Meet the Qatar Hospitality Forum sponsors: GBC

Nese Yavuz, managing director and founder of German Bakery Company (GBC) shares her honest opinion on the hospitality sector in Qatar and the effects that the oil prices has had on the industry.

Why is it important that you support the Hotelier Middle East Qatar Hospitality Summit 2016?
I attended as a guest last year and I find it important to have such an event where the GMs talk about their experiences and discuss [trends] in the region. The hospitality sector in Qatar is a hard business. GBC is aware of the challenges hotels in Qatar face. Supporting the summit means supporting the exchange of experiences. And exchange brings improvement. The Qatar Hospitality Summit provides the ideal forum for a ‘coming-together’ of the entire horeca Industry. Our products and services are designed to meet the needs of our horeca customers and therefore it is our key priority to know what kind of challenges they are facing to be ready to support them.

What do you think are the main challenges facing Qatar hotel GMs in 2016?
Due to the oil crises hotels have been faced with low occupancy. How can the hotels in Qatar attract new tourism? Finding reputable suppliers with reasonable prices and consistency in their products, [is the answer]. Qatar is a young state which has started to diversify its economy as they know that the resources of hydrocarbon are finite. Therefore they have chosen to invest strongly in the development of a sustainable tourism industry as tourism is a major catalyst for socio-economic growth. To reach their goals, set by the ‘Tourism Sector Strategy 2030’, Qatar needs a strong, sustainable and innovative horeca industry. However, the declining oil price has led to an economical slow down this year with the effect that the hotels are facing a decrease in revenues, as less business travellers are coming to Qatar and quite a number of expats got laid off recently. Furthermore the new openings of some top brands, like the Westin, Shangri-La and Rotana, will create a more competitive atmosphere, especially in the F&B section. It will be challenging to keep the high standard and to create new innovative hospitality concepts to be able provide unique customer experiences on one hand, and to be able stay within the budget on the other hand.

What most excites you about the Qatar hotel industry in 2016?
The hotel industry in Qatar is a very rapidly growing sector with a high standard and that wonderful community feeling. The most exciting developments are happening in the F&B departments.
You can find so many excellent outlets, which are offering an exceptional experience that it gets difficult to choose. The ‘newcomers’ on the market are adding more variety and creativity in terms of culinary experiences and entertainment. Another exciting fact is that the hotels are giving young professionals around the globe an opportunity to work with them here in Qatar and to create new outstanding concepts. The result is a wonderful creative, dynamic and high spirited atmosphere within the hotels’ teams, and it is a lot of fun working with them.

What are the main topics you expect to come up at the Hotelier Middle East Qatar Hospitality Summit 2016?
Topics surrounding the economic situation, how many hotels will be built, how to fill up the rooms and what GMs need to expect besides the FIFA World Cup 2022. I expect that among the main topics will be the discussion about revenue management, bureaucratic barriers, and the lack of certain supplies, intercultural communication and the reflection of the local economic and political situation.

What are the latest product launches from your company?
The market is in a transitional period in terms of turning towards a healthier lifestyle. With our range of products we are able to provide exactly what the customer is looking for when it comes to healthy and rich bakery items. Thanks to our close relationship with our customers we realised that there is also a high demand for gluten-free items. Therefore we are going to introduce our new range of gluten-free items very soon. We are also extending our range of rich and tasty sandwich breads as we know that there are a lot of customers who do not have the time for having lunch outside or simply need a quick tasty bite in between.

What other news can we expect from your company in 2016/2017?
We started providing a range of bread and pastry to the horeca market, we are planning to expand our range and open a German Bakery outlet. Not to spoil the surprise, we can say that 2016/17 is going to be an exciting year for German Bakery Company.