HALA MATAR CHOUFANY

President

HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia

halamatarchoufany

Helping clients

Our key role as specialized consultants with extensive experience in the industry is to advise and work with our clients to develop and operate financially viable and long-term sustainable hospitality schemes. Our advisory work ranges from feasibility studies when planning to build or buy a property, selecting and appointing a suitable operator, advising on operating model or exit strategy, value engineering projects and asset optimization — and everything in between. We offer a wealth of hospitality intelligence, expertise, global reach and local market understanding to help our clients achieve the best results. We are comprehensive in our solutions but targeted in our focus.

Homegrown concepts

There has been strong recovery in most markets, particularly in the GCC, which has been stimulated by a number of world-class events and supported by significant public investments. The noticeable change in the hospitality arena is the growth of homegrown brands, accelerated adoption and acceptance of the shared economy and the impact of travelers’ preferences on how operators and developers are building and managing the guest experience. Transformation in the hotel industry is visible in the way in which hotels are being designed and built, the emergence of new brands and operating models, the adoption of sustainable solutions and differentiation in the hospitality offering.

Leisure tourism growth

The geo-political and economic slowdown will undoubtedly challenge the travel industry, as inflation and an increase in fuel prices continue to impact the sector unfavorably. Markets that have a large share of domestic and regional tourism will continue to register growth and enjoy stronger recovery/ stability than those that are primarily reliant on international markets. Leisure, experiential and religious tourism are likely to achieve stronger growth compared to the commercial and meetings segment.

With rising costs and subdued rate increases, hotel operators will once again revisit their cost base and operational expenses in order to preserve their profitability margins. This will, in turn, result in further innovation and a redesign of the hospitality industry.