Gain valuable insights on the hospitality industry at South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (SEAHIS) 2023

The South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (SEAHIS) 2023 serves as a pivotal platform for the vibrant and rapidly evolving hospitality industry in the region. As South East Asia continues to establish itself as a top tourist destination, this summit plays a crucial role in bringing together prominent hotel investors, industry leaders, and key stakeholders to explore opportunities, share insights, and shape the future of the hospitality sector.

SEAHIS 2023 serves as a catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, enabling participants to navigate emerging trends, embrace sustainability, and leverage technology to enhance guest experiences. By fostering dialogue and strategic partnerships, SEAHIS strengthens the foundation of the hospitality industry in South East Asia, ensuring its sustained growth and competitiveness in the global market.

Travel Daily Media (TD) have spoken with Simon Allison, Chairman and CEO, HOFTEL Asia Ltd. About what participants can expect from the attending SEAHIS this year.

Travel Daily (TD): What are the key topics that will be discussed at the South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (SEAHIS) 2023?

Simon Allison (SA): Key topics to be discussed include:

• the challenge of raising debt,
• the current situation in the Vietnamese market,
• the difficulty of finding good deals to buy,
• the need to attract staff back to the sector,
• the pros and cons of outbound investment,
• the value of using innovative technologies;
• the search for ESG solutions which achieve the double bottom line of “good deeds” and “good profits”

TD: Could you provide some insights into the speakers and industry experts who will be participating in the summit?

SA: We have 106 speakers, around half from companies which own hospitality real estate; 66 of them are company owners, CEOs and other C-suite executives. Some key names are Dillip Rajakarier, Kenny Gaw, Suchad Chiaranussati, Choe Peng Sum, Amar Lalvani, Peter Ryder, Chris Hur, Barry Robinson and Elie Younes.

“One of the unique points of SEAHIS is that we don’t allow a lot of marketing “fluff” and encourage vigorous and robust discussion.”

TD: How will the summit address the current challenges and opportunities in the South East Asian hotel industry?

SA: Openly and honestly!  One of the unique points of SEAHIS is that we don’t allow a lot of marketing “fluff” and encourage vigorous and robust discussion.  There are two sessions which are structured as voting opportunities for the audience – one on the different strategies of some regional hotel funds and one on presentations by four new tech innovators.  We will also have a competitive panel on investing in NE vs SE Asia.

TD: What specific trends and innovations in the hotel sector will be explored during the event?

SA: ESG is a big issue in Europe and the US, but it is generally discussed in terms of platitudes “We must do something”.  At SEAHIS, we have a session looking at specific examples of ESG-friendly measures which also helped the financial bottom line.  We also have four new companies each outlining their technology and how it can help hotel owners – Yindii, Hosdu, Weavair and Thynk.

TD: Can you highlight any particular sessions or panel discussions that attendees can look forward to?

SA: One highlight will be: Asian Funds on the Block – where will you allocate your USD100 million where four funds will compete for a share of a theoretical USD100m investment.

Another will be: Long-distance investing by Asian groups – is it working? with David Ling, Head of Hospitality Investment, City Developments Limited (CDL), Kenneth Gaw, President & Managing Principal, Gaw Capital Partners and Amar Lalvani, Executive Chairman, Standard International

Another session will also be highly entertaining:

NE Asia or SE Asia – where should I put my money?

Moderator:

Tony Ryan, Principal, Ryan Capital Partners

Speakers:

Choe Peng Sum, CEO, Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG)

Shirley Tan, CEO, Rajawali Property Group

Toby Smith, Deputy Chairman, Swire Hotels

Suchad Chiaranussati, Chairman, SC Capital Partners Group

TD: What are the expected outcomes for attendees of SEAHIS 2023? How can they benefit from participating in this event?

SA: Our objective is always that our attendees will leave having heard new insights that will help them to drive their bottom lines, have been entertained and have made valuable new contacts.  We are the only hotel investment conference where more than half of the attendees present are in the room for the majority of the event and that is because we focus so hard on content – for last year 100% of feedback forms scored the content “good” or “excellent”.

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