As urbanization accelerates globally, the Middle East is rapidly embracing smart city concepts to enhance growth, quality of life and sustainability. Custódio Barreiros Founder & CEO of EIP MGT GmbH, offers his perspective.

Today’s global food service scene is both dynamic and rapidly evolving, driven forward by changing customer demands, which creative and forward-thinking industry experts are only too willing to accommodate. Diogo Ildefonso, general manager of Glee Hospitality Solutions, highlights six current eating-out trends, which are also expected to continue disrupting dining preferences over the coming years.

At a time when the region’s FMCG firms face a challenging economic environment, it makes sense to increase the focus on international sales. Sam A. Jaoude, consultant and CEO of Madenlebanon LLC, shares a checklist of essential steps to getting export ready.

It’s a million-dollar question and one that many hotel developers may need to ask themselves in the initial phase of project planning. Both options offer exciting opportunities, but also present challenges. Chirine Salha, board member of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-clubs & Pastries in Lebanon, weighs up the pros and cons.

In an industry marked for decades by tradition, new hotel operation contract models are producing shifts in the landscape. Jad Shamseddin, COO of Aleph Hospitality,, explains why these more recent additions are becoming increasingly popular.

Creating memorable moments for customers has rightly become a top priority for hospitality providers and interior architecture is playing a key role in helping them to achieve these goals. Dina Murali, design director at DZ Design, shares her ideas on how to successfully evoke that all-important sense of place and create environments that will leave lasting impressions on visitors.

Today’s travelers are seeking sustainable experiences that align with their values, offering industry investors and developers the opportunity to implement eco-solutions that are truly innovative. Daniel During, principal and managing director of Thomas Klein International, offers a definition of sustainable tourism which goes well beyond the dictionary versions and is one that the hospitality industry can’t afford to ignore.