Kicking off this year’s industry events

The return to travel continues to gain pace and industry conferences and events are back on the calendar. A welcome return to business for many of us.

Pro-invest Group kicked off the year’s industry programme at HOFTEL’s inaugural AOHIS (Atlanta Ocean Hotel  Investor’s Summit) meeting in Madrid. A gathering of industry minds that saw robust discussion and thoughtful insights shared.

Founder & Chairman, Ron Barrott, sat on a panel led by Russell Kett at HVS to discuss whether this current inflation cycle will be ‘kind to hotel investors’. The consensus: good ADR’s in the second half of 2022 and signals that inflation pressures could be easing are both positive signs. So while the drag of inflation, the bump of pent-up travel demand and the full impact of the economic environment is still to be seen, overall sentiment was pretty high.

Dr. Sabine Schaffer, Co-Founder & CEO, Europe, debated ‘who is really leading the push for ESG standards’. Guests are clear it impacts their hotel choice. Investors and operators like Pro-invest Group are clear it’s non-negotiable because it future-proofs the business, and for lenders it’s no longer a conversation about the cost of doing it. It’s about the cost of not doing it. That isn’t a risk they’re willing to take.

While there’s plenty more work to do – to educate stakeholders, define and refine meaningful standards, and report on the impact we’re making across our businesses. What is clear is that despite economic uncertainty, there was agreement that raising the standards of ESG was something we should and will tackle together.

Pro-invest Group will also be meeting investors at:

• PERE Asia Summit, Singapore, 21-23 February 2023
• GIOHIS (Gulf & Indian Ocean Hotel Investors’ Summit), Abu Dhabi, 27-28 February 2023