AHC 2016 heralds ‘positive outlook’ for UK hotel sector

Hoteliers from across the UK gathered for the 13th Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel in Manchester last week for a conference complete with a wide variety of presentations, panel discussions and workshops.

Nearly 800 delegates attended the event, now a major calendar event British hotel owners and operators.

The organisers said there was a “notable shift in attitude” towards industry disruptors from one of caution to one that “embraced the challenges and uses them to the advantage of the environment”.

Thomas Dubaere, COO of hotel services for AccorHotels UK & Ireland said in his opening address: “I chose to disrupt”, and stated that disrupting is a “mindset for all ages that can empower any business”.

This led to several references to millennials, their consumer habits, preferences and behaviours. In a presentation from BDRC, the delegation was informed that millennials have little interest in brands but are guided by user generated content in their purchasing decisions.

Several speakers noted that whilst the current trends in the hospitality industry were first displayed by millennials, these habits and behaviours are now being adopted by other demographics and the industry must continue to adapt and respond.

Doris and Dicky co-founder Roxane Gergaud explained that they were focused on creating authentic experiences and human connections as this was clearly an important factor for travellers today. This theme neatly concluded when Robin Sheppard, Chairman of Bespoke Hotels said that “storytelling would be the new buzz word” in the final panel discussion.

During the Economic Overview segment, Trevor Williams from the University of Derby, Ufi Ibrahim of the British Hospitality Association and Deirdre Wells OBE of UKinbound, pointed to the potential significant impact on UK hospitality if the proposed plans to drastically reduce the number of unskilled migrants comes into force.