F&B, M&E, Ancillary Revenue

Most hoteliers think of labor compliance as a necessary evil—a set of rules they must follow to avoid fines and lawsuits. But the reality is this: compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties—it’s about protecting profitability, improving workforce efficiency, and delivering a better guest experience.

Behind the reassuring headlines of strong bookings and stable occupancy rates, a deeper story is unfolding. Shifting traveler behavior, rising domestic demand and a growing need for adaptability in the face of political and economic uncertainty.

Branded residences have become the flavour of the year in the UAE and the wider Middle East. Developers have embraced the idea that attaching a brand – any brand – can boost both price tags and investor appeal.

Hotels operating in the MICE market have traditionally been obsessed with processes and churning out proposals. But for hoteliers to Find and Grow the MICE segment, first you need to understand data and market trends to define your identity in this sector. Ultimately, knowing the market demand and your clients translates into a stronger kind of success.

It’s inevitable that modern advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will impact the hotel industry. While much has been rightfully said about use cases like machine learning (ML) impacting personalized guest offers or microsegmentation and generative AI (genAI) helping with contextual marketing or summarization for staff, for this focused article let’s shift gears from the rooms division into the spa and wellness facilities.

As a candidate for the position of Secretary General of UN Tourism, I am honored to support the important work of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in Jamaica and other parts of the world and contribute to this critical effort with learnings from my own experience. I had the hard job of guiding the tourism industry of Greece through the COVID-19 pandemic as Minister of Tourism and we did that by leveraging the power of data and that excites me to share my vision of a UN Tourism Resilience data centre.

In the lead up to the Future Hospitality Summit Saudi Arabia 2025 next month, we asked several industry partners about the opportunities they see for the hospitaliy industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025 and beyond.

Group business represents a significant revenue stream for many hotels, but accurately forecasting this segment can be a formidable challenge. Unlike transient bookings, which are often driven by individual travelers and shorter lead times, group business involves larger blocks of rooms, longer booking windows, and unique demand patterns. These complexities make it difficult to predict group occupancy and optimize pricing strategies.

In the world of hospitality, everyone talks about data – how much you can collect, how fast you can access it, and how many dashboards you can create. But after two decades of working with the most sophisticated data models, I’ve learned something critical: just having the data isn’t enough.

In a world shaped by unprecedented technological advancement, the hospitality sector finds itself at a fascinating intersection of tradition and transformation. At this crossroads, the food system – a sector shaped by human connection and culture – is undergoing a revolution of its own. As AI, climate change and shifting consumer values redefine the rules of engagement, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the transformation we need will not come from isolated breakthroughs, but from radical collaboration.