Friend, Enrique Mandl interview: a game changer for Ibizan hospitality, London's Qbic Hotel sold, Avvio to launch AI-powered booking engine and more

• Newsletter June 21st News      Features      Video      Blog      Events      Reports      Newsletters      Suppliers      Summit      Awards Top story Interview: Enrique Mandl, GM, Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay Enrique Mandl talks to BHN about opening a property he describes as a game changer for Ibiza's hospitality sector. Read more... Latest news London's Qbic Hotel changes hands UK: Qbic Hotel London City, in Whitechapel, has been sold to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. Read More Capsule hotel opens in Sydney's CBD Australia: Sydney's first capsule hotel has opened above the Century Bar, on Sydney's George Street. Read More Video interview: Krystal Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, The Slate Phuket Krystal Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, owner of The Slate, A Phuket Pearl Resort, talks to BHN about the challenges of launching a new hospitality concept to the island Read More Avvio to launch AI-powered direct booking platform Ireland: Avvio has announced the launch of Allora, which it describes as the world's first direct booking platform powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Read More Editorial comment A tipping point?  • The last few years has seen a determined effort by most of the major hotel companies to become asset light, and in many cases pullback from operating hotels as well as owning them. The surge in franchising has seen the major chains having less and less involvement with the day-to-day running of a property. There are notable exceptions to this rule, Accor being one - boss Sebastien Bazin takes pride in calling the company a hotel operator, and in the lifestyle space there are a significant number of hands-on operator brands. One of the best known is Viceroy, which has just received a quite alarming shot across its bow from the owner of two hotels it managed in Dubai. Five Holdings - formerly SKAI - has decided it will operate its assets itself. In a fairly provocative statement, Aloki Batra, CEO of Five Hospitality LLC, said: "We believe now is the right time to disrupt the hospitality industry. The people who actually provide hospitality experiences never receive the real benefits while most of the commercial benefits are taken in most cases by operators. This needs to change. There needs to be a much more equitable distribution and we will be introducing this in our hospitality vertical immediately to ensure our philosophy is executed from the heart." Could this mark a sea change for the industry? A move back to the traditional owner/operator model that the sector has shifted so far away from? Perhaps Five Hospitality will be blazing a trail on its own - it is certainly a bold move in a market as obsessed with brands as Dubai - but it will be fascinating to see if other owners decide that they want to keep the potential profits from operating properties to themselves and dispense with the brands they have relied on in the past. George Sell, editor, Boutique Hotel News Features Q and A: Kevork Deldelian, COO, Millennium and Copthorne Hotels MEA Kevork Deldelian talks about the launch of the Agarwood eco-lifestyle hotel brand. Read More Top tips for boutique hotel restaurant marketing Alison Sawyer of SALT Restaurant Marketing shares how to effectively market the restaurant at your boutique hotel. Read More Our events July 12-13 2017 London Add to calendar November, 12-13 2017 Dubai, UAE Add to calendar March 2018 London Date tbc April 2018 New York City Date tbc May 2018 London Date tbc Videos BLHS2017 interviews: Kevin Charity, Coaching Inn Group View  BLHS2017 and BoHo awards video highlights View  Keep up with the latest industry news Subscribe to our newsletters › EDITORIAL George Sell.  Editor, +44 (0) 208 340 7989 George@boutiquehotelnews.com ONLINE SALES, CONFERENCE  AND EXHIBITION Katie Houghton Head of Sales +44 (0) 7535 135 116 Katie@internationalhospitality.media Friend, let's get social! Join our LinkedIn Group Follow us on Twitter Visit our YouTube page Like our Facebook page Follow our Instagram account International Hospitality Media is the premier specialist in online publishing; conference, exhibition and events, and advisory services for niche growth sectors of the hospitality industry. The company publishes two industry-leading b2b websites - BoutiqueHotelNews.com and ServicedApartmentNews.com, which keep their respective sectors up to speed with news, comment and opinion. Our conference experience spans three continents and covers high growth segments including boutique, lifestyle and hybrid hotels, serviced apartments / aparthotels and extended stay, and vacation rental. Our events are renowned for their intense focus and attract quality industry leaders, brands and independents, providing unparalleled networking and learning opportunities. We also organise bespoke educational events and investor breakfasts to bring owners, operators and investors together. ENGAGE . EDUCATE .  INSPIRE . INFORM Meet the team › © 2017 BoutiqueHotelNews. All Rights Reserved.

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