Event Preview: Qatar Hospitality Summit

Hotelier Middle East’s popular series of conferences returns to Doha, with the new-look Qatar Hospitality Summit to be held on April 15 at Grand Hyatt Doha.

The event will attract more than 150 hotel general managers and department heads, invited to attend a morning of plenary sessions focused on discussing the Qatar hospitality market, from analysis of research and hotel pipeline through to working with government and how to position hotels for the future.

In a first for the Qatar event, delegates will be able to select either the Back of House or Front of House stream, with panel discussions and case studies dedicated to specific operational issues.

The afternoon sessions will comprise of interactive workshops, with a choice of six, each targeting individual departments, such as food & beverage and sales and marketing.

The agenda has been devised in consultation with an advisory panel consisting of Christoph Franzen, general manager, Grand Hyatt Doha; Christopher Hewett, senior consultant, TRI Hospitality Consulting; Tareq Derbas, general manager, St. Regis Doha; Georges Khalil, director of f&b, InterContinental Doha; and Safak Guvenc, area manager Qatar and general manager, W Doha Hotel & Residences.

Speaking to Hotelier ahead of the event, Hewett outlined the growth of the market, anticipating a 50% increase in inventory within the next three years alone. This is expected to ramp up further post 2017, as the country gears up to host the World Cup 2022.

“The supply pipeline for Doha is substantial with over 7,000 rooms anticipated to enter the market by 2017, representing a 50% increase in the current supply of approximately 13,500 rooms. This will cause some potential challenges, especially if overall demand does not maintain the same pace of growth as supply, forcing down market wide occupancy levels and potentially average rates,” said Hewett.

Of how to manage the supply, he advised: “Generally, existing hotels are in a strong position during these situations as they have established cliental base and sales and marketing channels, which helps maintain consistent demand.

However, this can still be eroded by new hotels adopting aggressive price penetration strategies. Therefore, hoteliers will need to ensure they are always developing new and innovative service offerings and products which create a point of difference in the market.”

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Grand Hyatt’s Franzen said new and increased competition had the benefit of “increasing the service benchmark”.

“We already have the advantage of name recognition in the market, we already have a good base of guests who use us; these are all things the competition that opens will have to work on,” he said.

When asked whether the pipeline was daunting, he added: “I worked in Dubai 15 years ago; at the time we had a handful of five-star hotels and everyone asked the same question you are asking now about Doha. If we are able to make Doha into a destination where leisure and business mix, along with conferences and connections to Europe and Asia, I see no reason why the city should not succeed.

“To give you an example, just putting a branded restaurant in a hotel does not guarantee success; the service delivery and quality need to be there. The value-for-money needs to be there. Otherwise guests will not return.

“The new hotels, without a doubt, will offer fantastic hardware in terms of rooms and facilities. Every new hotel will help in spreading the marketing message for the destination as they will have to market themselves in the city and overseas. This in turn helps others as well!”

Franzen also pointed out the need for hotels to cater to the requirements of Qatar residents.
“We want to recognise Doha residents better and offer them great deals all year round. We are just launching our Grand Privilege membership programme, offering anyone living in the country great deals in our rooms and outlets,” he revealed.

“We need to have close ties with the residents of the city and engage them to ensure we are their property of choice for certain services. I do not think we are a hotel that can cater to every taste; but the segment we are catering to needs to be served well.

I also believe that any hotel needs to offer value-for-money, if you are perceived as being too expensive, true or not, guests will not even frequent you. To give you one example, we have been able to increase our spa revenues by 26% last year by changing our focus,” he added.

Another topic expected to be raised at the Summit is the perception of Qatar overseas as global media coverage focuses on development in various industries ahead of World Cup 2022.
Franzen said he hoped the current vision from Qatar Tourism Authority would be implemented by all parties.

He added: “As a country, I would probably look at my communication and marketing strategy and ensure each market is served through a professional communication agency in the respective countries.” Hewett said hotels also had a role to play in destination marketing.

“Hoteliers are ambassadors not only for their respective hotels, but also for the city in which they operate. The encounters a tourist experiences during their visit will have a greater impact on shaping their perception than any media piece or publication. Therefore, hoteliers must ensure that each member of their team strives to embrace and promote the positive attributes of the destination.”

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Qatar Hospitality Summit 2014

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Date: April 15 Time: 9-3pm

Venue: Grand Hyatt Doha

Format: One-day event with keynote addresses, debates and discussions, workshops and networking opportunities

Attendance: By invitation only based on designation and free to hotel GMs and hotel department heads. To request an invite, please contact amanda.elisha@itp.com or call +971 4 444 3463

Speaker opportunities: Some speaking slots are still available. Please register your interest with Louby.Maktari@itp.com or call +971 4 444 3578

Sponsorship opportunities: To gain direct access to decision makers, there are a range of sponsorship packages available. Please contact Diarmuid O’Malley on dom@itp.com or +971 4 444 3568