Strengthening regional tourism through strategic investment and innovation
New funding models, technological advancements and sustainability frameworks are reshaping tourism development across the Middle East. Ahead of Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Saudi Arabia, Jonathan Worsley, chairman of The Bench, organizer of the summit, gathered insights from three industry leaders on the sector’s evolving priorities and opportunities.
Franchising frameworks for a new era of investment
Franchising remains a powerful growth engine for hospitality across MENA. However, rising levels of investor sophistication have revealed the limits of one-size-fits-all models.
Jad Shamseddin, COO at Aleph Hospitality, analyzes the evolving frameworks now shaping the region’s next phase of hospitality brand growth.
How tech can unlock sustainable hospitality
Technology is transforming how hotels and restaurants can build on good intentions and improve outdated systems to tackle food waste. Daniel F. Solomon, founder of HeroGo, talks us through the data-driven tools that are making waste measurable and much more manageable.
5 ways to crack the Gen Z code
There’s a new cohort of customers in town who are bringing both fresh expectations and growing spending power to the hospitality industry. Are you ready for them? Ashleigh Donald, co-founder of Halo Business Consulting, shares five tips to attract and engage the all-important group of Gen Z guests.
Franchising: a strategic tool for MENA hospitality growth
Growing investor confidence and economic diversification are prompting hospitality brands to rethink how they approach regional expansion. Hala Matar Choufany, president of HVS Middle East and Africa, spotlights the evolving partnership models and considers what they signal for the sector’s future.
French cuisine’s perpetual renaissance with Guillaume Gomez president of the Gastronomy Group
Long a culinary heavyweight, French cuisine continues to hold its own on the global gastronomic scene, despite growing competition. Guillaume Gomez is president of the Gastronomy Group and France’s ambassador for gastronomy. Drawing on a distinguished career that includes serving as executive chef at the Élysée Palace, he traces the journey of this diverse gastronomic powerhouse and explores its future.
Why all-round hospitality training needs a touch
Hospitality venues are stages where employees need to deliver captivating performances that wow guests and keep them coming back for more. The curtain is rising. Daniel During, principal and managing director at Thomas Klein International, offers us front-row tickets to show-stopping insights on the attributes that set staff apart and help to deliver dramatic industry win-wins.
7 secret marketing tactics of busy restaurateurs
Keeping customers coming through the doors is no easy feat in today’s fast-changing dining landscape. So how do the most successful eateries do it? Monica E. Chikhani, founder and managing director of MEC Workshop, shares seven of their secret strategies. But keep them to yourself…
The return of maximalist restaurants
Luxury hospitality is evolving beyond marble lobbies and fine linens. Norman Cescut, founder and CEO at Desita, has the lowdown on how high-end hotels are defined by emotion, culture and purpose.