5. ITB Hospitality Day: CEO-Panel and Mobile Devices in focus
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Berlin (February 12, 2010). What encourages hotel groups to continue to expand in Europe despite tight margins? And how do they judge other international markets? These are only two questions addressed by the "CEO Panel" at the fifth "ITB Hospitality Day", the hotel conference at the world''s biggest travel fair, the ITB in Berlin. On the podium will be: David Fattel, Founder and CEO of Leonardo Hotels from Tel Aviv and Wolfgang Neumann, CEO of Arabella Hospitality Group Munich. The "Hospitality Day" will take place on Thursday, 11 March 2010 and will encompass six talk rounds. The panel addressing the subject of "mobile devices" promises to be particularly interesting - a trend which will change the world of travel, many insiders believe. Details on "CEO Panel" and on "Mobile Devices".
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| David Fattal. |
David Fattal, Founder and CEO of the Israeli Fattal Group with the brand Leonardo Hotels, is seldom seen in public. Back at home, he''s an extremely influential businessman. He''s learnt the hotel industry from the roots up and from the very beginning saw his hotel group within an international context. Just a few months ago, he acquired 12 hotels in Israel for 175 million EUR; beyond Israel, the expansion of Leonardo Hotels is concentrated on Central Europe: 30 hotels, half of Leonardo''s entire portfolio, are located in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. He has diversified the brand into several sub-brands: Leonardo Royal, Boutique as well as Leonardo Inns and Suites.
Tel Aviv and Munich: Two starting points, one target market
So what motivates Fattal to subject himself to the competition, the bureaucratic hurdles and the comparably low room yields in this region? How does he finance the expansion which he didn''t begin in Europe until 2005?
Maria Puetz-Willems, Editor-in-Chief of hospitalityInside.com, will host the CEO Panel, the second CEO Panel hosted by the ITB Hospitality Day. The online magazine is also media partner for the entire ITB Hospitality Day. For the CEO Panel, Puetz-Willems has brought in a second expert: Matthias Schroeder from SIH Structured Information Hotels, neutral financial auditor and for many years a critical observer of the hotel industry. Schroader will observe and comment on the debate.
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| Wolfgang M. Neumann. |
Another business and expansion philosophy is applied by ArabellaStarwood Hotels & Resorts, a philosophy controlled by the Arabella Hospitality Group in Munich: At the moment the group counts 41 hotels and resorts in Germany, Switzerland, on the Spanish Balearic Islands as well as in South Africa; though the group will soon leave South Africa. The group plans to bring the focus back to "core business" in Europe. What expansion strategy makes most sense is a question for Wolfgang M. Neumann, CEO of Arabella Hospitality Group for the last year. Insiders know him from his time with Hilton. Before leaving the global chain in 2008 after 24 years, he held the position of President for Hilton Hotels Europe.
Completely different CEOs
Within the scope of the Arabella joint venture, the former Hilton professional will work together with a former competitor, Starwood Hotels, and thus again with a global chain. Under different circumstances, he must again ask himself: How should I position a family-run company (ArabellaStarwood is part of the Schoerghuber Company Group Munich)? How dependent is Arabella from the brands of its chain partners, and what brands promise the highest returns?
The approach of the two CEOs, let so much be said beforehand, is very varied. Insofar, the round promises to be an exciting 60 minutes (beginning 1p.m.). Entrance to the CEO Panel, as with all discussion rounds, is free; prior registration is not necessary.
Panel "Mobile Devices":
The number of "smart phones" worldwide is increasing rapidly. More and more companies advertise with their own "apps". If hotels can be accessed online anywhere, guests could also register their wishes whilst travelling. Must every hotel/hotel group jump on this bandwagon? This is the core question posed at the "Mobile Devices" discussion round: How will internet-capable mobile phones change the hotel industry?
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| Olivier Harnisch. |
Does everything now concentrate on the iPhone? Martin Thyseen, Senior Manager Allicance Partner at Blackberry, certainly doesn''t think so. Both hoteliers attending the talk will be able to comment on what group of guests can be reached in this way: Marco Nussbaum, IT experienced and experimental CEO of the young, swish budget hotel group prizeotel, and Olivier Harnisch, Vice President International Operation for Germany and Switzerland of Hilton Worldwide.
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| Tobias Ragge. |
How have mobile devices already changed booking behaviour, how should marketing be for that? Tobias Ragge, CEO of HRS/Hotel Reservation Service in Cologne, can certainly say something about that. The entrepreneur from the hotel industry would like to know one thing though: Is an investment in apps and mobile devices sustainable? Will it be a reliable source of more reservations? This round too, following on from the CEO Panel (beginning 2.15p.m.) also promises to provide some exciting information. A distribution and IT expert will host the panel: Carolin Brauer, CEO of Quality Reservations.
Please, find the exact program under this link. / kn
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