NZ Hotel Conference attracts big name international speakers

NZ Hotel Conference attracts big name international speakers

New Zealand’s hotel sector will get a scorecard on its performance and what it could be doing better from a Fortune 500 company and one of the biggest players in the international hotel business at the 2015 New Zealand Hotel Conference.

Christopher Hur, Vice President Host Hotels & Resorts which owns over 140 hotels worldwide, is responsible for hotel investment acquisitions and development activities across the Asia-Pacific region.

“Christopher will provide a fascinating insight into Host’s experience in New Zealand over the past four years and analysis of the sector’s performance, including the challenges and opportunities and how hotels could do better,” says Sally Attfield, Hotel Sector Manager at the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), which co-hosts the annual conference with Horwath HTL. He will also take part in a panel discussion on hotel investment.

Craig Collins from Jones Lang, Sydney, part of the world’s largest specialist hotel broker firm, will speak about hotel investment trends and the outlook globally and across the Asia Pacific region.

“Craig is the CEO Australasia, Hotels & Hospitality Group. He will also provide advice on how hotel investors can maximise value throughout the highs and low of the investment cycle,” says Ms Attfield.

Stephen Hamilton, Horwath HTL Director, says Craig’s presentation will be followed by a panel of hotel sales experts discussing opportunities for New Zealand hotel owners and investors.

“This session will be chaired by Stephen Burt, Managing Director, Hotels Asia Pacific at Colliers International, a global real estate success story,” Mr Hamilton says.

“Based in Sydney, Stephen was previously CEO of Mirvac Hotels & Resorts, operating 45 hotels throughout Australia and New Zealand. He has also managed a number of hotel funds with property assets valued in excess of $1 billion.”

Ms Attfield says this year’s reinvigorated conference programme also features some thought-provoking New Zealand speakers.

“We are anticipating a very entertaining and innovative presentation from futurist Dave Wilde of Smith & Wilde. Dave helps leaders and teams achieve more through greater imagination and faster action. He’ll highlight relevant megatrends across visitor markets and will speak about hotel guest behaviour, including booking trends and guest expectations.”

New Zealand’s hotel sector is experiencing a very positive run, and more than 250 delegates representing all parts of the sector are expected to attend the 2015 conference to find new ways to keep that positive momentum going.

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