AHIC Talks

Every year we host an annual event – the Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference – in Dubai, where we host over 100 hospitality investment leaders from across the MEA region to share their expertise and insights on stage. And there are another 100 or more speakers that we couldn’t have on stage because of timing, availability or some challenge as the event is only for three days. AHIC Talks is our new medium to ensure that we can still have these conversations and share them with the AHIC community. We hope you find them insightful and if you have any feedback, please share them with us at [email protected].

Episode 1: Marc Finney, Colliers 08/14/2022

Episode 1: Marc Finney, Colliers Marina Franolic, Managing Director at The Bench, opened the first episode of the IDEEA Podcast with a 25-million-euro question to Marc Finney, Head of International Hotels & Resorts at Colliers. Listen or watch as Marc shares his insights on which markets in Southeast Europe (SEE) region are the no-brainer opportunities for hospitality investment and those that have the potential to be substantial investment opportunities. The conversation also touched on the growing interest in leisure products such as resorts, niche products such as pod or capsule hotels and the ever-increasing importance of ESG for hotel owners and consumers. Listen to the full episode on the go or watch the complete conversation on video. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/24049200

Episode 17: Youssef Chraibi & Magespro Africa 09/15/2021

Episode 17: Youssef Chraibi & Magespro Africa AHIC Talks met with Youssef Chraibi, Managing Director of Magespro Africa, a project management and engineering firm focused into the African market to find out how the past 24 months have impacted their organisation and the markets they work in. We discussed what opportunities there are for the market, the geographies they are focused on for new business opportunities and how clients can minimise construction costs to maximise their returns. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/20479118

Episode 16: David Keen & Michael Levie 09/06/2021

Episode 16: David Keen & Michael Levie Michael Levie and David Keen are co-founders of Kube Ventures, a new accelerator platform designed to transform the hospitality industry. The founders spoke about what inspired them and the different verticals created to solved different problems through various mediums. In their discussion with Marloes Knippenberg at AHIC, they will delve further into fostering transformation and change in hospitality. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/20377331

Episode 15: Hon. Minister Najib Balala & Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, Kenya 08/23/2021

Episode 15: Hon. Minister Najib Balala & Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, Kenya In this episode, Matthew Weihs talks with Hon. Minister Najib Balala to see how tourism in Kenya is handling the pandemic and what can be done for future investment opportunities. The minister spoke about how infrastructure plays a big role during times of crisis as it enhances intra-Africa travel which offers plenty of opportunity for growth. Having recently confirmed his participation, Minister Balala will be joining over 100 speakers live in person on stage at AHIC in September. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/20228453

Episode 14: Carlos Khneisser & Hilton 08/08/2021

Episode 14: Carlos Khneisser & Hilton In this week's episode of AHIC Talks, Jonathan Worsley had a chat with Carlos Khneisser, who is Hilton's Vice President of Development for the Middle East and Africa region. They discussed how the hotel chain has been adapting to enormous changes by focusing on their people and the strength of their relationships with owners. Despite these challenges, they've made significant strides over the past year with the new deals done across the MEA region, with more opportunities brewing in the pipeline. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/20068022

Episode 13 - Makram El Zyr & Rotana 08/03/2021

Episode 13 - Makram El Zyr & Rotana In this episode of AHIC talks, Jonathan Worsley spoke with Makram El Zyr, a second-generation hotelier whose father Selim El Zyr was one of the founding partners of Rotana. As the brand's Corporate VP of Development, Makram now leads the brand's ambitious expansion plans, focused on building their relationships with owners across every new project they move into. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/20015654

Episode 12: Fuad Sajdi & Toggle Hospitality 07/25/2021

Episode 12: Fuad Sajdi & Toggle Hospitality In the latest episode of AHIC Talks, Fuad Sajdi shares his vision for Toggle Hospitality: to be your go-to digital marketplace for hotel FF&E procurement. This is a revolutionary idea that will save hotels manhours and time on sourcing supplies by providing them with one easy platform from which they can find everything their property needs in just seconds! Fuad also discussed with Jonathan Worsley the innovations planned in its roadmap to enhance the user experience. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19920053

Episode 10: Prince AlWaleed & Muhammad Ali Syed 07/19/2021

Episode 10: Prince AlWaleed & Muhammad Ali Syed In this episode, Jennifer Pettinger-Haines handed the reins over to Muhammad Ali Syed, Founder & CEO of Mingora Consult. He was in conversation with Prince Alwaleed Bin Nassir who is President of Qoot, about their recent collaboration on a joint report focusing on Saudi CEOs and COVID-19 sentiments in the Saudi restaurant industry. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19852637

Episode 10: Andrew McLachlan & Hilton 07/10/2021

Episode 10: Andrew McLachlan & Hilton In this week's episode of AHIC Talks, Mathew Weihs spoke to Andrew McLachlan, who joined Hilton last year as the brand's Managing Director of Development for the Sub-Saharan African region. Andrew shared a preview of the development strategy for the African continent with some of the brand's key brands such as Hilton Garden Inn, LXR, and many more. He also talked about how the brand's history and legacy along with a focus on safety have helped its properties stay resilient during the pandemic. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19766546

Episode 9: Jalil Mekouar & inHovate Solutions 07/04/2021

Episode 9: Jalil Mekouar & inHovate Solutions Jonathan Worsley speaks with Jalil Mekouar about the data challenges in hospitality and how inHovate Solutions uses data science, machine learning and A.I to help solve them. As properties across the globe look to optimise and stay lean, finding solutions like inHovate have become paramount, as it provides 360° degree optimization across all functions including revenue management, operations and CX through its suite of web-based applications – providing complete visibility into hotel operations. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19640789

Episode 8: Amos Wekesa & Great Lakes Safaris 06/27/2021

Episode 8: Amos Wekesa & Great Lakes Safaris In this episode of AHIC Talks, Matthew Weihs spoke with Amos Wekesa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Safaris about the challenges African owners have faced over the past 18 months. Amos shared how he dealt with the COVID and how he was able to diversify his offering during the period. Looking forward, Amos also shares the opportunities he is looking towards in 2022. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19618295

Episode 7: Ian Ohan & Food Sheikh 06/22/2021

Episode 7: Ian Ohan & Food Sheikh In this episode, Ian Ohan & Food Sheikh joined us to announce the Rise Up challenge, a competition searching for food entrepreneurs in the UAE, with the finals taking place live and in-person at AHIC in September. Their conversation with Jennifer Pettinger-Haines touched on why they put such a competition together and what kind of contestant would make the cut. Listen to the full episode to find out more. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19495952

Episode 6: James Asquith & Holiday Swap 06/16/2021

Episode 6: James Asquith & Holiday Swap James Asquith has set the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries in the world by the age of 25. In this episode of AHIC Talks, he speaks with Jonathan Worsley about how he came across the idea for Holiday Swap and what his future plans are. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19495406

Episode 4: Michael Grove, Hotstats & Profit Matter Report 2020 05/31/2021

Episode 4: Michael Grove, Hotstats & Profit Matter Report 2020 In this episode of AHIC Talks, Matthew Weihs chats with Michael Grove, COO of Hotstats on the findings of the recently published Profit Matters Review in 2020. Obviously, on the back of a very difficult year for the industry, the two looked at what the report covered and some of the key operational areas hoteliers could look at going forward. A few other key themes discussed were the return of events and some of the winners and losers in the Middle East and Africa region. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19298486

Episode 3: Mohamed Awadalla, CEO of Time Hotels & Resorts 05/31/2021

Episode 3: Mohamed Awadalla, CEO of Time Hotels & Resorts In this episode of AHIC Talks, Jonathan Worsley, Chairman and Founder of Bench, caught up with Mohamed Awadalla, CEO of Time Hotels & Resorts at the Arabian Travel Market held live and in-person in Dubai. The two spoke about how Time Hotels & Resorts had fared during the pandemic and what Mohamed's development plans are for the future. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19297589

Episode 2: Andrew Morrow on Australia's & Dubai's restaurant landscape 05/23/2021

Episode 2: Andrew Morrow on Australia's & Dubai's restaurant landscape In this episode of AHIC Talks, Jennifer Pettinger-Haines, Managing Director of Bench, speaks with Andrew Morrow. Director of Operations for the Firmament. The conversations touch on Andrew's impressions of Australia's restaurant scene and the differences he sees in comparison to Dubai. Andrew also shares exciting news about the Firmament's expansion plans for the overseas market. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19207136

Episode 1: Trevor Ward, W Hospitality Group & Africa Hotel Pipeline Report 2021 05/07/2021

Episode 1: Trevor Ward, W Hospitality Group & Africa Hotel Pipeline Report 2021 On the eve of publishing the 13th Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa, Trevor Ward, Managing Director at W Hospitality Group spoke with Matthew Weihs, Managing Director at bench about the report findings. /episode/index/show/ahicevent/id/19017143

AHIC Talks

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