Aldar Properties to back top regional hotel summit

Aldar Properties, a leading developer in Abu Dhabi, UAE, will once again support the Gulf and Indian Ocean Hotel Investors’ Summit (GIOHIS) as Founding Patron when it returns to Abu Dhabi for the third consecutive year in January 2018. GIOHIS has brought the region’s top hotel owners and investors together in Abu Dhabi for the last two years to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the dynamic hospitality industry. With a portfolio of nine hotels in Abu Dhabi and having played a key role in the establishment and development of Yas Island as a tourist destination, Aldar is perfectly positioned to continue to support the success of this important industry summit. Run by the global hotel owners’ alliance, Hoftel, GIOHIS will present a forum to debate key themes such as investing in frontier markets, the merging of hotel and residential offerings and coping with downturns and disruptors. Speakers currently confirmed include Saif Saeed Ghobash, director general, Abu Dhabi TCA; Khalid Anib, CEO, Abu Dhabi National Hotels; Joe Sita, CEO, IFA; Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hotels; Mustafa Al Hasmimi, chief hospitality officer, WASL; Olivier Chavy, CEO Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts and Jalil Mekouar, CEO Hotels, Majid Al Futtaim Properties. Jahed Rahman, director of hospitality and leisure at Aldar, commented: “Aldar is very pleased to support GIOHIS again, which has established itself as a revered platform for hotel owners across the Gulf and Indian Ocean to debate current industry issues. Our support reinforces Aldar’s commitment to developing the region’s burgeoning hospitality industry and providing a forum where top industry professionals can discuss how to work most efficiently with hotel operators to attract even more visitors to experience this very special part of the world.” Simon Allison, chairman and CEO, Hoftel, said: “GIOHIS continues to be the hotel investor summit where hospitality property owners come together and discuss major trends and opportunities for the sector, as well as speaking their minds about key challenges such as overbuilding, the power of the Online Travel Agents, the scale of the big brands or economic and political volatility. We are delighted to be welcoming CEOs and heads of hospitality from many of the largest owners in the Gulf, East Africa and Indian Ocean region to speak openly and frankly at GIOHIS 2018.” GIOHIS 2018 will take place at one of Aldar’s hospitality assets, the Yas Viceroy in Abu Dhabi on January 29 and 30, with around 90 speakers, including 35 hospitality industry CEOs, confirmed to participate. The event will offer a global range of perspectives with speakers attending from across the globe, including Malaysia, Uganda, Thailand, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, South Africa, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Finland, the UK, Egypt and Saudi Arabia