the hotel show closes with style, substance & sustainability
Innovative designs, IT solutions and spas presented with a focus on function, fashion & the future draws record numbers of visitors
The Hotel Show, the Middle East's leading supplies exhibition to the region’s hospitality sector, which concluded recently, has witnessed a paradigm shift towards hi-tech solutions and health and fitness facilities. In response to demands from their guests, regional hotels are now aiming to provide an holistic experience, which combines the efficiency of IT with contemporary décor and a definitive accent on sustainability and a host of other relevant environmental issues.
The escalating regional demand for green, modern and contemporary interior design clearly played a key role in attracting 14,289 trade visitors, of which 10,011 were specific to The Hotel Show. This represents a 29 per cent increase year-on-year. Visitor profiles were also well received by the exhibitors, with regional owner-operators, key decision makers from international five-star hotel chains, architects and interior designers in attendance.
Maggie Moore, Exhibition Director, The Hotel Show, commented, “The trend in the Middle East is beginning to change from traditional classics to sustainable contemporary designs. Dubai itself is very modern, but it is also developing an environmental conscience and that is now being reflected in the choice of hotel décor.”
The focus on contemporary design at The Hotel Show was evident throughout the show, from the products on display to the top of the ‘Seven Star Conference’ agenda. Indeed, Karim Rashid, the international award-winning contemporary high design minimalist was evident once again, this time presenting his “Room of the Future” design concept which was incorporated into a special display, arranged by Depa United Group in the DIEC concourse.
Rashid said, “A hotel room should be about efficiency and inspiration, we are moving into a physical age, where we want a sensual experience. We also want to feel comfortable when we enter a space; this is a friendly and comfortable room. The objects and spaces that surround us should be easy, functional and straightforward, but also exciting and poetic with a touch of eccentricity.”
Karim’s concept room has no corners; one single soft-edged centrally-placed piece of furniture combines the functions of bed, desk, seating and table. The rounded shape of the room is easy to clean and accommodates units housing the bathroom and the closet. The glass in the window can be set to clear or opaque, while serving as a TV screen at night.
“What makes the Middle East market so different from any other, is that it is an emerging market, but on an immediate grand scale. In Europe, the US and S.E. Asia, suppliers are more often concerned with refurbishing existing hotels or extensions. Regionally, designers can introduce dynamic contemporary concepts more easily to a market that is evolving with a clean slate and where properties need variation if competitors are to differentiate themselves,” added Moore.
The industry showcase, organised by dmg world media dubai Ltd one of the region’s leading exhibition companies, had already increased the amount of exhibition space to 14,350 square metres, to accommodate surging demand from international and regional exhibitors. But it wasn’t all about ruffles, pastels and textures; elsewhere at the showcase the hard-hitting realities of the region’s breakneck growth trends were addressed.
The Middle East Hotel Outlook 2020, an update of the Global Futures and Foresight (GFF) research study on the Future of Travel and Tourism in the Middle East, was unveiled on the opening day of The Hotel Show. According to the study, over US$3.39 trillion will be invested in regional hotels and supporting infrastructure by 2020. The study, which is taking a ‘futures’ perspective on the regional trends and drivers identified plans to add at least 750,000 hotel rooms to the hospitality landscape from Egypt to Iran.
“The research draws on a range of methods to explore potential scenarios, challenges and opportunities for regional travel and tourism and provides practical advice on how players in the sector can factor these insights into their planning,” said Rohit Talwar, Joint CEO of GFF and co-author of the study.
At the ‘Seven Star Conference’ a series of key complementary presentations examined the Middle East’s human resource challenge. The region’s hospitality industry will generate more than 2 million jobs over the next ten years and Middle East hoteliers will face extreme competition for skilled labour from emerging economies with equal opportunities and a much lower cost of living. Judith Chalk, Editor, Human Assets, Middle East, addressed the critical HR strategies necessary to recruit & retain personnel in the fiercely competitive hospitality sector.
