A new hotel owner-operator relationship is needed to overcome the present crisis and capitalise on new opportunities in the "new normal", a hospitality industry veteran has said.

 

Participating in the recently held 16th edition of Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) that took place from September 29 to October 1, Turab Saleem, the Head of Hospitality at Al Rajhi Investments, pointed out that expecting operators to fix all challenges and have a readily available answer to problems is not a realistic expectation from owners and the same applies to operators. 

 

Both parties need to coordinate their efforts with a flexible mindset to find solutions, Saleem said heading a panel discussion on the industry perspective on the new normal.

 

“Currently, the lack of collaboration between owners and hotel operators is aggravating the situation where owners are reaching out for legal options which will not be helpful and make the situation worse. We strongly recommend that both parties work together to overcome the challenges by containing cost structure to partially offset the financial damages, enhancing sales strength, and working on developing new revenue streams”, he added.

 

Turab also stressed the importance of thinking out of the box to reset the operational standards that are sustainable and highly advantageous in the long run.

 

Turab Saleem is a hospitality industry veteran with long experience in hotel and asset management, financial analysis, and F&B management. -TradeArabia News Service