Tag: 2019

Posted on

2019 will continue to see high levels of cross-border investment

The strong levels of cross-border investment into the European hotel market – which reached $4.9b (£3.8b) in 2018 – will continue in 2019.

The JLL’s Hotel Investment Outlook 2019 predicts that, despite political uncertainty, tourism and business fundamentals remain solid thanks to strong infrastructure developments in the region, which will continue to attract international investors towards strong assets and opportunities in these markets.

Germany and the UK account for nearly 60% of pipeline rooms currently under construction and are expected to absorb additional supply in the medium term due to strong tourism growth forecasts.

The report predicts that the European hotel market will be driven mostly by single asset deals, with portfolio trades expected to reduce, given the significant volumes of transaction of this type seen over the past two years. Overall investment volumes across Europe, the Middle East and Africa are expected to soften to $21.2b (£16.3b) from $22.9b £17.6b) in 2018.

It also predicts the sector will see new investors emerging, with diverse sources of core and core-plus capital are increasingly considering investment in the hotel market, and an increase in hotels entering the flexible workspace market transforming hotel lobbies into communal workspaces.

Philip Ward, EMEA CEO, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, said: “Political uncertainty and the volatility in equity markets will test investors’ sentiment throughout the year. However, we expect hotel investment volumes to hold steady on 2018 levels owing to hotels’ attractive yield profile compared to other sectors.”

Posted on

Hotels and venues opening in 2019

Hard Rock Hotel

It’s always exciting to hold your event somewhere new and we’re always looking for something different. So here’s a quick look at some of the hotels and venues that are due to open next year.

In the UK …

  • Belmond Cadogan on Sloane Street will reopen on 1st February after being closed for four years
  • The Hard Rock Hotel, formerly the Cumberland at Marble Arch, will have meeting space and 1,000 bedrooms
  • Battersea Arts Centre is reopening in February after a three-year renovation
  • The Science Museum will open a purpose-built event space, Illuminate
  • The Standard London, near St Pancras will have 266 bedrooms
  • Bankside Hotel, Autograph Collection, a new design-led boutique hotel in London  
  • DoubleTree by Hilton London Kensington is due to open in February will have 230 bedrooms
  • The Dixon, Tower Bridge, Autograph Collection, a mix of heritage and contemporary character
  • Manhattan Loft Gardens Design Hotel in Stratford, with 150 bedrooms and a roof garden that overlooks the Olympic Park
  • The Prince Akatoki, formerly The Arch London in Marylebone, a 5* hotel from a Japanese brand
  • Hampton by Hilton London Park Royal is due to open at the end of 2019, with 162 bedrooms
  • Monkey Island Estate Hotel, at Bray in the middle of the Thames will have four meeting rooms
  • HGI London Heathrow Terminal 2 is due to open in May, with 360 bedrooms
  • The Langley, Buckinghamshire, a boutique hotel in a former royal hunting ground
  • Hilton Garden Inn Abingdon Oxford is due to open in February with 146 bedrooms
  • Courtyard Oxford South, a 4-star hotel with good access to the A34 at Milton
  • DTbH Birmingham is due to open in September with 171 bedrooms
  • Delta Hotel in Cheltenham opening in June
  • Hampton by Hilton Stockton on Tees will open in February, with 128 bedrooms
  • Hampton by Hilton Leeds City Centre is due to open in July, with 192 bedrooms
  • Doubletree by Hilton Harrogate – Majestic opening in October, with 170 bedrooms
  • Moxy Edinburgh Airport opening in January
  • The Fife Arms, a former coaching inn in the Scottish Higlands at Braemar 
  • Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh Airport with 240 bedrooms, opening in January
  • Hilton Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre is due to open in June, with 200 bedrooms
Monkey Island Hotel

And a bit further afield …

France

  • Chateau du Grand-Luce, a 20-bedroom hotel in the Loire Valley
  • The Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz, a Hyatt hotel due to open in the 2nd half of 2019

Norway – Oslo

  • Amerikalinjen will have a winter garden, open fire and jazz bar

Spain – Madrid

  • The Mandarin Oriental will open at the end of 2019, it was previously the Ritz Hotel
  • Riu Plaza de España is opening in June 2019, with meeting space for 1,500 people and 585 bedrooms
  • The Kimpton Barcelona is due to open at the end of 2019, near the La Rambla with 156 bedrooms

Italy

  • Iberostar Fontana di Trevi close to the the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon

Malta – Valetta

  • Iniala Malta is a contemporary boutique hotel made from four townhouses, with a rooftop restaurant and plunge pool

Madeira

  • Savoy Palace is a 5* hotel with 325 bedrooms, due to open in the Spring
Savoy Palace Hotel view

Portugal

  • Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel Alvor in the Algarve is due to open in June, with 70 bedrooms

Croatia

  • Grand Park, Rovinj is a 5* hotel, opening in April

Cyprus

  • The Radisson Larnaca Beach Resort is due to open in the autumn, with 202 bedrooms

Singapore

  • Raffles has been undergoing refurbishment for 18 months and will have three new restaurants

Hong Kong

  • The Rosewood in 43 floors of a skyscraper on Victoria Harbour is due to open in March
  • K11 Artus will have balconies, which is rare in Hong Kong
  • St Regis on Hong Kong Island
  • Soho House due to open in the summer

USA

  • The Hoxton, Chicago will open in the spring with 175 bedrooms, followed by a hotel in New York
  • Hilton Washington DC National Mall, will open in February with 11 meeting rooms and 367 bedrooms

This is by no means a complete list of hotels and venues opening next year, but just to give an idea of what’s in the pipeline.

Posted on

HBAA provides predictions for 2019 at its latest Members Meeting

From predictions for 2019 and expenses payments to mental health, the HBAA delivered a packed programme to a capacity audience at its latest Members Meeting, held recently at the Crowne Plaza Solihull.

Providing a global economic report for 2018, Liz Hall from Liz Hall Hotel and Travel Consulting discussed key forecasts for next year. She predicted that the hospitality and events industry will experience modest growth despite challenging macro-economic conditions. The average daily rate (ADR) is expected to increase in 2019, with London experiencing an 0.8 per cent rise, resulting an extra £150 of spending, while the provinces will see an increase of over 1.2 per cent, representing an £70 in additional spend.

Former HBAA Chair and Director of Proposition-Accommodation and Meetings at Capita Travel and Events, Leigh Cowlishaw unveiled Capita’s #THISISMEcampaign, which aims to call attention to and tackling the growing problem of mental health in the workplace. Alison Jenkins from Meetings Club unveiled her venue location platform, which focusses on sharing feedback and reviews.

Tony Morris from the Sales Doctors provided an engaging session on what the top one per cent of all sales professionals do differently. Key habits include ‘becoming the CEO of the first impression’, ‘helping to buy’ instead of selling, developing visual triggers of desired goals, matching your customer’s body language, asking relevant questions, stressing success over experience and continuously asking for referrals. 

David Wood from Conferma explored consumer innovations driving change in corporate expenses payments. Explaining how one in three industry professionals experience cash flow issues and 38 per cent experience stress while waiting for business expenses to be reimbursed, David argued that virtual cards and digital payments not only eliminate these problems, but they provide full visibility and transparency for employers on staff travel purchases.

HBAA Tech & Innovation Chair, Caleb Parker, Founder and CEO of Bold, provided an update on the future of Wi-Fi at venues. The results from a recent survey suggested that more than 80 per cent of hospitality and events professionals want a transparent industry standard that is clear on service levels for Wi-Fi. Nearly 90 per cent believe that the industry would benefit from standardised pricing for Wi-Fi that offers a fair market.

Delegates were then split into groups and asked for their thoughts on response time to client enquiries and how the process could be improved. After a brief brainstorm, audience responses included the need to streamline small meetings bookings, reducing the amount of unnecessary options, creating more honesty between agent, client and venue, and ensuring there is greater transparency in budgets. The outputs from this session will be used to inform best practice for enquiry handling, as part of next year’s full review of the HBAA Code of Practice.

Louise Goalen - HBAA Chair

Louise Goalen, HBAA Chair says, “Our theme for the year has been Building on Success and the last meeting of 2018, attended by so many members, and delivering valuable, inspirational, and insightful presentations, was the perfect way to round off the year.”