See the programme from 2017
See the programme from 2016

23 May 2018

8.30 – 9.00 Registration and coffee

9.00 – 9.10 Welcome and opening remarks

Andrew Sangster, owner of ZTZ Communications, publisher of Hotel Analyst

Opening overview: pricing hotel operations 

What deals have been done in Europe involving hotel operating platforms? What are the valuation metrics and how much additional value does having a management platform bring to a portfolio of hotel real estate? What impact is the technological revolution having on deal values and deal flow? How do you divide up a business between op co, prop co and brand co?

9.10 – 9.30 Session 1 – Presentation

Christian Mole, Head of Hospitality & Leisure for UK & Ireland, EY

Operator panel: looking behind the (white) label 

Can the rise and rise of third party operators / white label managers continue? What are the biggest challenges facing growth? Where are the gaps between hotel brand companies and owners that enable third-parties to create value? How do owners benefit from using a separate white label operator? What is the role of the hotel brand?

9.30 – 10.10 Session 2 – Panel

Moderator:  Katharina Preiss, Senior Consultant, CBRE Hotels

Nicholas Northam, Managing Director, Interstate Europe
Peter de la Perelle, Managing Director, Tower Hotel Management
Paul Callingham, Managing Director, Starboard Hotels
Haydn Fentum, CEO, Bespoke

Please don’t let me be misunderstood 

Why a leading global major still wants to be in the management game. When does it make sense to manage rather than franchise? Won’t everything move to franchise as hotel brand companies make more money and have a simpler business model focusing just on the brand?

10.10 – 10.20 – Session 3 – Presentation 

Steve Cassidy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director UK & Ireland, Hilton

View from the chains: the role of management

What are the internal competitive tensions between franchising and management? Are white label operators partners or rivals? How does management fit into the push for more flags?

10.20 – 11.00  Session 4 – Panel 

Moderator: Frank Croston, Partner, Hamilton Hotel Partners

Steve Cassidy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director UK & Ireland, Hilton
Guido Fredrich, Regional Vice President Development, Hyatt
Philippe Bijaoui, Chief Development Officer, Wyndham Hotel Group
Paul Thomas, Senior Director of International Development, Marriott International

11.00 – 11.30   BREAK

The human element: HR, wage costs, staffing

People are the biggest issue for hotel operators. In the UK, curbs on immigration, Brexit and devaluation have recently compounded a long-running challenge. How can operators retain and motivate the best people? What can be done to improve productivity and reduce labour costs?

11.30 – 12.10 Session 5 – Panel

Moderator: Lesley Reynolds, Managing Director, PSD Group

Per Denker, COO, Zleep Hotels
Mike Williams, Chief People Officer, Byron Burgers
Beth Aarons, Global Director, Dorchester Collection Academy
Janet Roberts, Lead Culture Coach, Cycas Hospitality

Are franchise and management contracts fit for purpose?

What shape will the relationships between owners, operators and brand companies take in the future? How well can current contractual relationships adjust? What impact has the inexorable rise in brands had on existing relationships? What will the contracts of the future look like?

12.10 – 12.50 Session 6 – Panel

12.50 – 1.50   LUNCH BREAK

One on one about delivering service

Accor wants to empower its people to deliver personalised service. It is undertaking a cultural transformation utilising mobile technology to shift guest experiences. Can it succeed in enabling staff to help customers in everything from walking dogs to arranging marriage proposals?

1.50 – 2.05 Session 7 – Interview

Interviewee: Thomas Dubaere, Chief Operating Officer – Northern Europe, Accor

Interviewer: Katherine Doggrell, Editor, Hotel Analyst

Maximising the non-rooms returns: from f&b to reinventing the concierge

The focus on rooms revenue can mean ancillary revenues are overlooked. Just as the airline industry has realised that this can be a key source of profits, so too are hotels waking up to the opportunities. Where are the opportunities and where are the elephant traps? Leading operators share their experiences.

2.05 –  2.40 Session 8 – Panel discussion

Moderator: Katrina Craig, CEO, Hotel Solutions Partnership

Laura Rafferty-Trow, Acquisition Manager, Spetrum Solicitors
Jason Carruthers, Managing Director, Jurys Inn
Neeraj Handa, Group Director, Cairn Group

Mitigating risk – IT, data and GDPR

A series of presentations on the key IT challenges and possibilities that operators need to consider. From GDPR to data security. Plus, there is a live hacking demo! The sessions are followed by a panel discussion and Q&A.

2.40 – 2.50 Session 9 – GDPR compliance

Presenter:

Catherine Watmore, Senior Employment Law and HR consultant, RBS/Nat West

2.50 – 3.00 Session 10 – live hacking demo 

Presenter: 

Nick Bown, CEO, IXCG

3.00 – 3.10 Session 11 – data security

Presenter: 

Rozib Mirza, Security Business Partner, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)

3.10 – 3.25 Session 12 – Panel 

Moderator: Andrew Sangster, Editorial Director and Owner, Hotel Analyst

Panellists:

Catherine Watmore, Senior Employment Law and HR consultant, RBS/Nat West
Nick Bown, CEO, IXCG
Rozib Mirza, Security Business Partner, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)

3.25– 3.55  BREAK

Balancing the interests of owner and operator

RBH is one of the leading third-party management companies in Europe. It is 30% owned by RDI REIT, which owns eighteen UK hotels in its commercial property portfolio, and it is 25% owned by South African hotelier Tsogo Sun which also has interests in UK hotels. Why do owners need hotel managers independent from brands? How does separating ownership from operations benefit shareholders?

3.55 – 4.10  Session 13 – Interview 

Interviewee:  Helder Pereira, CEO, RBH

Interviewer: Andrew Sangster, Editorial Director, Hotel Analyst

Controlling costs: options and opportunities 

Hoteliers are facing a seemingly endless series of cost increases. A panel of experts gives advice on where savings can be made in procurement and reducing consumption.

4.10  – 4.50  Session 14 – Panel 

Moderator: Sophie Perrett, Director, HVS

Panellists:

Energy: Frazer Durris, Managing Director, Business Wise Solutions
Food: Andrew Parsons, Director of Business Development, PSL
Merchant cards, Communications and Consumables: Denis Brennan, Director, Auditel
Water: Benedetta Cassinelli, Joint Managing Partner, Considerate hoteliers

There’s an app for that: opportunities from tech innovation

Service providers pitch their apps to the audience and get quizzed on the real-world potential of their claims. Just how much difference can an app make to the bottom line of a hotel business?

4.50 – 5.20 Session 15 – Panel and presentations

Moderator:  Katherine Doggrell, Editor, Hotel Analyst

Guy Cohen, Acquisitions, Just Park
Alexander Shashou, Co-Founder & President, ALICE
Alberto Lo Bue, Head of Deliveroo for Busines, Deliveroo

5.20 – 5.25 CLOSING REMARKS