LONDON, Nov. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Over 400 delegates gathered at the Hilton Athens last week for the 5^thMediterranean Resort & Hotel Real Estate Forum (MR&H). Hosted by Questex Hospitality Group, MR&H 2019 is the largest gathering of hotel and resort investors, owners and operators – making MR&H the industry’s premier mixed use resort and real estate forum.

The attendees, including investors, developers, owners, tourism ministers and key market stakeholders, enjoyed a topical and varied conference programme covering distribution strategies – particularly prevalent in a post Thomas Cook world, sustainable tourism development, analysis of the macro geo-political and economic environment, the impact of brands and the inclusion of branded residences in resort developments and investment strategies for hotel and resort real estate projects across the Mediterranean region.

Panel discussions and presentations were set against a back-drop of formal networking amongst the exhibition space and speed networking sessions as well as informal meeting time at both the opening night reception on the rooftop of the Hilton Athens with stunning views across Athens including the floodlight Acropolis and the second night poolside party where delegates enjoyed traditional Greek hospitality.

Although there were variances in regional markets, the overriding sentiment resonating throughout the event was one of optimism for the industry, confidence that the drivers for travel remain and a sincere understanding that sustainable practises are fundamental to the future of the sector. The recent collapse of Thomas Cook was a common conversation and Alexander Schneider, President at Nikki Beach Hotels Resorts, commented: “Every industry has its Nokia moment and the collapse of Thomas Cook was the hospitality industry’s Nokia moment; a company that didn’t react fast enough to a changing environment.” A panel of investors active in the industry discussed the opportunities and challenges of resort investment with one investor saying: “There is going to be some softening coming and managing the exposure is critical. Don’t be too exposed to either leisure or corporate markets.”

Observing trends in geo-politics and the economy and the likely impact on the hospitality industry, economist Thanos Papasavvas said: “Hotel yields will decline further as the search for yield and ample liquidity continues to squeeze the market.” Natalie Weisz from STR drilled down into the regions and highlighted the significant opportunity in Greece for the brands; “Greece has the highest percentage of independent hotels – only 18% of hotels in Greece are branded – and against the rest of the world, Greece has the second highest RevPar for branded hotels (after Israel).”

The importance of understanding travellers’ motivations remains central to planning, development and forward thinking and Lyublena Dimova from the European Travel Commission presented findings showing that multiple destination travel is a USP of Europe – the combination of contrasting but well-connected countries is the Europe’s top advantages in the eyes of overseas travellers.

The results of the MR&H Top Resort Awards were announced during the closing plenary. The winners of the Top Resort Award In Operation was the Wyndham Grand, Crete Mirabello Bay and winner of the Top Resort Award In Development was the Ikos Andalusia.

A highlights video of MR&H 2019 is available here. Content from the event will be shared on our website and social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the year.

Alexi Khajavi, Managing Director of EMEA, Questex Hospitality Group, said, “It was never going to be an easy task to deliver an event that accurately and honestly reflected the variety of factors, topics and considerations to investing and developing a mixed-use resort in one of the many Mediterranean territories. It a complex conversation but a vital one and I am enormously proud to have hosted, with my talented team, a forum that facilitated those conversations, encouraged debate but ultimately connected people who share a common goal. Ours is a human powered industry and there is nothing more meaningful that forging those connections, cementing existing ones and enjoying a great experience whilst doing so.”

MR&H 2020 will be held at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura in Portugal on the 19-21 October 2020. Looking ahead to next year, Luís Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal, the National Tourism Authority, said: “We are honoured to be the host country of the 2020 MR&H, an excellent opportunity to share the uniqueness of our traditions, culture and people, but also the secret of why this is the time to invest in Portugal. We’re sure the success of the 2020 MR&H will be translated in more businesses for the participants and a better understanding why Portugal is today the Leading Destination of the World.”

For further information on the event, visit: www.mrandh.com.

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 behaviour 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.

Content Director	Press Relations	Sponsorship Director
Julie Rey-Gore	Emily Newman	Mark Cheney
+44 (0) 208 547 9830	+44 (0)7771 686202	+44 (0)20 8547 9830
[email protected]	[email protected]	[email protected]

 

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questex, a business information company, today announces Patrick Nohilly has joined as its new Chief Financial Officer where he will be responsible for leading the Company’s global financial operations. Nohilly brings a wealth of experience in financial management, business & accounting operations, financial analysis & modeling, business transformation, process re-engineering, mergers & acquisitions as well as a deep knowledge of the business information industry.

“We are delighted and fortunate to welcome someone of Pat’s caliber to the team. Pat is a transformational executive. His extensive financial and operational expertise makes him a huge asset for Questex. We are highly acquisitive and now with Pat on board we have the ability to bolster our organic growth through M&A to add scale, capabilities and resources,” said Paul Miller, CEO, Questex. 

Miller added, “Questex is undergoing a major transition. We launched a number of new products including The Beauty Experience and FierceElectronics and built centers of excellence focused on the buyer and seller experience – we are geared for growth. Pat’s addition is timely and having worked with him previously I know he is the right fit for the next chapter of Questex, a chapter of growth.”

Nohilly joins Questex from Messe Frankfurt North America, the U.S. subsidiary for one of the world’s largest trade fair companies,​ where he was President and CFO and was responsible for all finance and administrative functions, including human resources, IT, office management and mergers & acquisitions. Earlier, Nohilly had a long career at United Business Media and held several senior management positions where he was responsible for finance, mergers & acquisitions operations and centralized services. In his last position as SVP Central Operations and Finance, Nohilly was responsible for all U.S. backed finance and back-office operations, a combined $350M+ business. Nohilly was also responsible for the identification, analysis, recommendation and execution of acquisition targets as well as organic initiatives across four U.S. divisions. Working in tandem with Divisional Presidents and Chief Financial Officers, the business completed more than 20 strategic acquisitions.

“With the business information services industry evolving at a quick pace, this is an exciting and pivotal time to be joining the Questex team. I look forward to being a part of the team that continues to build a strategy around Questex’s customers and help accelerate the business,” added Nohilly.

Nohilly will be based in Questex’s New York City headquarters and will report to Miller.

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. 

Media Contact
Kate Spellman
Chief Marketing Officer
Questex
[email protected]
(212) 895-8488

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. 

Content Director	Press Relations	Sponsorship Director
Julie Rey-Gore	Emily Newman	Mark Cheney
+44 (0) 208 547 9830	+44 (0)7771 686202	+44 (0)20 8547 9830
[email protected]	[email protected]	[email protected]