Opportunities and pitfalls of the Southern African hotel industry will be the focus at the inaugural Tourism, Hotel Investment and Networking Conference – THINC Africa – in Cape Town from September 6-7, hosted by HVS, the global hospitality consulting and valuation firm.
HVS has stepped into the gap left by the Tourism Business Council SA when it cancelled its annual Hotel Investment Conference Africa (HICA) this year due to management restructuring. According to Tim Smith, HVS Cape Town Managing Partner, HVS is committed to hosting at least two more conferences in Cape Town and probably more elsewhere in Southern Africa thereafter. During next year’s conference, Smith plans to challenge delegates to build and run a hotel in Cape Town as part of a social responsibility project.
He says this year’s conference will focus on positives and opportunities and how to mitigate the risks of doing business in Africa.
Topics to be covered include:
- Using hotels to hedge against currency fluctuations
- Managing risks
- Opening Southern Africa to new markets
- Balancing the needs of owners and operators
- Using new technology, e.g. new in-room technology or apps to sell auxiliary hotel services.
Local and most known international hotel brands will attend the conference, including more unusual ones such as Hard Rock, which, according to Smith, intends to open a Hard Rock Café and hotel in Cape Town.
