Hilton Regional Director of Sales for North Africa and the Levant: non-traditional tourism types should be promoted, with a focus on the type of tourist and diversity of source markets
Tourism is one of the sectors most in need of workers, yet no one wants to work in it
General Manager of Cairo Marriott Hotel: the culture of dealing with tourists is not only inside hotels; it must be spread starting from the home and through schools and the media
Accor Vice President of Development for the Middle East and Africa: more 4- and 3-star hotels should be built to attract different segments of tourists
Head of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council: exporting Egyptian furniture to hotels in Europe, the US, Canada and the Gulf is a key market
CEO of ACT: using technology in hotel services helps satisfy guests and is not a substitute for workers
Under the title “From Hotel Operations to Stimulating Demand: Innovation, Talent and Local Industry Integration”, the second session of the “500KR” Hospitality Conference discussed the labor shortage crisis in hotels, the extent to which hotel projects rely on local industry for their fit-out, and the role of international hotel chains in Egypt in promoting different tourism types and attracting different segments of tourists. The session was moderated by Ghada Shalaby, former Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
In this context, Anne Marie Aucouturier, Regional Director of Sales for North Africa and the Levant at Hilton, spoke about the importance of promoting different tourism types alongside traditional ones, such as conference and sports tourism, to benefit from the urban boom in Egypt, stressing the need to focus on the type of tourist and diversify target tourist markets. She noted the importance of domestic tourism, which is one of Hilton's goals in Egypt.
She addressed the importance of the human element in hotels, noting that tourism is one of the sectors most in need of workers, yet no one wants to work in it, creating a gap between opportunities and demand.
The Hilton Regional Director of Sales for North Africa and the Levant stressed that repeat guests are one of the most important success factors for international hotel chains in any tourist destination, especially Egypt, as they are keen to try the group's hotels in every tourist city, expecting the same quality of service and an enjoyable experience.
For his part, Tarek Mourad, General Manager of Cairo Marriott Hotel, said hospitality is the easiest job, noting that everyone practices its skills at home, as any guest entering a home receives a warm welcome and hospitality, a clean, well-prepared place and high-quality food, “and yet we make things difficult”, adding that the hospitality sector in Egypt has great potential to achieve the best.
Mourad explained that the culture of dealing with tourists is not only inside hotels but outside them too, and must be spread starting from the home, through education in schools, the media and awareness campaigns launched by the bodies overseeing the tourism sector.
The General Manager of Cairo Marriott Hotel stressed the need to value workers by giving them appropriate salaries that meet their needs, which will be reflected in their efficiency at work and how well they treat tourists.
On the other hand, Islam Samad, Vice President of Development for the Middle East and Africa at Accor, said there are areas in Egypt lacking hotel investment, and hotel categories should be diversified by expanding the construction of 4- and 3-star hotels to attract different segments of tourists, which will create an environment that stimulates local industry to increase its activity to meet the requirements of new hotel projects for the necessary fit-out according to the standards of each category.
In a related context, Ehab Darias, Head of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council, stressed the quality of Egyptian furniture, which is in strong demand in foreign markets, noting that Egyptian furniture is exported to hotels in Europe, the US and Canada, as well as the Gulf states, which are among the largest markets.
He added that all hotels with international brands furnish their properties from Egyptian factories, stressing that Egyptian factories have the experience, quality and price competitiveness to cover hotel demand in light of the state's plan to reach 500,000 rooms, explaining that furniture factories do not only cater to luxury 5-star hotels, but there are also factories targeting other categories.
On the role of technology in developing service levels, Mohamed Tawfik, CEO of ACT Technology, said using modern technologies in hotel services or management helps satisfy guests and maintain communication with them, while stressing the importance of the human element, as hospitality is based mainly on human interaction; technology helps development and attracts more workers, but is not a substitute for them.
This came on the sidelines of the “500KR Hospitality” conference, which runs until 13 May under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, organized by Events and Horouf Group, alongside the 12th edition of the Cafex & Hotelier Expo.
