Arabian Hotel Investment Conference gears up to host Qatar hospitality brief

Dubai - MENA Herald: Hotel investment opportunities in Qatar will lead the discussions today, at this month’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) Business Briefing, in partnership with Katara Hospitality, the leading global hotel developer, owner and operator based in Qatar.
Hosted on the 10th February, the event at Sharq Village and Spa, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Doha, will bring together leading hospitality experts from the Middle East and North Africa and offer an overview of Qatar’s hotel investment environment, guest experience and hotel performance forecasts for 2016.
Filippo Sona, Director, Head of Hotels MENA Region, Colliers International will be presenting market research specifically for Doha including projected development opportunities and a look-back at 2015.
A total of 1,460 keys* opened in 2015 and whilst the dip in oil prices slowed corporate demand, Doha remained a predominately a business destination (60% of hotel guests). For the coming year, development opportunities are represented in midscale hotels and serviced apartments due to limited presence of these assets in Qatar’s capital city.
Other speakers will include Christopher R.J. Knable, Chief Operating Officer at Katara Hospitality; Philip Wooller, Area Director for STR Global, Middle East & Africa; Kees Hartzuiker, Chief Executive Officer, Roya International, Richard Thompson, Editor MEED and Mark Shea, Head of Hospitality, Middle East Faithful + Gould
“It is an honour to facilitate discussions at an event that brings together some of the region’s industry leaders in the area of hotel investment, development, operations and advisory,” said Katara Hospitality’s Chief Operating Officer, Christopher R.J. Knable. “Under the theme ‘Eye on the Future Vision for Success’ at this year’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) Business Briefing, we anticipate constructive dialogue on the future of the regional tourism and hospitality sector, with a focus on unlocking future growth opportunities for industry stakeholders,” he added.
“The aim of our Doha briefing is to bring together experts with specialist knowledge of Qatar’s hospitality sector and provide a platform that is insightful for all hospitality stakeholders. We look forward to an interesting and lively discussion,” said Jennifer Pettinger, Managing Director Middle East of Bench Events.
The Doha event, which will be followed by a networking lunch for industry professionals, comes ahead of AHIC 2016 on 26th – 28th April which is held in Dubai, UAE. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and celebrating its twelfth anniversary in 2016, AHIC is organised through a collaboration between Bench Events and MEED Events.
At AHIC 2015 more than 700 delegates attended the three-day conference from over 40 different countries and they were addressed by 120 industry leaders, speakers and panellists.
For more information on AHIC and to download the AHIC 2015 event report visit www.arabianconference.com.