlight other key 

trends in the elite travel portfolio, including 

the ultimate in gastronomic experiences. 

Borneo pygmy elephant


Organising committee of the 

2019 EHMA General Meeting 

THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME OF 

EUROPE’S HOTEL MANAGEMENT 

MEETS IN PARIS 

EHMA AGM at the Westin Paris-Vendôme sees election 

of new president and awards for top hoteliers 

With the theme "Welcome to the future!", this year’s European Hotel 

Managers Association meeting in Paris took a close-up look at the 

changing needs of todays – and tomorrow’s customers. 

Grand; Valentino Piazzi, Hotel Regina Paris; 

Gianluca Priori, Hyatt Paris Madeleine; 

Claude Rath, Hotel Napoleon. 

Ezio A. Indiani. GM of the Hotel Principe 

di Savoia in Milan and National Delegate 

EHMA Italy since 2010, was elected 

President of the Association for a threeyear 

term, from 2019 to 2021. Verena 

Radlgruber-Forstinger was confirmed 1 st 

Vice President and Panos Almyrantis 2 nd 

Vice President. Two prestigious awards 

were presented during the closing gala 

dinner: Patrick Recasens, GM Pullman Timi 

Ama Sardegna, was elected European 

Hotel Manager of the Year 2018 while 

Frédéric Darnet, GM of the Monte-Carlo 

Bay Hotel & Resort, is the winner of the 

EHMA Sustainability Award by Diversey 

2019. 

The event was organised in masterly 

fashion by a committee composed of 

Chairman Manuel de Vasconcelos, 

Le Méridien Beach Plaza Monaco, 

and by Alessandra Bragoli, Castille 

Paris; Claudio Ceccherelli, Park Hyatt 

Paris-Vendôme; Jean Luc Cousty, Hotel 

Lutetia; François Delahaye, Hotel Plaza 

Athénée; Antoine Fanton, Hotel Les Deux 

Girafes; Pierre Ferchaud, Hotel Raphael 

Paris; Fanny Guibouret, Hotel du Louvre; 

Christophe Laure, InterContinental Paris Le 

CSR AT HEART 

OF DISCUSSIONS 

EHMA is highly receptive to corporate social 

responsibility and has become partner 

of the Valueable network, a European 

project co-funded by the European 

Commission and promoted by the 

Italian Association of Persons with Down 

Syndrome that operates in six different 

countries (Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, 

Hungary and Turkey) to promote labourmarket 

inclusion of people with intellectual 

disabilities through targeted placements in 

SMARTreport Commercial Content




19 

the hospitality industry. EHMA member 

Palmiro Noschese, Managing Director 

Italy Meliá Hotels International, who 

was the first to support this initiative 

in Italy, informed the audience on the 

latest developments of this project. 

EDUCATION – 

EVER MORE ESSENTIAL 

In conjunction with the General Assembly, 

Ian Millar, École Hôtelière de Lausanne, 

led an educational session dedicated to 

the "Young EHMA group 2019", a project 

dedicated to deserving employees from 

EHMA member hotels to participate at the 

annual conference. 

The Educational Day of February 16th, 

moderated by Sander Allegro with 

interactive sessions, focused on issues that 

will affect the future of the hotel industry. 

The first speaker, coach and author, Ilja 

Grzeskowitz, stressed the need to create 

a corporate culture of change based on 

innovation, flexibility and the courage 

to experiment with new processes and 

projects to remain at the top and 

competitive in the market. 

The future of the hospitality industry 

will be shaped by the changing needs of 

customers and many are wondering what 

the motivations for choosing a hotel by 

"Millennials". Three students coming 

from different countries, attending the 

INSEAD business school, explained that 

Millennials appreciate a good quality / price 

ratio and are influenced by the location, 

the online reviews, the cultural experience, 

the personalisation of the offer and 

the technological tools available on site. 

With hygiene being an increasingly 

vital factor of success for a 

hotel, Somer Gundogdou, Diversey 

President Professional EMEA, explained 

that his company has been, and always will 

be, a pioneer and facilitator that constantly 

delivers revolutionary cleaning and hygiene 

technologies that provide total confidence 

to its customers worldwide. 

A need to cultivate "mindfulness", 

the self-awareness that is obtained 

through practices such as meditation, 

was underlined by Yves Givel, Vice 

President HR Hyatt International. This 

mental attitude, called emotional 

intelligence, induces a perception of 

physical and mental well-being, improves 

creativity and decision-making processes 

and allows to recognise, use, understand 

and manage consciously one's own and 

others' emotions. 

Innovative concepts behind the creation 

of new types of hotels are feature of our 

time. Serge Trigano, son of the founder 

of Club Med, spoke about his "Mama 

Shelter" hotels, designed by Philippe 

Starck: very "low profile" but highly 

successful, especially as meeting places 

for young people. 

The latest restaurant trends were reported 

by Hans Steenberger, a Dutch journalist 

who co-founded Food Inspiration 

Magazine. Menus change, are oriented 

towards vegetable proteins, local and 

ethical products, become eclectic 

and are inspired by the territory, are 

customised and as a result restaurants 

become tourist destinations. The 

potential of gastronomy as a tourist 

attraction was also illustrated by Claus 

Meyer, co-founder of the Copenhagenbased 

restaurant Noma and a signatory 

with 11 other visionary chefs of the New 

Nordic Kitchen Manifesto. This project 

promotes a gastronomic culture based 

on the food characteristics associated to 

the region - purity, simplicity, freshness, 

safety and ethics – was very successful 

and succeeded in putting Denmark on the 

European gastronomic map. 

Märtha Rehnberg, economist and 

consultant of the European Community 

for technologies, looked at a “not-sodistant 

visionary future”. Her mission 

is “positive disruption”, i.e. to make 

positive the feelings of instability, 

uncertainty and fear produced by the 

need to adapt to the radical changes 

in the market and the rapid evolution 

of technology. 

With architecture and interior design 

critical to the success of luxury hotels, 

Tristan Auer and Monica Moser of 

Wilson & Associates exposed the latest 

developments and trends in these fields. 

A panel joined by Alessandra Bragoli, 

Wilhelm Luxem, Loic Salaun and Mariella 

Vigil and moderated by Sander Allegro on 

the actual benefits that participants can 

get from the speakers' interventions closed 

the Educational Day. 

A conclusive cocktail and gala dinner were 

held in the sumptuous halls of the 

legendary Intercontinental Le Grand, richly 

decorated, recently restored to the highest 

levels of elegance worthy of the French 

"grandeur" of nineteenth century. During 

the gala dinner, the outgoing President 

Hans E. Koch presented the two prestigious 

awards for "Hotel Manager of the Year 

2018" and "EHMA Sustainability Award 

by Diversey 2019" 

Ezio A. Indiani, EHMA President; 

Patrick Recasens, European Hotel 

Manager of the Year 2018 and Hans E. 

Koch, outgoing EHMA President (l. to r.) 

Ilja Grzeskowitz, coach and author, 

speaking during the Educational Day


SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF 

THE WORLD LEVERAGES 

“WELL BALANCED” PORTFOLIO 

With a new CEO since last year and spectacular new 

properties announced every month, the group goes from 

strength to strength 

With around 540 properties in its portfolio, SLH is described 

by its new CEO Jean-François Ferret as being “particularly well 

balanced”. 

Jean-François Ferret 

CEO, SLH 

While the group continues to grow, 

Ferret says the aim is above all to 

continue improving quality, and 

that if any quality issues arise, the 

relationship with any “offending” 

property will come to a close. 

Moving in September 2018 to SLH 

from a previous role with Relais & 

Châteaux, Ferret explains, “We 

already did a huge amount of 

work to improve the quality of the 

portfolio of properties and we will 

keep on going in that direction. 

I don’t have any quantitative 

objectives to grow the network, 

I just want to attract the best, I 

want to continue to increase the 

credibility of the brand.” 

Ferret says the key to the success 

of the brand is the “balance” of 

the portfolio as well as the quality 

of his team, which is “engaged 

and committed and very strong in 

sales and marketing”, meaning the 

company is sales driven. 

The main news for SLH fell towards 

the end of 2018, with the launch of 

a partnership with Hyatt. 

“We closed the partnership, 

wherein members of the loyalty 

program of Hyatt can earn and burn 

their points in SLH properties”, says 

Ferret. “This is not a joint venture or 

a takeover, this is just another sales 

channel for the SLH properties; 

but very powerful, because the 

Hyatt brand is only high end, it is 

still family owned and the values 

of Hyatt are taking care. So, it is 

exactly the right partner for us.” 

NEW HOTELS 

ANNOUNCED 

Since the start of 2019, a number 

of spectacular new properties have 

been announced. These include: 

Hotel Montchalet, South Tyrol, 

Italy 

La Maison Bleue, El Gouna, Egypt 

Lazib Inn Resort & Spa, El 

Fayoum, Egypt 

Castello di Spaltenna, Chianti, 

Italy 

Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa, 

La Fortuna De San Carlos, Costa 

Rica 





21 

The Outpost Hotel, Sentosa Island, 

Singapore 

Villa Eyrie, Malahat, Canada 

Villa Eyrie, Vancouver Island, Canada 

Hotel Amparo, San Miguel de Allende, 

Mexico 

Finca Serena, Mallorca, Spain 

Castle Hot Springs, Arizona, United 

States – Opened February 2019 

Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane, Australia - 

Opened November 2018 

Vintry & Mercer, London, United 

Kingdom - Opened February 2019 

Mykonos Riviera Hotel, Mykonos, 

Greece - Opened August 2018 

Quinta Da Comporta Wellness Retreat, 

Comporta, Portugal - Opened March 

2019 

Faarufushi Maldives, Raa Atoll, Maldives 

- Opened March 2019 

Hotel Nantipa, Santa Teresa de Cobano, 

Costa Rica - Opened February 2019 

Hotel Schweizerhof, Zermatt, 

Switzerland - Re-opened 21 st December 

2018 

The Outpost at Sentosa, Sentosa Island, 

Singapore - Opened April 2019 

The Celino South Beach, Miami, USA - 

Opens 15 th June 2019 

SPOTLIGHT ON SENTOSA 

Set on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful 

Singapore Strait, The Outpost at Sentosa is 

an adults-only retreat close to three 

tropical beaches: Siloso, Palawan and 

Tanjong. Inspired by Sentosa's heritage 

as a colonial military base, the 193 

guestrooms are a stylish interpretation of 

black and white design, with crisp lines, 

hints of gold and a sharply contrasting 

palette. Floor to ceiling windows give 

I JUST WANT 

TO ATTRACT THE 

BEST, I WANT TO 

CONTINUE TO 

INCREASE THE 

CREDIBILITY OF 

THE BRAND 

sea-facing rooms an uplifting feel, with 

walk-in showers that guests won’t want 

to leave – even for the nearby beaches. 

Inspired by the Amazon River and the 

cascading pools of Turkey, the futuristic 

pool deck features wicker beds and four 

uniquely themed pools: Pamukkale Pool, 

Lazy River Pool, Adventure Pool and 

Children's Play Pool. Of special mention is 

the Pamukkale Pool - an infinity pool with 

a view of the seaside in the horizon, as 

well as a pool bar. 

Perched on the rooftop of the hotel is an 

exciting new restaurant and bar concept 

due to be unveiled later in the year 

that promises revolutionary dining with 

panoramic views of the South China Sea. 

FIRST TO JOIN IN BRITISH 

COLUMBIA – VILLA EYRIE 

Surrounded by old-growth forests 1,800 

feet above the sea, Villa Eyrie is a relaxing 

mountainside retreat just 30 minutes 

from the city of Victoria, the gateway to 

Vancouver Island. Inspired by Lake Como, 

accommodations merge Italian architecture 

with soothing contemporary interiors. 

Whether guests stay in Villa Principale or 

rent the six-suite private penthouse at Villa 

Cielo, they will experience the comforts of 

home with the luxuries of resort living, from 

plush pillow-top mattresses, soaker tubs 

and in-room fireplaces to private balconies 

with breathtaking views of the Saanich 

Inlet. With three relaxation treatment 

rooms, a manicure and pedicure lounge 

and a private outdoor oasis equipped with 

a gas fireplace and loungers, the Tuscan 

Spa is the place to unwind. In the evenings, 

guests can tuck into Alpina Restaurant 

where a Michelin-trained chef and team 

of culinary experts prepare meals inspired 

by alpine environments fused with Pacific 

Northwest flair. Alpina Restaurant boasts 

over 120 wines, the largest selection of 

B.C. wines on Vancouver Island, allowing 

guests to taste their way through the 

Province without ever having to step offproperty

In The Field 

with Mary Gostelow 

THE "INSIDE LINE" ON WHAT'S HOT IN HOSPITALITY 

PART III 

GASTRONOMY 

IDULGING THE 

SENSES IN THE 

MIDDLE EAST 

& AFRICA 

Mary Gostelow is often called the world 

authority on luxury hotels. In addition to 

being global ambassador for International 

Luxury Travel Market Events (www.iltm.com) 

she has a daily travelogue (www.girlahead. 

com). In this report, she takes us on a tour 

of HER choice of high-end gastronomic 

destinations – spotlighting the Middle East. 

Alain Ducasse's largest restaurant in 

his growing global empire opened last 

December, literally atop the picture-book 

Emerald Palace Kempinski in Dubai. Why 

“picture-book”? The resort's owner, Never 

Mkhitaryan, wanted the ultimate Europeanstyle 

palace, and he designed and built it, 

a 390-room hotel with a lifetime supply 

of gold leaf, over 6,000 priceless crystal 

chandeliers and 390 sumptuous rooms, 

smallest size 65 sq m. Mkhitaryan 

added his favourites, a Blüthner 

grand piano, and a 400- 

seat miX Alain Ducasse 

restaurant. Book 

ahead for the 12- 

seat Chef's table 

under the dome, 

go for hammour 

couscous, followed by 

lobster with artisanal pasta. 

Elsewhere in Dubai, gourmets 

head for steak-slapping theatre 

at Nusr-ET in Restaurant Village, 

Jumeirah Beach. Nusr-ET is named for 

Nuret Gökçe, and best-sellers are ribs, and 

what is said to be the area's best baklava. 

For diners who want more discreet 

experiences, however, here are two of the 

elegantly casual alternatives. At Dubai's 

logo hotel, Burj Al-Arab, as iconic as its 

Opera House is to Sydney, try indooroutdoor 

Scape Restaurant & Bar, on the 

hotel's floating platform, made in Finland, 

all 12,000 sq m of it, and towed round here, 

to UAE. It's large enough to host massive 

pools and cabanas, and this restaurant. 

Soak up the sun and go for lobster tacos 

followed by a traditional sundae with salted 

caramel ice-cream and brownies, served by 

St Barth's types in icecream-pink polo shirts 

and white designer shorts. Alternatively, 

head for Park Hyatt Dubai, surrounded 

by golf course, Creek and a new whitesand 

beach. Enjoy a Hendricks-and-tonic 

in seventyseventy bar before The Thai 

Kitchen's soft-shell crab in garlic pepper 

sauce. 

IN DUBAI, 

GOURMETS HEAD 

FOR STEAK-SLAPPING 

THEATRE AT NUSR-ET IN 

RESTAURANT VILLAGE, 

JUMEIRAH 

BEACH. 

You're surrounded by stark jagged 

mountain rock at Anantara Al Jabal al 

Akhdar, 200 metres up and an hour's 

drive from the Omani capital Muscat. 

After rock-climbing, hiking or 

generally lazing around the 

pool, watch the usuallysensational 

sunset 

from a glass-sided 

viewing platform 

cantilevered over 

a valley void. 

Al 

Qalaa (“The Fort”), with 

a 12-variety salt collection - 

black from Hawaii and pink from 

the Himalayas through to seaweedstudded 

salts - drink Billecart-Salmon Brut 

Reserve before a copious mezze followed 

by Omani lamb shank braised with local 

spices (perhaps you have already booked 

for a take a culinary masterclass, tomorrow, 

perhaps balanced by a Detox & Weight Loss 

workout). 

Surrounded by endless desert, El Fayoum 

lake, 90 kms west of Cairo, is a green oasis. 

The compact village, still inhabited, includes 

Olivier and Nanette Masson's ultimate 

eight-room hideaway retreat, Lazib Inn 

Resort & Spa. At its Blue Donkey restaurant, 

named for the full-size resin sculpture 

hanging upside-down from the ceiling, try 

the signature Fayoum pigeon stuffed with 

barley, served on RAK plates from Ras al- 

Khaimah, UAE. 

SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT EDITION





23 

Davide Guidi, 

Director of Restaurants and 

Events, The Murray, Hong Kong 

HONG KONG’S NEWEST 

ROOFTOP FOODIE DESTINATION 

Exclusive Interview: Davide Guidi, Director of Restaurants and 

Events, The Murray, Hong Kong 

Perched on the rooftop of The 

Murray, Hong Kong, Popinjays 

is a new and unique dining 

and bar destination that offers 

unparalleled 270° views of the 

cityscape and surrounding parks. 

We asked Davide Guidi, Director of 

Restaurants and Events, The Murray 

to tell us about this fabulous new 

foodie destination. 

Popinjays serves modern European 

cuisine in a contemporary glass-walled 

dining room while the bar offers 

creative cocktails crafted by our team 

of mixologists. Seating 114 guests, the 

purpose-built restaurant is accessible by 

two glass-walled elevators from the 25th 

storey of the hotel. For guests seeking an 

intimate dining experience, The Aviary is a 

private room ideal for business gatherings, 

celebratory occasions or exclusive dinners 

for up to 20 guests. 

The restaurant and bar were designed to 

reflect Hong Kong’s vibrant, cosmopolitan 

style, the lifestyle destination is designed 

to attract the city’s flamboyant, 

fashionable crowd throughout the day 

and late into the evening. 

Where does the name come from? 

Popinjays, a term once assigned to 

parrots, takes its name from the resident 

cockatoos along neighbouring Garden 

Road, Hong Kong Park and Hong Kong 

Zoological and Botanical Gardens. 

Naturally drawn to being part of a flock, 

and rarely flying solo, the habits of these 

birds embody Popinjays’ sociable spirit. 

The afternoon tea at Popinjays sounds 

fun and interactive; can you tell use 

more? 

The Popinjays Afternoon tea puts a 

playful spin on the traditional afternoon 

repast which is very popular in Hong 

Kong, as in many cities around the world. 

At Popinjays, guests are treated to a burst 

of flamboyant colours and flavours in 

the savouries and sweets presented. A 

highlight of the afternoon is the serving 

of the Popinjays Signature Scones which 

come in two favours, Cherry Jubilee or 

Blood Orange, and flambéed tableside. 

Tell us about the gastronomy on offer 

in Popinjays. 

The culinary brigade of Popinjays is helmed 

by Chef de Cuisine Didier Quennouelle. 

A native of France, chef Didier brings his 

25 years of expertise and knowledge of 

French techniques to the table, rendering 

seasonal ingredients into creative modern 

dishes. 

Can you tell us more about your “Birds 

of a Feather” menu? 

The Birds of a Feather menu is available 

on Friday and Saturday evenings. It is 

designed to promote a convivial dining 

experience with appetizer and dessert 

platters to be shared as a couple. Diners 

may select their individual main courses 

and separately, there is an option to have 

the menu paired with our sommelier’s 

selection of wines 



GASTRONOMY 

MACAO, 

“CREATIVE 

CITY OF 

GASTRONOMY” 

Clear Café Ubud, Indonesia 

In 2019, the Macao Government Tourism Office 

(MGTO) is working on the development of the local 

catering industry through “inheritance, innovation 

and exchange”, strengthening inheritance and 

innovation of local Macanese Cuisine. 

DELICIOUS 

INDONESIA 

Working very closely with the UNWTO, Indonesia 

is strongly placing the spotlight on Gastronomy 

Tourism. Vita Datau, head of the Culinary 

and Shopping Tourism Acceleration Team for 

Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry, says five destinations 

have been selected for special attention: Ubud 

(Bali), Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang and Bandung. 

A year after beginning a 

programme with UNWTO 

in Ubud, results are already 

forthcoming. “We just did 

our preliminary report, and 

it will be used by UNWTO 

as baseline report to 

assess Ubud soon on May 

2019,” explains Datau. 

“The programme will take 

more than a year before 

UNWTO can make a final 

announcement that Ubud 

is fulfilling the requirement 

as Gastronomy Destination 

Prototype. The process is 

excellent, as it encourages 

the stakeholders to 

contribute actively in 

finishing up the report, and 

also motivates the industry 

to enhance the service 

quality and promoting 

Ubud in the same time.” 

Spices, vegetables, fruits, 

wine and coffee all form 

part of Bali’s cuisine, with 

some Ubud restaurants 

regularly making it into lists 

of top restaurants in Asia. 

The region is of course also 

renowned for its “Babi 

Guling” – roasted suckling 

pig, a speciality in Bali. 

Indonesia’s Ministry of 

Health and Ministry of 

Tourism are also working 

to create food hygiene and 

safety standards across the 

nation, working together 

to develop standards to be 

implemented along with 

a massive training and 

certification programme 

Macao will be hosting and 

supporting international 

gastronomic events, organising 

different types of activities 

in major source markets, 

launching gourmet food tour 

products, and making greater 

efforts in promoting the 

Creative City of Gastronomy. 

With a culinary legacy that 

dates back over 400 years, 

Macao is generally regarded 

as being home to the world’s 

first “fusion” cuisine. As a city 

which for 400 years was under 

Portuguese administration, 

it was in Macao, well before 

Hong Kong or Singapore, that 

East met West in the kitchen. 

And since Macao returned to 

Executive chef of Michelin 

Three Star Restaurant – The 8 

– Joseph Tse – staging special 

performances in Macao 

Chinese sovereignty in 1999, 

this kind of cuisine has been 

a cornerstone of local culture. 

It all testifies to the value of 

the UNESCO International 

Creative Cities Network and, 

at the same time, highlights 

the growing importance of 

cities as drivers of creativity 

and innovation. A recent 

gastronomy cooking show 

launched in Macao has not 

only stimulated the taste buds 

but also inspired imagination 

and creativity. Gastronomy 

is indeed deeply rooted in 

cultural heritage and cultural 

identity of peoples and 

communities





25 

© Shivinder Bhandari 

MIDDLE EAST TAKES 

CENTRE STAGE AS MEA 

DRIVES TOURISM MARKET 

In the next pages, we spotlight 

developments in travel and 

tourism in the Middle East and 

Africa. While the region led 

growth in international tourist 

arrivals in 2018, the importance 

of the Arabian Travel Market – 

the region’s biggest show – run 

by Reed Exhibitions in Dubai – is 

also growing rapidly year-byyear. 

At the same time, Oman is 

reaching out to the world 

of travel and tourism by 

announcing the nation’s official 

partnership with ITB Berlin 2020. 

During 2019 alone, 20 new hotels 

are expected to open in Oman’s 

capital Muscat, including three 

new five-star hotels and three 

four-star hotels. Complementing 

its hotel pipeline, Muscat has 

made significant investment in 

its airports. The new terminal 

at Muscat International Airport, 

which opened in March 2018 

is expected to increase annual 

passenger traffic by at least 10% 

year-on-year – driven by growth 

from domestic carriers Oman Air 

and Salam Air as they continue 

to add new and direct routes. 

Discover more about Oman, as 

well as tracking other regional 

trends… in the emirates, South 

Africa, Kenya and St Helena, in 

the following pages… 

Qurum Beach, Oman


FACTS & FIGURES 

MEA ON THE RISE 

Above average tourism growth for Middle 

East and Africa 

With international tourist arrivals up by 10% 

and 7% respectively, the Middle East and Africa 

led growth in the world last year according to 

UNWTO data. This trend is due to continue 

in 2019 as many countries have introduced 

measures to simplify entry formalities. 

Although they represent just 4.8% and 4.5% 

respectively of all international tourist arrivals 

in the world, Africa and the Middle East were 

definitely among winners for world travellers 

in 2018. Last year, the Middle East recorded 

63.6 million international tourist arrivals - up 

by 10.3% while Africa attracted a total of 

67.1 million international travellers, up by 

7.3%. 

Middle East arrivals were on an upward trend, 

influenced by excellent performances from 

Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In 2017, international 

tourist arrivals to Egypt were up by 55% and 

last year this number grew again by 41.5% 

to over 11 million arrivals. UNWTO declared 

that tourism to Egypt was the top performer 

in the world. The country hopes that cultural 

16 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

tourism will jump with the opening of the 

Grand Egyptian Museum in 2020. 

Another star in the Middle East in terms of 

international tourist arrivals was Saudi Arabia 

- up by 30.3% last year. Strong growth 

should continue as the country now offers 

e-visas for tourists wishing to visit sport or 

cultural events. 

Africa experienced a strong bounce back in 

arrivals to countries along the Mediterranean 

Sea. Tunisia continues to grow at double-digit 

rates, a situation due to the lifting of travel bans 

or restrictions by most countries (particularly 

from Europe) towards the destination. Tunisia 

international arrivals grew by 23.2% in 2017 

and progressed again by an estimated 17.7% 

last year. Tunisia consequently recorded a 

total of 8.3 million international travellers, 

finally overtaking its previous record of 2010. 

Morocco also performed very well, attracting 

over 12 million travellers for the first time in 

history - a growth of over 8%. 

INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS, AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST 

8.2 

7 

14.7 

10 

5.1 

17/16 

(% change) 

18*/17 January - December 

6 

4.1 

10 

EUROPEAN 

VISITORS 

TO GCC TO 

INCREASE 

29% BY 2023, 

SAYS ATM 

Geoffrey Gelardi – winner 

of the Mary Gostelow Award 

for hospitality – in background 

- Matthew Upchurch, CEO 

of Virtuoso and ILTM Director 

Alison Gilmore 

REPORT 

Arrivals from Europe to the 

GCC will increase 29% over the 

period 2018 to 2023, driven by 

new and direct flight routes, a 

growing number of millennial 

and middle-class travellers and 

competitive air fares, according 

to the latest data released 

ahead of Arabian Travel Market 

(ATM) 2019. According to 

ATM’s research partner, Colliers 

International, as many as 

8.3 million EU residents will 

travel to the GCC in 2023, an 

additional 1.9 million travellers 

when compared to 2018 arrival 

figures. 

Adding to this, figures from 

ATM 2018 show the number 

of delegates, exhibitors and 

attendees interested in doing 

business with Europe increased 

by 24% between 2017 and 

2018 

Burj Al Arab, Dubai 

2 

0 

Africa 

North 

Africa 

Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) © 

Subsaharan 

Africa 

Middle 

East 

* Provisional data


FACTS & FIGURES 




27 

OMAN KICKS 

OFF FIRST EVER 

BEACH EVENT 

Sur Al Hadid Beach in Oman 

has been transformed for the 

Sultanate’s first-ever beach 

event. From 7 to 9 March 

2019, the Sur Al Hadid Beach 

Carnival was a display of 

home-grown brands and funfilled 

activities. 

The event was brought to the local 

audience through a partnership 

between Muscat Municipality and 

the Ministry of Tourism and Oman 

Tourism Development Company 

(OMRAN), as part of an initiative to 

promote what Oman has to offer 

to the community and visitors. 

The carnival hosted 70 SMEs, food 

trucks and popular brands who were 

presenting various delicacies and 

refreshment at the market, including 

delicious Omani food freshly made 

by local home businesses from the Al 

Seeb community. 

The outdoor market also featured 

a selection of gifts, perfumes, 

jewellery, childrens and family goods. 

Sur al hadid beach carnival 

Arts and crafts activities were held as 

well, including clay moulding and 

face painting, together with a series 

of outdoor games such as a bouncy 

castle, pony riding, Jenga, balloon 

darts and educational workshops 

for children to promote sustainable 

practices in environment protection. 

Eng. Abdul Wahid Al Farsi, Director of 

Business Integration at OMRAN, the 

main partner of the event, and the 

Head of the Organising Committee 

of Sur Al Hadid Beach Carnival 

commented: “We have devoted 

ourselves to ensuring creative ways 

to bring out Omani’s excitement 

towards outdoor activities. From 

water sports, outdoor games, music 

and the market, we make sure 

everyone in the family will have a 

favourite activity during the threeday 

event.” The beach carnival did 

not only strategically contribute to 

domestic tourism “but was also set 

a healthy business environment for 

the SMEs in the country,” he said 

Haitham Mattar 

CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism 

Development Authority 

RAS AL KHAIMAH 

LAUNCHES NEW 

THREE-YEAR 

STRATEGY 

Haitham Mattar is Chief Executive 

Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism 

Development Authority. We asked 

him how tourism is progressing in Ras 

Al Khaimah and how figures compare 

to his destination strategy goals. 

2018 was another remarkable year for 

the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in terms of 

achievements and milestones accomplished. 

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development 

Authority launched its first three-year 

destination strategy in 2016 outlining the 

vision and mission for tourism in the emirate, 

with the goal of attracting one million visitors 

to Ras Al Khaimah by 2018. The emirate 

exceeded these targets in 2018, with a 

reported 1,072,066 visitors from domestic 

and key international markets. The 10% 

growth in visitors compared to 2017 was led 

by the UAE domestic market generating 38% 

of overall visitors. Germany continued to be 

the leading international source market with 

83,605 visitors to Ras Al Khaimah in 2018, 

followed by Russia and the UK


AIR TRANSPORT 

OMAN 

AIRPORTS LOOK 

FOR A PRIVATE 

MANAGEMENT 

COMPANY 

Bahrein-based Gulf Air is being 

redefined as a boutique carrier 

NEW DYNAMICS FOR 

MIDDLE EAST CARRIERS 

After years of exceptional growth and network development, the 

three largest carriers of the Gulf area are looking at ways to maximise 

and rationalise their footprint over the global air transport sector. 

For years, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar 

Airways made the headlines with 

double-digit growth rates, record 

aircraft command, network expansion 

and innovative services. They are still 

growing and fine-tuning their on-board 

services, but last year marked a shift in 

the airlines’ destiny. The three airlines 

reported sinking profits or even losses. 

Abu Dhabi national carrier Etihad is 

now embarked into a slimming down 

exercise of its network while cancelling 

aircraft orders. Qatar Airways continues 

its growth but its financial results have 

been dented by the embargo the carrier 

faces from its neighbours. Emirates’ 

announcement to cancel the delivery of 

the iconic Airbus A380 was symbolic, 

signing the death-knell of the aircraft’s 

production. 

On the other hand, smaller Gulf carriers 

were luckier last year. Bahrein-based 

Gulf Air is being redefined as a boutique 

carrier while Oman Air is enjoying stable 

growth as it capitalises on the new 

Muscat airport and new aircraft. 

International Air Transport Association 

IATA observed that, although Middle 

East carriers’ traffic increased 4.2% in 

2018, it was down from 6.9% growth 

in 2017 and 11.8% in 2016. Capacity 

climbed 5.2% last year but load factor 

slipped 0.7 point to 74.7%. Middle-East 

market share in world air transport is 

down to 9.2% in 2018 from a high of 

9.6% back in 2016. 

Passenger demand is shifting. Travellers 

increasingly want to fly non-stop routes, 

particularly from secondary destinations 

with more single-corridor aircraft such 

as the Airbus A320 neo able to fly 

extended hours. Qatar Airways and 

Gulf Air have already acknowledged 

the trend by putting into service Airbus 

A320ER aircraft on long haul routes 

such as Bahrein-Paris for Gulf Air. 

Emirates Airlines now wants to conquer 

passengers in secondary destinations 

and has ditched its order for A380s in 

favour of smaller airplanes - 40 A330- 

900s and 30 A350-900s 

Oman main airport has changed its 

name from Seeb International to Muscat 

International. This could seem anecdotal, 

but the change shows the government’s 

desire to give a stronger identity to 

the Sultanate’s main gateway. Officials 

are now looking at a foreign airport’s 

management implementing a more 

aggressive marketing approach. 

The new state-of-the-art terminal 

was opened last year with a capacity 

to accommodate up to 20 million of 

passengers a year. Bringing foreign 

experts on board would help turning the 

airport into a major Gulf gateway and 

destination at the same time. The strategy 

is feeding into Oman’s desire to attract 

over 11 million foreign visitors by 2040 as 

opposed to four million today. The new 

management is due to be announced 

before year end. In 2018, Muscat already 

handled 15.4 million passengers 

The new state-of-theart 

terminal of Muscat 

International was opened 

last year 

© anilkumar tr




29 

Kenya is among the few 

countries in Africa applying 

an open-sky policy. 

HIGH AIR FARES HINDER GROWTH 

OF AIR TRANSPORT IN AFRICA 

African air transport remains far behind 

any other continent due to the absence of 

liberalisation, according to IATA. 

According to the association, the market 

share of African airlines was just 2.1% of 

the world total in 2018, when expressed 

in passenger kilometres flown. In a study, 

IATA indicates that while in Europe or 

North America, a person takes on average 

a return flight once a year, in Nigeria or 

Ethiopia, the same person would only take 

a return trip every… 50 years! This is even 

more surprising as air transport is often 

the only alternative for efficient and rapid 

connections as ground infrastructure are 

often deficient if not non-existent. 

The absence of competition, the fixing 

of fares by government and the fragile 

financial health of local airlines are 

all negative factors weighing over air 

transport on the continent. On average, 

an African would need 2.9 weeks to buy 

a return ticket within the continent. A 

European would only need 0.3 week to 

afford a similar ticket within the EU, based 

on average national income 

OMAN AIR BOOSTS 

CONNECTIVITY AT 

MUSCAT HUB 

Oman Air launched, on March 1, a special 

offer for its premium passengers offering 

one complimentary overnight at the Ritz- 

Carlton Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. 

Oman Air is the growing star in the Gulf adding 

routes and aircraft year after year. The carrier 

has a fleet of brand new aircraft including 

Boeing 787 and Airbus A330s for its long-haul 

services offering three classes, while on regional 

routes, the carrier flies mostly Boeing 737-800 

and -900s. By 2022, Oman Air’s total fleet size 

is expected to be around 70. 

This year with four new destinations, Oman Air’s 

network will reach 58 destinations. In Europe, 

the airline is launching a daily flight from June 1 

to Athens with a Boeing 737-800 as well as four 

weekly services to Baku in Azerbaijan in Central 

Asia, as well as to Alexandria and Khartoum in 

Africa, boosting its Muscat hub


TRENDING DESTINATIONS 

WE HAVE BEEN GREATLY 

DIVERSIFYING OUR TOURISM OFFERING, 

AND ASIDE FROM THE USUAL HOLIDAY 

MAKERS, PLACING A GREATER FOCUS ON 

DEVELOPING DIFFERENT SUB-SECTORS 

Ali Hassan Al Shaiba 

Acting Executive Director of the Marketing and 

Communications Sector, Abu Dhabi’s Department 

of Culture and Tourism 

SPOTLIGHT ON ABU DHABI 

The emirate reports growth in cultural, business, medical, 

and cruise tourism 

Ali Hassan Al Shaiba is Acting 

Executive Director of the Marketing 

and Communications Sector at Abu 

Dhabi’s Department of Culture and 

Tourism. We asked him how tourism 

is progressing in Abu Dhabi and 

what the main drivers are. 

Visitor figures to Abu Dhabi have 

once again risen year-on-year, and we 

welcomed an incredible 10 million visitors 

to the emirate in 2018. There are many 

factors driving this success; we have been 

greatly diversifying our tourism offering, 

and aside from the usual holiday makers, 

placing a greater focus on developing 

different sub-sectors – such as cultural, 

business, medical, and cruise tourism. 

This has been paying off – in 2018, the 

cruise sector provided us more than 

350,000 visitors, while our world-class 

cultural assets, such as Louvre Abu Dhabi, 

attracted more than 2.6 million people to 

the emirate. 

Cultural tourism is of course a main 

attraction. What’s new in this respect? 

December 2018 saw the addition of a 

jewel to Abu Dhabi’s cultural crown, with 

the much-anticipated launch of the Al 

Hosn cultural site. The original urban block 

of the city, Al Hosn features our oldest and 

most significant landmark, Qasr Al Hosn, 

now transformed into a museum narrating 

the history of the emirate, as well as the 

Cultural Foundation, dedicated to all 

forms of contemporary Emirati culture. Al 

Hosn takes its place alongside our many 

other cultural assets, such as landmark 

museum Louvre Abu Dhabi, which in 

November 2018 celebrated both its oneyear 

anniversary and the tremendous 

milestone of one million visitors. 

Gastronomy is growing as an attraction 

in Abu Dhabi… 

We have a number of fun and tasty public 

events celebrating global gastronomy. 

Taste of Abu Dhabi is an annual long 

weekend of food, drink and music on Yas 

Island, showcasing the newest and most 

exciting restaurants and chefs from around 

the world, and offering live cooking 

demonstrations and masterclasses. 

What’s new on the hospitality front – in 

terms of new resorts and hotels? 

We have many new luxury hotels 

enhancing the hospitality landscape. 

Notable recent additions include The 

Edition, located in the redeveloped Bateen 

Marina area, and the Saadiyat Rotana. 

Saadiyat Island in particular has so much 

to offer guests, with a cluster of fantastic 

resorts, beautiful beaches, and for a dash 

of culture, the exhibitions and events 

going on at Manarat al Saadiyat and NYU 

Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. For attractions, Yas 

Island now boasts the recently-opened 

Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi. Yas Island 

will also be host to SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, 

scheduled to open in 2022 as the firstever 

SeaWorld outside the US




31 

SHARJAH AIMS FOR 10 MILLION 

GUESTS IN 2021 

The Gulf emirate is diversifying its ecotourism, cultural and 

nature-themed offerings 

The Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development 

Authority (SCTDA) is putting the spotlight this year on 

eco-tourism products, outdoor activities, and branded 

hotels operating in the emirate. We asked SCTDA 

Chairman H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, what makes his 

destination’s tourism offering so much more diverse 

than many people might imagine. 

The landscapes of the emirate 

lend themselves to a huge 

range of outdoor activities: 

dune bashing, sandboarding 

and trekking through the 

desert near Mleiha, or 

kayaking and snorkelling 

are all possible for outdoor 

enthusiasts on the east coast. 

THE EMIRATE 

OFFERS A UNIQUE 

AND UNUSUAL 

COMBINATION 

OF AUTHENTIC 

ARABIC ART, 

CULTURE AND 

NATURAL 

HERITAGE 

Sharjah is also known as the 

gateway to authentic Arab art, 

culture and ancient heritage, 

offering impressive historical 

and cultural landmarks. Other 

top tourist attractions in the 

emirate include Al Majaz 

Waterfront and Al Noor Island, 

which offer a combination of 

indoor and outdoor relaxing 

or activity-driven options for 

visitors such as a splash park, 

mini golf and a literature 

pavilion. 

What are some of the 

different things people can 

do in the emirate that they 

may not have considered? 

Nature lovers will definitely 

enjoy watching the beautiful 

sun rise over the dunes in 

the Arabian desert, with 

a once-in-a-lifetime camel 

ride completing their desert 

experience. Or they might 

want to book a morning 

Desert Safari package to 

experience the tranquil beauty 

of the Arabian desert. We 

also have the village of Mleiha 

for outdoor enthusiasts, 

history buffs and explorers 

seeking a relaxing experience 

away from the hustle and 

bustle of the city. This major 

tourist hub perfectly blends 

archaeological, eco, and 

adventure tourism. 

Many spas and resorts and 

other key tourism projects are 

now in the pipeline in Sharjah. 

H.E. Khalid Jasim 

Al Midfa 

Chairman, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism 

Development Authority (SCTDA) 

In 2018, the five-star luxury 

Al Bait Hotel opened in the 

emirate to deliver an authentic 

Emirati hospitality experience. 

Representing the best Sharjah 

has to offer, the hotel exudes 

Sharjah’s legacy and heritage. 

Khorfakkan is another tourist 

attraction, a top spot for 

divers with Shark Island being 

the most famous area. 

How would you describe 

Sharjah’s three USPs? 

There are many reasons that 

make Sharjah a wonderful 

place to visit. First, it is a 

family-oriented destination, 

warmly welcoming people 

of different nationalities and 

cultures. Second, Sharjah 

is known as a cultural hub, 

showcasing not only the 

beauty of Arab traditions 

and heritage but it also 

emphasises the importance of 

preserving cultural identities 

while respecting diversity and 

differences. Lastly, the emirate 

offers a unique and unusual 

combination of authentic 

Arabic art, culture and natural 

heritage


TRENDING DESTINATIONS 

DUBAI – 

INCREASINGLY ON 

THE “MUST VISIT” LIST 

Ever evolving and growing, Dubai continues to surprise with 

stellar attractions and world-class developments opening 

almost every month. The last quarter of 2018 saw a host of 

exciting new additions to the city’s must-visit list and looking 

ahead, there’s plenty more to come in 2019 and beyond. 

Among the newly opened 

destinations is Bluewaters Island, 

which is set to boast 200 retail 

and dining concepts in a modern 

district featuring unparalleled 

views of the Gulf. It is also home 

to Ain Dubai, the world’s largest 

observation wheel. Located off 

the waters around Jumeirah 

Beach Residence, Bluewaters is 

split into different areas including 

residential, retail, leisure and 

entertainment, hotels and beach 

clubs, with Ain Dubai rising as the 

centrepiece. 

The island destination also hosts 

Caesar’s Palace, an internationally 

renowned luxurious hospitality 

destination. From innovative 

culinary offerings and aweinspiring 

entertainment, to 

indulgent amenities, the hotel 

encompasses all signature 

elements of the brand experience. 

This also includes Cove Beach and 

Qua Spa, and Gordon Ramsay’s 

second Hell’s Kitchen. Al Seef, 

meanwhile, is a calming oasis 

on the banks of Dubai Creek, 

which draws inspiration from the 

traditional architecture and souks 

of Old Dubai. The development 

features almost 500 shops, and 

restaurants with every cuisine you 

could wish for on offer. There are 

also cultural experiences such as 

art galleries and the Museum of 

Illusions. 

A key draw for adventurers and 

nature lovers, the Hatta Wadi 

Hub helps visitors experience 

highenergy activities such as 

mountain biking, carting, archery, 

adventure rope-climbing, hiking, 

kayaking, as well as human 

slingshot and zip-lining activities. 

The adventure centre also features 

Hatta Drop-in, Asia’s first water 

jump park. The developments 

also include Hatta Zorbing, a 

specialised zorbing centre for 

adults and kids where people sit 

inside giant inflatable balls and 

are propelled down slopes 

Al Seef, Dubai 

SOUTH AFRICA 

HERALDS 25 TH 

ANNIVERSARY OF 

DEMOCRACY 

This year, South Africa celebrates 25 years 

of democracy, a milestone for the country 

and the foundation of a booming tourism 

industry. In 1993, 3.4 million tourists 

travelled to South Africa, contributing 4.6% 

to the national economy. The number of 

international arrivals has quadrupled since 

then and now stands at 10.6 million. 

South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Derek 

Hanekom, explains that the nation’s tourism 

offering has evolved considerably since 

democracy was installed: “If the entire 

value chain is taken into account, the total 

contribution of the travel industry amounts 

to 8.9% of the gross domestic product. 

In 2017, tourism directly and indirectly 

supported around 1.5 million jobs, 9.5% of 

total employment. By 2028, the number is 

expected to grow to 2.1 million jobs” 

© DTCM




33 

Hon. Najib Balala, EGH, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & 

Wildlife, Kenya says improved security has been a driver for 

the increased number of tourists to the country. We asked how 

Kenya’s tourism infrastructure is developing. 

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) 

has enabled movement of tourists 

between the key cities of Mombasa 

and Nairobi, an impetus to tourism 

business. The expansion of Jomo 

Kenyatta International Airport has 

made it possible for the launch 

of a Nairobi to New York direct 

flight with increasing passenger 

traffic. The expansion of Malindi 

airport and Manda Airport in Lamu 

are geared to attracting more 

passengers through heavier aircraft. 

The development of new hotels, 

including international brands, 

has increased confidence among 

investors. The Diani Airport will also 

be expanded to accommodate more 

and bigger flights into Diani, the 

leading beach in Africa. 

What are the key travel trends in 

2019? 

Kenya is focusing on the following 

priorities in 2019 as envisioned in 

our tourism transformative agenda: 

product diversification to cater for 

different needs of the traveller, as 

Hon. Najib 

Balala 

EGH, Cabinet Secretary 

for Tourism & Wildlife, Kenya 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

INVESTMENT DRIVES 

KENYA TOURISM AHEAD 

THE EXPANSION 

OF JOMO KENYATTA 

INTERNATIONAL 

AIRPORT HAS MADE 

IT POSSIBLE FOR 

THE LAUNCH OF A 

NAIROBI TO NEW 

YORK DIRECT FLIGHT 

well as enhancing the customer 

experience. Visitors are keener now 

on experiences and we are looking 

into immersing visitors into some of 

these, like culture and adventure. 

What are your key source markets 

for tourists into Kenya? 

Europe is a key source market, 

which has continued to record yearon-year 

growth. The United States 

is the leading market. Kenya is also 

focusing on emerging markets as 

well as Africa, India and China 

ST HELENA: IT’S 

NOT JUST ABOUT 

NAPOLEON 

If there was an award for the most exotic 

destination in MEA, it could well be St Helena 

Island. Imagine a territory that stands almost 

in the middle of nowhere in the immensity 

of the Atlantic Ocean. St Helena is a 16 by 

18 km volcanic tropical island located some 

4,000 kilometres east of Brazil’s coastline 

and 1,900 km west of Namibia. 

Populated by only 4,500 inhabitants, this 

British Overseas Territory is now luring the 

global travel market. One of the reasons 

carries a name: Napoleon Bonaparte… 

“2021 will mark the 200th anniversary of 

Napoleon’s death in St Helena and European 

visitors have a huge interest for this place,” 

explains Helena Bennett, the island’s Director 

of Tourism. 

Napoleon’s presence can be remembered 

through a dozen sites, including the two 

original houses in which he resided as well 

as his grave. But Napoleon is not the only 

attraction that St Helena wants to promote. 

The island is blessed with a pristine nature, 

ideal for trekking and hiking, clear waters 

perfect for diving and a rich marine life with 

whale sharks and dolphins. And above all, it 

is a place to truly relax away from the urban 

life 

© Rainer Schimpf


TRENDING HOTELS 




35 

AL GHAITH LAUNCHES 

LUXURY HOTEL 

BRAND IN THE UAE 

The Jebel Akhdar (The Green 

Mountain) is part of the Al Hajar 

Mountains range in Oman 

© Philipp Weigell 

Al Ghaith Holdings, a group 

engaged in a wide range of 

business activities – from real estate 

management and development, 

to trading and oil – has moved 

into the hospitality sector under 

the management of Two Seasons 

Hotel Management. The Two 

Seasons brand represents “deluxe 

hotels and a guarantee to guests 

of fine accommodation, excellent 

service and a unique friendly 

atmosphere”, according to the 

company. 

The former Gloria Hotel & 

Apartments in Dubai will become 

the chain’s first Two Seasons 

property in the UAE with 188 

lifestyle hotel rooms and 256 

apartments that will open in 2021. 

Plans call for a further two hotels 

in Morocco by the end of 2022 – 

a Beach Resort with 120 rooms in 

the city of Dakhla and a boutique 

hotel with 22 villas and organic 

farms in the capital Rabat. 

Al Ghaith Holdings’ plan for 

the brand in the next five years 

includes new destinations in the 

Middle East and North Africa 

Premium sea view bedroom, 

Two Seasons hotel, Dubai 

NEW HOTELS TO 

CHECK OUT IN 

OMAN THIS YEAR 

2019 will see several major openings in Oman 

that will no doubt boost the Sultanate’s 

tourism sector by catering to its surge in 

visitors. Highlights include a new Hilton 

Garden Inn, House Hotel, and the five-star 

Jumeirah Muscat Bay and Sahab Resort & 

Spa, Jabal Akhdar. 

Jumeirah Muscat Bay in Muscat, due to open 

in Q4, is a five-star property designed as a 

retreat on the waterfront, offering guests 

“luxury amidst nature”. 

The Hilton Garden Inn, a three-star property 

adding 232 rooms to Oman’s offering, is 

located in Al Khuwair, and is expected to 

open in the second quarter of 2019. 

GRAND PLAZA MOVENPICK 

OPENS IN MEDIA CITY - 

DUBAI 

It’s the first five-star business 

hotel in Media City… the 

Grand Plaza Movenpick Media 

City was due to open in Q1 

2019. The 235-room hotel 

features five restaurants and 

lounges, a spa, gymnasium 

and outdoor swimming pool 

as well as a state-of-the-art 

convention centre 

The four-star Sahab Resort & Spa will offer 

breath-taking views over the Jabal Akhdar 

(Green Mountain) plateau and valleys in the 

western Al Hajar mountain range. It is being 

launched by Al Nahda Hotels & Resorts. 

Designed as an “authentic Omani resort”, 

built with natural, unpolished stone, the 

property still retains impressions of the many 

fossils dating thousands of years, mined from 

the mountains of Jabal Akhdar. It features 27 

rooms; a heated swimming pool for adults 

and children; a heated baby pool; a children’s 

play area; the URU spa; a 70-seat indoor 

restaurant; and a 60-seat open-air dining 

area by the pool


TRENDING HOTELS 

GUEST AND TEAM 

EXPERIENCE IS AT THE HEART 

OF HOSPITALITY 

Sandra Tikal 

General Manager, 

Palazzo Versace, Dubai 

WHERE LUXURY MEETS DESIGN 

Palazzo Versace Dubai: a modern-day palace - true in terms of quality 

and design to palaces of a bygone era 

Palazzo Versace Dubai officially 

opened in November 2016. In 

the world of fashion and design, 

Versace defines luxury, wealth and 

dominant patterns. Sandra Tikal is 

General Manager of the Palazzo 

Versace Dubai. We asked her what 

inspires her most about the brand. 

Dealing with a fashion house adds an 

extra dimension to the experience for 

hoteliers that I just love. The hospitality 

industry has such great “people energy” 

and I am truly inspired by working with 

a multicultural team with diverse skillsets 

that come together to create memorable 

experiences. Guest and team experience 

is at the heart of hospitality and requires 

passion and commitment. 

Can you select one USP that makes 

your hotel stand out? 

Palazzo Versace Dubai is a modern-day 

palace that has remained true in terms 

of quality and design to the palaces of a 

bygone era. No expense has been spared 

to ensure authenticity including Italian 

artisans with generations of experience. 

The unique element is that everything in 

terms of design is steeped in the heritage 

of the Versace brand, the only fashion 

house that has theatre, fashion and home 

collections before hotel. Wherever you are 

in the hotel, there is a story; a connection. 

And what surprises many first-time visitors 

is the harmony of design; the elegance 

and the serenity, the sense of place. 

What is the main highlight of your 

location? 

Our location, Dubai Creek, provides a 

beautiful view and is at the heart of 

Dubai’s heritage. We are the only city 

hotel to be on natural waterways, with 

a beautiful boardwalk for long walks and 

a marina at our doorstep. There is great 

synergy in the meeting of Dubai heritage 

with Versace heritage. Jaddaf Waterfront 

as a location is about culture and art, a 

perfect destination for a Palazzo Versace 

Hotel. Jameel Arts Centre opened in 

November last year and is a short stroll 

from the hotel. Also, the much-awaited 

Mohammad Bin Rashid library opens 

soon and is only minutes away on the 

boardwalk. 

What do you predict will be the most 

formative hospitality or luxury travel 

trend over the next five years? 

I believe people are looking for unique, 

authentic experiences – the chance to 

live “real” elements of the destination 

they visit whether that be food, culture, 

heritage, shopping, or activities. Comfort 

and warmth in their hotel experiences – 

a touch of hand in a world that is now 

driven by technology. The need to connect 

will grow over the next five years 


INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES 




37 

GENERATION Z 

– THE CYBER KIDS 

While some say generation Z 

travellers are addicted to their 

phones, it is probably more 

correct to say that these devices 

have become extensions of 

“Gen Zedders” to the point that 

they have become cyber-beings. 

This group is increasingly 

growing in importance for travel 

organisations, as its members 

venture out into the world in 

ever growing numbers. Most 

do not know what a paper map 

looks like, are used to having 

information at their fingertips, 

and have no memory of life 

before smartphones or Google. 

It must be understood that ways 

of communicating and dealing 

with this generation are very 

different to what has been done 

in the past, meaning travel and 

tourism players who fail to come 

to grips with exactly what Gen 

Zedders want and expect will 

lose a great deal of business. 

In the next pages, we give 

you a few tips as to how to 

deal with these and other new 

technological questions that may 

make or break your business in 

the coming months and years.

In The Field 

with David Esseryk 

THE "INSIDE LINE" ON WHAT'S HOT IN HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGIES 

LEARNING ABOUT HOW THE 

INTERNET IS BECOMING SO 

MUCH MORE THAN “SURFING” 

INTERNET OF 

THINGS (IoT): 

WHAT IS IT 

GOOD FOR IN 

THE HOTEL 

ENVIRONMENT? 

The hospitality industry is well 

positioned to benefit from the IoT. 

That’s because the IoT is poised to 

improve the customer experience 

while also reducing costs. 

Connecting the world changes 

everything. That’s what businesses 

and consumers are learning as 

they embrace the Internet of Things 

(IoT) for everything from household 

garage door openers to smart-city 

applications that solve traffic 

congestion and reduce crime. In 

this edition, David Esseryk, Chief 

Digital & Marketing Officer, The 

Originals, Human Hotels & Resorts, 

looks at why IoT is more significant 

than just adding connectivity to 

existing products or services. 

IoT is changing the way products and 

services deliver value. In the process, 

products are becoming services, and 

services are becoming more intelligent. 

The hospitality industry is not immune 

to this evolution, and, in fact, it is well 

positioned to benefit from IoT. That’s 

because the industry is poised to 

improve the customer experience while 

simultaneously reducing costs. 

The modern hotel room is far 

from modern in that it is 

mostly disconnected. Hotel 

operations rely on property 

management systems 

that require mostly 

manual entries 

to track 

resources. 

Much of this work 

centres around the 

front desk — a oncecritical 

part of the hotel 

stay that is on the verge of 

obsolescence. 

A 

CONNECTED 

THERMOSTAT 

ELIMINATES THE COST 

OF COOLING 

OR HEATING VACANT 

ROOMS 

IoT: TAKING THE TEMPERATURE 

Many hotels already use IoT to control 

in-room thermostats. By switching 

to a connected thermostat, hotels 

can adjust room temperatures at 

check-in and checkout. A connected 

thermostat eliminates the cost of 

cooling or heating vacant rooms. It 

also reduces the likelihood of marring 

the first impression of a room with an 

uninviting, uninhabitable temperature. 

Taking heating and cooling a bit further, 

when hotels combine the thermostat 

with other sensors, the air conditioning 

can turn off automatically when a 

guest opens a window or balcony 

door. Another opportunity is to tie in 

automated window coverings that 

can mitigate temperature swings due 

to afternoon sunshine. Time of day or 

temperature sensors could activate 

these environmental adjustments. 

IoT BEYOND THE THERMOSTAT 

Today, hotels really don’t know when a 

guest room is empty. Knocking is not 

the ideal solution. Knocking can wake 

or interrupt a guest, and the lack of a 

response to a knock is not conclusive. 

Intelligent sensors, though, can 

help detect occupancy. If the last 

detected motion was near the 

door, combined with an 

opening of the door, it 

may be reasonable 

to assume the 

room is empty. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

In-room entertainment also 

gets better with connectivity. 

Hotels understand that guests 

value entertainment options, but 

premises-based movie systems are 

expensive and complex. Premium 

movie channels are a common 

alternative, but they offer a limited 

selection at fixed times. When 

hospitality more closely embraces 

IoT, hotels can improve the guest 

experience and lower costs, and when 

done right, they can avoid interfering 

negatively in a guest’s stay. 

As technology continues to evolve and 

play an increasingly active role in our 

daily lives, Marriott International has 

teamed with two leading companies – 

Samsung and Legrand – to launch the 

hospitality industry’s Internet of Things 

(IoT) hotel room to inspire the ultimate 

hotel experience of the future 

SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT EDITION





39 

THE ASCENSION 

OF YOUTH TRAVEL 

Millennials and Generation Z have forever changed 

travel marketing 

Travel agents and tour operators 

will need to increase personal 

service and communication levels 

to cater for the future generations 

of millennials and Generation Z 

holidaymakers, according to a 

New Horizons Survey. 

with half holding a bachelor’s degree 

and 13% having a postgraduate degree. 

Students account for just over 60% of 

all youth travellers. A large proportion of 

travellers work full-time (28%) or parttime 

(26%), and work is often combined 

with study. 

more co-working spaces are springing 

up and high-speed Wi-Fi connections 

are being offered. Even though digital 

nomads are still not numerically important 

(we estimate around 1.8 million globally 

on the basis of our survey), they have 

an influence on other young travellers 

From experiential travel to the rise of 

Gen Z, the latest report for the WYSE 

Travel Confederation offers a number 

of updates on trends reshaping the 

travel industry. “New Horizons IV: A 

global study of the youth and student 

traveller” is based on the New Horizons 

Survey, which is conducted by the World 

Youth, Student a d Educational (WYSE) 

Travel Confederation every five years. In 

2017, the survey attracted more than 

57,000 responses from 188 countries 

and territories. The average age of survey 

respondents was 24, and the largest 

single age group was 20 to 22. 

WYSE and the World Tourism Organisation 

estimate that youth travel accounted for 

23% of all international arrivals in 2017, 

or 304 million trips. The total value of 

this market is estimated to be in excess 

of €250 bn. Average trip expenditure in 

2017 was €2,867. When exchange rate 

fluctuations are taken into account, this 

represents an increase of 18% compared 

with 2012. 

David Chapman, Director General, WYSE 

Travel Confederation, said: “Youth 

travellers are generally well educated, 

“The main purpose of travel reported by 

the respondents of the survey was holiday 

(38% rating it extremely important). The 

most important forms of purposeful travel 

were language learning (23%), study 

(14%) and work experience (13%). The 

travel styles that young people identified 

with most readily in 2017 were traveller 

(48%), tourist (26%) and backpacker 

(13%).” 

“The rise of the digital nomad is 

beginning to be felt in destinations where 

through their blogging, travel advice 

and apparently desirable lifestyle,” says 

Chapman, adding, “The growing youth 

travel market is also seeing increased 

blurring of travel products, with combined 

hostel/hotels or mixed modes of travel 

becoming more common. Youth travellers 

are also gathering their information from 

a wider range of information sources and 

devices, with the number of different 

sources growing by 18% between 2012 

and 2017”


TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN COME 

TOGETHER TO CREATE WORKLIFE ROOM 

IHG patents new concept for Crowne Plaza encouraging guests to work, 

relax and recharge in a new environment 

The WorkLife Room is designed 

to help modern business travellers 

unleash their productivity and 

provide them with a space that fits 

their lifestyle. 

The concept has been developed as 

part of the Crowne Plaza “Accelerate” 

program, IHG’s €177.6 million, multiyear 

investment to transform the Crowne 

Plaza brand in the Americas region. 

Following the WorkLife Room’s market 

debut in early 2017, patent approval 

marks a major milestone in the brand’s 

aim to bring innovative design to the fold 

for the modern business traveller. 

With a flexible environment and distinct 

zones that encourage guests to work, 

relax and recharge, the key elements of 

WorkLife guestrooms include an angled 

bed, which opens up more space for the 

room’s distinct zones. The cocooning 

headboard, Beautyrest mattress, and 

Sleep Advantage aromatherapy kit help 

guests rest. 

The Sofa nook is a multi-purpose space 

for reading, watching TV, working, 

meeting with colleagues or for enjoying 

room service. The desk area offers an 

uncluttered workspace where guests 

can focus, while wireless printing to the 

Business Centre helps you get things 

done on the road. 

The welcome station is a space for keys, 

bags and coats and the bathroom features 

a modern and bright design. 

With connectivity key for the modern 

traveller, the WorkLife Room delivers with 

fast, free Wi-Fi and enough charging 

stations – comprised of USB and power 

outlets – to power up to 14 devices. 

Meredith Latham, Regional Vice President, 

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Americas, 

said guests are never more than an arm’s 

length away from a charging station and 

never have to move furniture to reach 

outlets: “The patent approval of the 

Crowne Plaza brand’s WorkLife Room is a 

major distinction – one that speaks to the 

concept’s ground-breaking design, and 

one that demonstrates how the Crowne 

Plaza brand is redefining what a hotel 

room can be. The WorkLife Room was 

carefully conceptualised, tested around 

the world in prototype format and in fully 

built hotels. We fine-tuned until we had 

a product that was the best version of a 

hotel guest room for the modern business 

traveller. Our guests have voted, and this 

room delivers improved satisfaction, our 

teams love it and now the US Patent 

office sees the uniqueness.” 

The WorkLife Room is currently rolling 

out in Crowne Plaza properties across the 

USA. 

3,000 WorkLife Rooms are expected to be 

installed this year




41 

TRIAX ETHERNET OVER 

COAX + WIFI OFFERS 

MAXIMUM RELIABILITY 

Peter Lyhne 

Uhrenholt 

CEO, TRIAX 

INNOVATING IN WI-FI TECHNOLOGY 

Exclusive interview - Peter Lyhne Uhrenholt – CEO of international 

technology provider TRIAX 

TRIAX is an international 

technology provider of innovative 

products and strong, future-proof 

solutions for complete networks, 

to distribute TV and provide 

professional data networks 

including Wi-Fi. We asked TRIAX 

CEO Peter Lyhne Uhrenholt to tell 

us more about the company and 

its work in the hospitality market. 

We’ve been experts in TV signal 

distribution ever since our founder 

started producing Denmark’s first TV 

aerials in 1949. Having serviced the 

hospitality industry for decades with our 

TV distribution solutions, we’re now using 

our technical expertise to bring tailored 

services for the entire guest journey. 

What is the key TRIAX technology at 

this time and how does it work? 

Alongside our TV distribution products 

and interactive communication platform 

TRIAX In Touch, key to our hospitality 

offering is TRIAX Ethernet over Coax + 

Wi-Fi. We use G.hn wave 2 technology 

to deliver reliable internet to every room, 

using coaxial cables – the cables carrying 

TV signals around the hotel. It also works 

on ethernet cables, so TRIAX is one of 

the very few companies that delivers a 

complete solution across different types 

of cable. 

It delivers the network and reliable Wi- 

Fi services hotels need, without the 

considerable time and money spent on 

installing new cables or replacing legacy 

infrastructure. 

How can G.hn technology be utilised 

by hotels? 

Nowadays, good Wi-Fi is more important 

to guests than a good breakfast. So to 

avoid negative customer reviews, it’s 

critical to offer an outstanding Wi-Fi 

service across the establishment so guests 

have the opportunity to use their online 

services as they would at home. We use 

G.hn to send the data over the coax 

cables, and with a discreet Wi-Fi end point 

in each room, TRIAX Ethernet over Coax 

+ Wi-Fi offers maximum reliability and, 

therefore, improves the guest experience. 

What are the principle benefits of the 

G.hn technology to operators? 

G.hn wave 2 technology has a number 

of benefits, especially when compared to 

other technologies using coax cables for 

networking. There’s high bandwidth – up 

to 1,600 mbps per cable – meaning the 

network can handle multiple users, and 

guests have the opportunity to stream in 

peace. There’s low latency – around 1ms 

– which is great for video-conferencing 

or gaming with minimal delay. What’s 

more, there’s no need to retune TVs, so 

installation time (and lost revenue) is kept 

to an absolute minimum. 

How is TRIAX Connecting the Future? 

While our Wi-Fi end points address 

today’s market needs, more variations 

are in the pipeline to prepare for needs 

of the future, such as providing in-room 

IoT or screen casting connectivity. We’re 

also opening our technology to other 

providers and manufacturers, with a set 

of APIs that maximise the benefits of our 

solution 



THE NEXT-GENERATION RETAILING 

OPPORTUNITY 

Technology continues to drive innovation in the 

sector 

Clinton 

Anderson 

EVP, Sabre 

& President, Sabre Hospitality Solutions 

HUMANITY 

WILL ALWAYS BE 

ESSENTIAL FOR 

SUCCESS IN THE 

ACCOMMODATION 

SECTOR 

Clinton Anderson, EVP of Sabre 

and President of Sabre Hospitality 

Solutions, recently participated in 

a keynote panel at the ITB Berlin 

Convention on the future of 

hospitality and tourism in times 

of Artificial Intelligence. We asked 

him what the key stakes are in 

the hospitality industry today and 

heading into the future in this 

respect. 

Technology has transformed how all of 

us connect to everything – to friends and 

family, businesses, service providers… 

you name it. Obviously, the hospitality 

industry is no exception, and consumers 

are looking for new tools to enhance 

their travel experiences. As a result, 

travellers’ expectations are higher and 

more diverse than ever. This means that 

an individual and personal approach 

can be a significant success factor and 

differentiator for hoteliers. 

How do you define next-generation 

retailing? 

We define next-generation retailing as 

the opportunity for hotels to shift from 

being room-centric businesses to entities 

that sell and monetise every aspect of a 

trip, from meeting spaces to early checkin, 

to mugs and umbrellas as souvenirs. 

This transformation is quite radical 

for hoteliers. It demands enablement 

through deep retailing technology to sell 

any item or service, just as easily as selling 

rooms at different rates today. A pivotal 

element of these retailing capabilities is 

to encode every sellable entity—room, 

spa appointment, dinner package, event 

ticket—as a merchandising unit, just like 

any typical retail business. 

In luxury hotels, it’s a fine line as to 

what “human touch” can be taken 

away. How can we work that issue 

out? 

There’s a big opportunity to focus on 

high-value engagement with digital 

technology, which helps optimise, but is 

not replacing human services. It actually 

allows humans to engage in more 

personal ways, in ways that only humans 

can. Humanity will always be essential 

for success in the accommodation 

sector, particularly in the luxury hotel 

space. Data analytics, machine learning 

and automation are really just positively 

supporting the efficiency of human 

services. Scalable technology can take 

care of the work behind the scenes. 

What will AI bring to hotels in the 

coming decade and how is Sabre 

working on this? 

Built-in machine learning algorithms 

process vast troughs of data from 

reservations, guest profiles, and purchase 

history to dynamically determine and 

rollout best offers to guests via appropriate 

channels in the right sort order. Through 

machine learning, hoteliers will be able to 

dynamically optimise pricing and create 

packages and offers based on unforeseen 

events. Further combined with guest 

personalisation, hoteliers will be able to 

target and engage guests thoughtfully, 

at different stages of their travel journey, 

with the most relevant products and 

services to meet their unique needs

Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #42

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?