Over 700 hotel investors, owners and operators from the Middle East and Africa meet at AHIC 2021

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates. September 21, 2021. More than 700 hotel owners, investors, developers and operators from the Middle East and Africa gathered today to launch the 17e edition of the AHIC, which will be held September 20-22 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai live in person.

For the first time, AHIC 2021, organized by Bench and MEED, brought together the four tight-knit investment communities of the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC), the Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) under one roof.

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench and Founder of AHIC, said: “After months of careful planning, we are delighted to be here in Dubai today to launch this very special edition of AHIC, just days away. before the start of Expo 2020 Dubai. United by the theme Stand up together, over 700 investors, financiers, franchise owners, innovators, developers, brand managers and tourism executives are there to network, share ideas and do business, with greater partnership potential than ever before.

“We are delighted to present to our delegates a program comprising nearly 200 speakers, including honorary interviews with hoteliers such as Sébastien Bazin, CEO and President of Accor; José Silva, Managing Director, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts; and Kenneth Macpherson, Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa, IHG.

“While the conversation on the main stage focused on how to recover and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, we also had a list of workshops, plenty of networking opportunities and a plethora of special features, including the Sustainability Hospitality Challenge and AHIC. Den Innovation. This morning, we heard presentations from start-ups transforming the industry, including the exclusive unveiling of an industry-leading investment incubator, KUBE Ventures, created by entrepreneurs Michael Levie and David Keen. We expect many more new launches to be announced over the three days of AHIC, so watch this space, ”Worsley said.

Day one of AHIC 2021 was supported by AHIC Intelligence, with industry data, information and forecasts for the region’s pipeline, performance and profitability setting the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Robin Rossmann, Managing Director of STR, presented some of the main lessons from the past 18 months.

He revealed that 97% of hotels in the Middle East have now reopened, with some markets seeing a full recovery in occupancy rates by the end of the year, and pointed out that half of Dubai’s hotels are close to or exceed the 2019 ADRs.

Rossmann said: “The rate was the big surprise. Typically, we see rates take three to four years to recover after a downturn, but many markets are already near 2019 levels. We believe rates will return to 2019 levels by the end of the year. ‘year and will continue next year’.

The first day of AHIC was also rich in sessions dedicated to the GRIF community, with focus groups exploring how to extend concepts beyond GCC, customer trends, the potential of food halls and restaurants in flexible destination.

In a special presentation from Krush Brands, founder Ian Ohan revealed how the company is partnering with food entrepreneurs in the UAE to help them grow their businesses using its ecosystem of food technology, operations and delivery capacity. Called Locale, the new platform focuses on discovering good food and offers small local brands an alternative to third-party networks. The winners of Krush Brands’ Rise Up competition to seek talented new players to work with Locale will be announced at AHIC on September 22.

Also live on stage, The London Project has announced global expansion, with confirmed outlets opening in Dubai Marina and Canary Wharf in London next year, followed by Miami and Barcelona in 2023.

Jennifer Pettinger-Haines, Co-Founder of GRIF and MD Middle East, Bench, said: “GRIF has championed the regional food and beverage industry throughout the pandemic and it has been great to finally bring the leaders in this extremely resilient sector. As a community of investors, we look forward to several more sessions over the next few days that will address the numbers regarding hotel catering, current food trends and how the Middle East can gain global recognition for its scene. consistently impressive culinary and talented individuals. drive it ”.

About AHIC 2021

AHIC, now in its 17e annual, is the annual gathering of the Middle Eastern hotel investment community hosted by global hotel investment event organizer Bench in partnership with Middle Eastern business intelligence brand MEED. AHIC creates a knowledge and networking platform for global and regional investors from all walks of life, offering essential hotel investment information, showcasing regional and international hospitality investment opportunities and facilitating connections direct with stakeholders in the hotel industry. AHIC 2021 will be held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from September 20-22 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive Officer Emirates Airline and Group, whose continued support from the industry and the AHIC has been essential to the growth of tourism in the region.

AHIC 2021 Sponsors

Sponsors include: Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as host sponsor; Accor, Dur Hospitality, Hilton and SMIT as Platinum Sponsors; Emaar Hospitality Group, IHG, Marriott International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, NEOM, Radisson Hotel Group, Rotana and Taiba Investments as Emerald sponsors; Aleph Hospitality, Bespoke Modular Solutions, Colliers International, Compass Project Consulting, Farnek, HVS, The Indian Hotels Company, Insignia, IT Hospitality Group, Katch, Louvre Hotels Group, OBMI Architecture, SSH, STR, TIME Hotels, Toggle Hospitality and The London Project as gold sponsors; Al Tamimi and Company, Colliers Project Leaders, Deutsche Hospitality, Diriyah Gate Authority, Hotstats, JLL, MMAC Design, CHIC-NAIA, PWC, Ròya, Shangri-La Group, The Red Sea Development Company and Voltere by Egis as Silver Sponsors ; The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, the Hospitality Asset Managers Association, Sustainability Hospitality Alliance and WiH Global as supporters; JA Resorts and Hotels as a golf fan; and Nespresso as official coffee partner.

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