Questex’s Annual Hotel Conference Reaches Highest Audience in its History

More Than 1,000 Hoteliers Exchanged Knowledge, Ideas and Opportunities to Shape the Future of the Industry

NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questex’s Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) opened its doors in Manchester, United Kingdom on October 9^th and 10^th to a record-setting 1,000+ attendees, the largest group in the conference’s 16-year history.

Long-time sponsor of The AHC, Hilton, played venue host at their Manchester Deansgate property. General Manager, Adam Reckert, shared Questex’s sentiments on a record year; “We’re thrilled to host the conference once again this year and we’re delighted to learn that 2019 has been the most successful year to date. The AHC provides a wonderful umbrella under which so many of our industry’s influencers have an opportunity to network, share ideas and collectively look to the future.”

What started as an intimate invitation-only gathering for 50 local individual and small-chain hotel owners and operators in 2004 has become a renowned two-day conference filled with networking opportunities, featuring 14 mainstage sessions presented by key industry figures, including senior leaders from Booking.com, OYO, Starwood Capital, STR, IHG, Marriott International, Deliveroo, Expedia, Accor, UKHospitality, and CBRE Hotels. The audience also heard from some inspiring independent operators including the Coaching Inn Group, The Lowry Hotel, Cringletie House, Tewkesbury Park, The Cottage in the Wood Hotel, Watergate Bay Hotel, Nadler Hotels and Ham Yard Hotel.

Regardless of scale, the fundamentals remain true to the conference’s original mission statement: facilitate a meeting in which the hotelier can interact with other operators, owners, financiers, government agencies, industry bodies and advisers to exchange knowledge, ideas and opportunities. The conference addresses everyday operations, such as channel and revenue management and social media, as well as strategic topics such as the investment and funding climate.

The key takeaways from the presentations, panel debates and interviews that took place across the two days highlighted the climate of uncertainty and subsequent hesitation in transactions throughout the market as well as the challenges facing the sector concerning demand meeting supply. In spite of this, 2019 UK hotel transactions are on course to reach £5.3bn, according to CBRE Hotels. The conference heard from Kate Nicholls at UKHospitality that the government now sees the industry as the bellwether for the economy as a whole and there was confidence amongst operators – of both branded and independent hotels – that there is still a strong demand for travel. The importance of nurturing talent within a hotel business was a theme that featured heavily throughout the conference with sessions focussed on practical ways to do this including accommodating flexible working requirements and setting boundaries to avoid burnout. Technology, it’s implementation and harmonisation with employees and guests alike was a standout topic and the audience heard from Duetto that “technology empowers people to use their talents and become strategists, rather than just labour.”

Breaking news from the event came from Ravi Kathuria, CEO, Talash Hotels Group who announced during an interview that the group was bringing a portfolio of nine hotels to the market with a guide price in excess of £29.5m.

Alexi Khajavi, Managing Director, EMEA & Chair, Questex Hospitality Group said; “We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved with The AHC, reaching the 1,000+ delegate mark is less about the number and more about being the UK’s flagship conference for the UK hospitality sector which as we’ve heard and seen is extremely important for the broader UK economy. The AHC has achieved what so many business forums covet – relevance, discovery and deal making and the fact that we’ve realized this through growth in delegates but more importantly quality of delegates with increasing numbers of hotel investors and owners throughout the UK is even sweeter.”

This year’s event drew crowds from 19 different countries and from across the entire industry’s ecosystem, including individual, boutique and consortium hotel owners, operators and managers, developers, investors, bankers, advisors, government agencies and other stakeholders.

Jonathan Langston, Co-founder, HotStats & The AHC said; “It’s overwhelming that The AHC has been so enthusiastically adopted and supported by the industry. And it’s so rewarding to welcome not only hundreds of new delegates, but also old friends who have been with us for all 16 conferences. I’m delighted that Questex continues to build on The AHC’s core principles of Learn. Network. Be Inspired.”

Further information can be found on the conference website: www.theahc.co.uk.

Editors notes:

About Questex

At Questex, we are passionate about driving business outcomes. We connect buyers and sellers and help both achieve their goals. We are online, on devices and live with experiential engagements. We understand the buyer’s behavior and evolving needs and connect them with the seller through continual touchpoints. From discovery through purchase and purchase through advocacy, we supply unmatched access, insight, engagement and turnkey solutions all in one place.