Briefing: The importance of strong leadership

A new survey from Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has uncovered the work, challenges, and concerns of senior Revenue Management professionals. It found that critical thinking was considered an important or very important management skill by all respondents, as was business acumen by 98% of respondents. What else is required to be an effective manager and how much of a difference can the right leadership make to a business?

In these video, experts discuss leadership and management in hospitality:

The HSMAI survey shows that there is a desire from Revenue Managers to have more control to push businesses forward; the top-rated responsibilities the respondents said they would like to add to their duties were Sales and Marketing, and Strategic Planning.

The HSMAI survey found that revenue management professionals currently spend on average 5.5 hours per week on Human Resource Management, 14 hours on Strategy, and 5.6 hours on Technology Application.

The survey also covered the challenges that the Revenue Managers faced. The most challenging aspects of the revenue managers position was found to be; advancing the thinking & decision making in related disciplines, and elevating the strategic application of data throughout the enterprise.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: A surge in hotel investment

2015 has been a great year for hotel investment so far. There has been renewed positivity in the market and a rise in portfolio transactions. According to JLL, the UK has led transactions in the EMEA, with deals up 172% in the first half of 2015 compared to 2014. Overall in the EMEA region half year transaction volumes are up 85%. The US has also seen a rise in investment with transaction volume nearly doubling in the first half of 2015.

In this briefing industry insiders discuss the state of hotel investment, and who is investing in what:

JLL have reported that significant amounts of investments into the EMEA region has come from China and North America. Chinese investment has amounted to $1.9 billion so far this year.  Investment from North American private equity funds, which has reached $1.1 billion, has accounted for 57% of regional UK portfolio deals.

International investment into America amounted to $6.6 billion in the first half of 2015 representing nearly 30% of deal volume and showing a marked increase on 2014.

Some portfolio moves this year have included Accor’s restructuring of HotelInvest’s assets, which has involved the sale of 29 hotels in Germany and the Netherlands under a €234 million sales & Franchise back agreement in April, and the sale of seven hotels in the UK and Ireland for €38 million in May.

In June, Ashford Trust announced its intention to sell a 23 select-service hotel portfolio. And last month Pinnacle Hotel Management (PHM) sold a 15-hotel, select-service portfolio comprised of Marriott- and Hilton-branded hotels for $203 million to the Blackstone Group.

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Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: The recession has taught the industry about good deal making

There is optimism in the industry. Conferences are once again full of positive talk about growth and development. But while deals are flowing again, it is important not to take a growing economy for granted. So what should companies be thinking about when putting together deals? How has the industry adapted? What upsets might lie down the road?

In this briefing four experts discuss the post-recession environment. Comment from:

  • Clive Hillier, Chief Executive Officer, Vision Hospitality Asset Management on why deal-makers are avoiding risky gearing post-recession

  • David Fenton, Senior Economist, RBS on business never being easy

  • Gabriel Petersen, Managing Director, The Blackstone Group on Europe learning a valuable lesson from the economic downturn

  • Andrew Sangster, Editorial Director, hotelanalyst on the industry bouncing back and flushing out bad deals

 

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: investment in hospitality for 2013

In this briefing we hear from experts about the market for deals and the expectations of where they see the future of the market for 2013. Many believe that the industry has turned a corner and deal activity is now picking up. However, a degree of caution remains as we move out of the financial crisis. Shards of optimism are running rife in the industry, but is this positivity justified as we move further into the year.

In this briefing we hear from:

  • Laurence Geller, CEO of Geller Investment Company, on the market for hotel investment
  • Nick van Marken, Partner – Global Hospitality Leader of Deloitte on what is needed to unblock the deal activity pipeline
  • Clive Hillier, CEO of Vision Hospitality Asset Management on the obstacles to be overcome to increase deal flow
  • And Andrew Taylor, National Head of Leisure for NatWest on whether or not banks are lending
 


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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Europe still a challenging environment

Deal making activity has undoubtedly slowed in the past couple of years, with Europe feeling the full force of economic instability. In many ways this period of uncertainty and distress has allowed many from the hospitality world to restructure businesses and cut relevant costs in order to survive. Consequently, businesses are now run much more efficiently.

There are still challenges with growth and hospitality needs to demonstrate that it is a valuable industry that the Governments of Europe, and the World, should take seriously.

In this briefing we hear from:

  • John Brennan, of Jurys Inn Group on the challenges with growth in Europe
  • Robert Shepherd of IHG on re-focusing for the European market
  • Andrew Sangster Editor of Hotel Analyst on opportunities emerging in restructuring
  • And Clive Hillier, of Vision Hospitality Asset Management on no more cost-cutting left to do

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: financing future hospitality developments

The world of finance has seen huge change in the past couple of years, impacting on the majority of sectors across the globe. Trends seen in hospitality are no different. A new market for investment is now apparent as we move into 2013.

Understanding which developments, innovations and renovations will get funding is important. What are the banks looking for? And what are the trends seen in the hospitality funding market? Questions answered in this briefing by:

  • Timothy Lloyd-Hughes, of Deutsche Bank on lending trends seen in Europe.
  • Clive Hillier, CEO of Vision Hospitality Asset Management, on debt still being the major stumbling block in deal making.
  • Nick van Marken, of Deloitte about where he sees investment coming from.
  • And Andrew Sangster, Editor of the Hotel Analyst, on what he perceives banks’ attitude to lending is.

If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: strategies for the Eurozone

The European region has seen massive change in the last 4-5 years. All businesses have consolidated their positions in wake of the recession. In light of this, what strategies should be employed to achieve continued growth.

Many hotel brands are embedded in the European Union and have had to completely adjust their products. Is the industry ever going to see the sort of growth and development seen pre-2007? Or is today’s market much more about innovating with existing developments and ensuring high-quality standards across the board?

The investment market in Europe has certainly been hit. Understanding when we are going to see the resurgence in deal-making is critical for the development pipelines of all brands.

Experts speaking in this week’s briefing include:

  • Mark Wynne-Smith, Global CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels on the European secondary market for investment.
  • Francois Baudin, of Fairmont Raffles Hotels, on what strategies they are employing in Europe.
  • James Chappell, Global Marketing Director of Horwath HTL, on the current state of the European market.
  • And Clive Hillier, CEO of Vision Hospitality Asset Management, with his view on the only two hot markets in Europe.

If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: leveraging social networks in hospitality

Social media has opened new channels for brands to talk to their consumers. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor, or the plethora of others, all these tools are integral to any hospitality business looking at a cohesive marketing message.

However, ensuring that you are on the right platforms is probably the hardest conundrum. Due to the wealth of options understanding the online message you want to send out is vital. The most challenging aspect of this is that it is different for every business.

Is hospitality far behind other industries on this issue? What can be done about it? Understanding what can and can’t be achieved is discussed in this briefing, including interviews with:

  • James Chappell, Global Marketing Director of Horwath HTL, on how the industry is grappling with these new tools.
  • Clive Hillier, CEO of Vision Hospitality Asset Management, on social media not growing revenue streams.
  • Steven Rudnitsky, of Dolce Hotels & Resorts on a new generation of consumers.
  • Peter O’Connor, of the Essec Business School on how to utilise social media networks
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by yBC.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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