Issue 11 - Roger Bootle (Managing Director; Capital Economics)

The Economist

“While, in a technical sense, the recession in most countries now seems to have ended, it is unrealistic to think that this is going to feel anything like a normal recovery. At best, the world economy faces a couple of years of lacklustre growth and pretty feeble levels of job creation".

Issue 10 - Laurence Geller (President & CEO; Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc.)

A strategic owner

"Asset management is always the critical component of ownership – it is easy for operators and owners to confuse brains and a bull market and feel good about themselves in a recovery environment".

Issue 9 - Joe Sita (Chief Executive Officer; Nakheel Hotels)

Middle Eastern Flair

"Budget hotels are predominantly a yield-driven investment, whereas luxury hotels tend to be longer term, exit-driven investments".

Issue 8 - Arthur I. Segel (Professor; Harvard Business School)

An academic angle

"Investors should be able to find their 'edge' as to where and how they can add value over time".

Issue 7 - André Balazs (Hotelier; André Balazs Properties)

Boutique hotels

"The most important ingredient in any excellent hotel -regardless of price point- is the culture".

Issue 6 - Sir David Michels (European Strategist; Strategic Hotels & Resorts)

An inside look at today's hotel industry

"Upscale hotel asset values seem to always go in one direction: upwards. So far, to my knowledge, nowhere in Europe has any hotel of substance been sold for less than it was bought".

Issue 5 - Tim Lloyd-Hughes (Managing Director; European Head, Leisure, Hospitality & Gaming; Deutsche Bank)

A banker’s perspective
“Despite the difficult state of the markets, operations are still strong and the urge to consolidate remains”.

Issue 4 - Roeland Vos (President Europe, Africa & Middle East; Starwood Hotels & Resorts)

The importance of branding

"Of all the trends that we see in the upscale and luxury segments, none is more evident than the search for authenticity".

Issue 3 - Russell Kett (Managing Director, HVS International)

The hotel industry's new challenges

"The biggest difficulties that hotel owners face today is deciding when to exit their investments".

Issue 2 - Sonu Shivdasani (Chairman & CEO, Six Senses Resorts & Spas)

The rise of luxury hotels

"I am bullish about the long-term trends of luxury hotels. I can only believe that the demand for our products will continue to grow for many years to come".