The second 100% Hotel Workshop Tour was successfully completed at Santorini, Mykonos and Limassol, having over 1800 attendees in 10 key-destinations in both Greece and Cyprus. The talented team of the speakers, Hotelier Academy, as well as the executives of Demand Fairs & Media, the 100% Hotel Show Host Company, critically acclaimed comments from the workshop visitors, since both the presentations and the event organization featured an international institution.
Covering a wide range of information about the development of a Boutique Hotel from its Architectural Design to its Digital Marketing, Mary Sfyraki, Zenios Zeniou, Dimitris Zelios and Yannis Koutsopoulos covered a total of 88 hours of know-how sharing, with the visitors being impressed from the really high level of information that the speakers presented. The special Set Up of the Workshop with the curation of Hotelier Academy caused a special sensation, since the interventions of Nikos S. Morandis reinforced the interactivity and understanding of the content, while the steady presence of the organizer of the Event, Dimitris Antonakos, underlined the serious investment of the 100% Hotel Show for the creation of an institution, coming to evolve the Greek Hotel Market.
With the support of the major executives of Demand Fairs & Media, such as Despina Avgoustidou and Maria Maraggianou, the exhibition gained a special exhibition sense, ensuring the parallel presence of major companies that provided solutions to the hoteliers that attended the event. The organization also had a very practical character, as Petros Dranias from Vimar, Nansy Daskalou from Scent and Vaios Blatzios from LG presented case studies throughout the Tour, while each destination had its own special guests from popular services and companies, such as IFI, Europa, WeRcom, Imperial Strom, as well as the Kypriotis company. However, the presence of Mrs Aimilia Vlami, who is responsible for the Boutique Hotel’s brand name and analyzed the data required for the certification of hotels with the new brand, was crutial.
This great production of the 100% Hotel Show, with over 30 coefficients, is the biggest action on a training level, as part of a private initiative, and is expected to be an important reference for the evolution of the Greek Hotel Market. The dates and destinations of the third 100% Hotel Workshop Tour are expected to be announced at the 100% Hotel Show which will take place in November, when the new themes of the Workshop Tour will also be revealed.
What happened in the key-destinations of Greece and Cyprus?
Starting with a special, two-day event in Athens, the 100% Hotel Workshop Tour received very positive comments, doubling its visitability relating to the first event. A special characteristic of this destination was the fact that Hoteliers from all over the country were present, while both the quality and level of investments recorded were also remarkable. Thessaloniki, having already won the impressions on the first organization, was chosen for this year for the official video of the Workshop, in the crowded room of The Met Hotel, where the interest and attendance of the visitors surpassed every expectation.
Corfu also stole impressions, as professionals and the local community embraced the institution, keeping the room crowded with professionals with a vision for the destination’s evolution. Rhodes and Santorini showed a steady interest, although they also showed that the investing mood of these destinations is in a calm state, which caused concerns for the next day. On the contrary, Kalamata stood out, with a significant turnout and interest in new investments, while Mykonos retained the title of the most sophisticated market in Greece, with the Hotel Owners surprising the audience with their upgraded questions. In both destinations of Crete, Heraklion and Chania, the hoteliers demonstrated their great love for the destination and the willingness to invest in an even greater development of the hotel product.
Being the first stop in Cyprus, Limassol has undoubtedly triggered the coefficients to consider an integrated tour in Cyprus for the following year, as the interest was particularly high and the visitors highlighted the high level of the event. At the same time, from the coefficients point of view, the sensation was caused by the high level of perception of the Cypriot public, but also by their positive willingness to improve their hotel products.
What are the trends in hotel development?
Having already got in touch with an important part of new investments, there could not be no conclusions for the evolution of the hotel market, especially in the segment of Boutique Hotels. It is now a fact that potential investors are more aware and are looking for essential methods of hotel development. Apart from Design and Architecture, which are the cornerstone of the creation in a successful hotel, significant energy is also given to the development of a strategic concept and upgrade of the experiences. Besides, the special certification mark of the HCH (Hellenic Chamber of Hotels) now requires hotels to have a distinct personality and separate stories to tell.
Although they are already the most advanced business team in Greece, hoteliers are evolving and reinforcing their role even more. They are considered to be the main supporters of the Greek economy, demonstrating that their work has now made a tangible contribution to the overall development of the country. With digital marketing being a daily tool, hoteliers are becoming active promoters of Greek Tourism, while the upgraded service is an incentive for the traveler to return and significantly boost the touristic facilities. However, the lack of an overall plan, which will help the hotelier to grow even further and enhance its overall impact on the development of the tourism industry, still remains as a matter of concern.
Lastly, although the Villas and Airbnb accommodations are an important development trend, Hoteliers, as the most experienced Tourism professionals, recover the reins, shaping the new trends in Greece’s hospitality. The next year is expected to be particularly interesting, focusing more on developing the living services and improving the Experience Design, as infrastructure has now reached a satisfactory level in several accommodations.
Who were the Contributors of the 100% Hotel Workshop Tour 2019?
