Record Attendance at Berlin Hotel Investment Conference
The 6th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) held March 11-13, 2003 in Berlin drew a record number of delegates, according to Jonathan Worsley of Insignia Hotels, one of the event's co-hosts. "There was a real air of anticipation at this year's IHIF, given the turbulent times affecting travel and tourism. However, hotel industry leaders came to IHIF in record numbers, despite gloomy forecasts from many industry analysts", Worsley said.
In a pre-conference survey, delegates were polled on their outlook for the hotel/tourism industry. Results showed that 67 percent believe there will be less new construction in 2003 versus 2002; 52 percent believe there will be more portfolio transactions and 47 percent believe there will be more sale and leasebacks. Delegates chose Poland, Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic as the top four countries where demand for economy lodging will grow most during the next three years. Co-host Jim Burba, President of Burba Hotel Network (BHN) stated, "These survey results reflect the cautious mood in the capital markets regarding new development and the belief that many hospitality companies might actually be good acquisitions today, the later view validating the underlying belief in the long term prospects in the industry."
IHIF has become the largest and most important annual gathering of top hotel and tourism industry executives. The event covers three days and is held immediately after ITB, the massive hospitality travel trade show in Berlin, Germany. Additional information about IHIF is available at
BHN brings together nearly two decades of experience in developing the world's most prominent gatherings of the hotel and tourism investment community, including the annual Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference, the annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong and the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles, California.
Insignia Hotels, a member of the Insignia Financial Group, is the world's leading full service real estate group focused exclusively on the hospitality industry. Insignia Hotels specialises in investment, financing, development, asset management, valuation and building consultancy of hotels. The team at Insignia Hotels is a unique mixture of transaction, operational and consultancy specialists - with a range of contacts unrivalled in the hotel industry.
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