NEWS
HOTELS
FIVE MINUTES WITH EMMA BANKS, HILTON’S VISIONARY HOSPITALITY EXECUTIVE What has been your greatest professional achievement to date? Being appointed VP of Hilton, a leading global hospitality company with passionate and talented team members and incredible corporate responsibility initiatives, was a milestone.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at work?
Emma Banks, VP F&B strategy and development EMEA of Hilton, is a multi-award winner, guest writer and seasoned hospitality professional. We spoke to her about the challenges and opportunities the industry is currently witnessing and her own experiences.
Like many other people, adjusting to and leading my area of the business through the pandemic was immensely challenging. I had to dig deep and empower my wonderful team.
Does Hilton have any exciting projects coming up? Hilton has 372 hotels in the pipeline for EMEA, 86 of which are in the Middle East; each hotel has an average of three F&B spaces. My team and I continue to work relentlessly to deliver our vision, which is to make Hilton EMEA F&B the best in the world. linkedin.com/in/emma-banks-4782a611 Read the full interview on hospitalitynewsmag.com
AURELIO GIRAUDO, CLUSTER GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BANYAN TREE DOHA & LA CIGALE HOTEL MANAGED BY ACCOR How do you think F&B in hotels will evolve?
Qatar-based industry professional Aurelio Giraudo shares his thoughts on how the pandemic is changing the world of F&B.
The pandemic has forced us to rethink all of our priorities, including sustainability, diversity, innovation, engagement and personalization. In food and beverage, we can expect a sea of change that will focus on the individual experiences of guests. To elaborate, guests would like to have new and unique travel experiences, instead of the cookie-cutter experiences like franchised restaurants. We will witness the creation of “super brands,” with more celebratory chefs and mixologists who will be creating new brands under their label. In terms of F&B trends, I personally think that within the current climate, the takeout and delivery side of businesses will continue in an upward trajectory; with more and more ghost kitchens opening up to support restaurants or kitchens that cannot execute takeout from their own premises. Al fresco dining and outdoor seating areas are
TRENDING ON
HOSPITALITYNEWSMAG.COM IHG introduces its luxury brand InterContinental in Morocco
IHG Hotels & Resorts recently signed an agreement with Immohold Hospitality to introduce the InterContinental Hotels and Resorts brand in Rabat. The signing is aligned with IHG’s strategy to build on its luxury portfolio and expand into key gateway markets across the MEA region. ihgplc.com Radisson Hotel Group is planning 30 new openings across the EMEA region this year
Radisson Hotel Group looks ahead to 2021 with 30 planned hotel openings — the equivalent of 5,000 rooms — across the EMEA, building on the group’s 40+ signings announced in 2020. The group’s 2020 expansion included the introduction of the Radisson Individuals brand and the announcement of ambitious plans to double its portfolio of Serviced Apartments by 2025. Planned openings in 2021 also include seven exciting properties in the group’s premium lifestyle Radisson Collection brand. The hotels will open in France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Radisson Hotel Group also announced the debut of its fourth brand in the UAE with the opening of Radisson Hotel Dubai DAMAC Hills. radissonhotelgroup.com
likely to remain popular. Dining rooms will reopen, respecting social distancing protocols and offering scannable QR codes instead of physical menus.
What are your upcoming projects? The big thing for Accor in Doha was the opening of Banyan Tree Doha at La Cigale Mushaireb Hotel & Residences, which opened on May 12, 2021, and has made a big impact in the luxury market. Accor has big plans for Doha, wherein Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, Rixos, Novotel, Pullman, Ibis and Adagio hotels are expected to open in the next two years. La Cigale Hotel Managed by Accor, which is one of the most popular food destinations in the city, will witness a soft refurbishment of all its food and beverage outlets and come up with exciting new concepts in the next eight to 12 months. banyantree.com all.accor.com Read the full interview on hospitalitynewsmag.com
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HOSPITALITY NEWS ME | JUN - JUL 2021
