AHIC LIVE UPDATE

3:00 PM - In the debate on luxury hotel trends Sofitel Worldwide COO Robert Gayner-Jones revealed plans for Sofitel's soap butler! Apparently the butler will present an array of soaps not unlike a cheese board and he will cut the guest's soap giving them two pieces. One to use there and one to take home. A trend in five years time will apparently be sensors that turn off ac when you leave and turn on when you are within 100 metres of your room, according to Liam Lambert president of Oberoi. 

12:35 PM - Jumeirah Group Oasis Village Dubai has landed the Staff Accommodation award making it a good afternoon for the Jumeirah Group on the awards front. 

Best new hotel development had more than 2000 nominations, three projects were shortlisted Casa al Sarab Desert Resort; The Yas Hotel; and The W Doha.

And the winner is.....

The Yas Hotel. Managing director of Aldar Hotels and Hospitality Paul Bell said it was an unusual and unique design and they were "very proud". 

12:21 PM - For the first time a Young Leader Award MENA has been presented. There were 19 nominations with five shortlisted by the panel of judges.

1. Haifa Al Maskri assistant director of sales and marketing Radisson Blu Hotel Muscat 

2. Kristian Kollsrud, assistant HR manager Jumeirah Beach Hotel

3. Ermin Lewis, central reservation manager Address Hotels and Resorts

4. Rami Moukarzei, senior manager development EMEA Fairmont Raffles International

5. Florian Mayer, restaurant manager Hilton Dubai Jumeirah.

And it was Florian who scooped the award. "I feel great, it's a fantastic achievement. It's been a good competition and thanks to Jumeirah for the opportunity," an elated Mayer said.

10:27 AM - Last night we went to the Armani Hotel for the AHIC reception. Glittering lights in the trees were a great touch and the Burj Khalifa was shining like a newly polished diamond. 

The first impression I got was the number of staff. Every turn and corner had someone pointing the way. Unnecessary, but it makes you feel important and I would imagine that is the point of the place. We were offered drinks and canapes outside the ballroom. It was a space that also offered outside access where people were craning necks and taking photos of Burj Khalifa. To stand at the bottom is spectacular, especially with the fountain in full flow. 

The ballroom had a thick brown carpet and the walls had giant screens showing the opening of the Armani Hotel that took place last week. The food was fantastic and the setting informal - but I was worried about the carpet and how many spilled oysters it would survive. I'm sure there is a plan, maybe it will be replaced like the turf at Wembley every few months. 

The pictures don't do the place justice, largely due to the scale of the property. Minimalism works better on a grand scale if you ask me. I never made it to the club, wary of a long week, but I will ask one of the team who made it and get back to you.

Reactions were mixed. There were those who loved it, some who were indifferent and some who didn't like it. Some were questioning whether they were too old to 'get it'. Definitely interesting and I would recommend people to take a look if they get the chance. 

Not that my opinion on the hotel will mean much, but I got the impression that the areas I saw were stage-like, almost as if Armani had taken the cat walk and transformed it into a hotel. This is a building to be seen in, where the guests are made to feel like the stars. Just as fashion models are vehicles for the clothes to shine, maybe this hotel is a catwalk for guests to strut their stuff.  

Anyway, back to business. The morning sessions are well under way and we will be getting back to you shortly on what is being discussed. 

5:45 PM - Gerald Lawless said it was 'likely' that the first VENU Hotel would be in Dubai. Journos had to walk through a smoke screen of the word VENU to find out more about the new brand, although it still feels a little like smoke and mirrors as to details.  However, Oakley managed to prize out the fact it would have 'local soul', up to 250 rooms with possible exceptions and focused very much on style. 

5:21 PM - Today's final sessions have started. Next on the agenda is a trip to the Burj Khalifa and the Armani Hotel. Reactions have been mixed (as they always were going to be) so it will be good to get a look and form an opinion for ourselves. Have the photos done the property justice? Will let you know tomorrow. 

4:49 PM - The sustainable development panel at AHIC touched on things such as 'green washing', which is becoming more commonplace as companies make the most of their green credentials in a bid to win over eco-consumers.

Furthermore, they stressed the importance of being 'green' from the planning phase, ensuring the use of green building materials and locally sourced when possible. 

4:19 PM - Hilton Worlwide president Middle East & Africa Jean-Paul Herzog commented on the mood at AHIC, saying there was no despondency of any kind. He said recovery was top of everyone's mind and that for Hilton, Q1 had been all about recovery. 

3:45 PM - The panel at the outward investment session encouraged investors to focus on midscale properties in emerging markets such as Asia if they wanted to make money. Kevin Murphy president and CEO Asiawide Hospitality Solutions highlighted the fact that most hotel developments in other economies in Asia were five-star in the past  "(They used to get a return) on ego rather than a return on investment," Murphy said.

3:25 PM - Just spoke to a very relieved looking Mike Scully. He thought he was having to take a panel session on recruitment, but just remembered that it is at the Hotel Show in two weeks. Brings up the point though about the number of hospitality shows taking place in May. AHIC, ATM, HOTEC and then The Hotel Show. June seems quite far away at the moment. 

3:15 PM - Harriet Sinclair has dashed out of the outward investment opportunities session to hand me the list of 'top hot markets' for new development.

In Asia - China and India (no surprises) - which saw growth of 8.5% and 5.4% respectively in 2009. 

Latin America - General growth slow but pockets of development in Brazil and Panama

Caribbean - Specific growth pocket in Bahamas

Eastern Europe - Romania, Bulgaria and Russia

Africa - Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria is tipped for the near future. 

3:00 PM - In a debate on why investors are 'waking up' to the Levant, Wyndham Hotel Group VP development Middle East and Africa Bani Haddad, identified Syria as a market with great opportunity. The very recent partial lifting of a ban on American brands operating in Syria has opened up great potential for Wyndham Haddad said, especially in Damascus. Louise Oakley told me Haddad added that other that the InterContinental, there were no 'quality' hotels outside of Beirut, meaning there was huge potential outside the capital.

2:36 PM - Not sure why I put PM after the time, I certainly hope it won't change to AM. Hotel investment is interesting, but too much of a good thing can harm you. Most people are in one of three breakout sessions. The first is on how to design and develop a hotel project effectively in MENA. Everyone I have ever interviewed notes how the region is unique, some go further and say individual cities are unique for hotel operation. Samer Abu Ayash, senior vice president Design an Construction, Sean Crystal director of technical services Emaar Hospitality Group are among the panellists discussing the challenges. 

The second session is on outward investment opportunities for MENA's investors and operators. Our very own Harriet Sinclair is in the session and will be reporting back on top tips for excellent returns. 

The third session is focusing on the Levant, looking at opportunities, the dynamics and the growth of the region.

2:15 PM - A pre-conference survey revealed that 76% of respondents were 'bullish' about the future. People are returning from lunch and the afternoon sessions are about to kick off. It's very busy down here and a lot of big names are wondering around. That's the bell going, round two begins. Louise Oakley has just had lunch with Marc Dardenne Emaar Hospitality Group CEO. He told her that tonight's networking reception at the Armani Hotel's nightclub would be a great evening and was looking forward to entertaining hotel heavyweights at the new property. 

2:00 PM -  The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference kicked off yesterday at the Madinat in Dubai with the official opening ceremony this morning. 

Chairman of Bench Events and AHIC co-organiser Jonathan Worsley gave an uplifting opening speech in which he brought up the volcanic ash disruption from Iceland - stressing the need for networking the importance of travel and tourism. 

Jumeirah's new brand VENU Hotels got a mention and was labelled 'exciting' while some of the key speakers gave summaries on why they were attending the event.

Worsley said the industry was going from strength to strength after a harsh 2009 an there were positive upturns in the pipeline.