Tuesday's plenary sessions concluded with the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ian Schrager, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Ian Schrager Company. On receiving his award, Schrager shared “I consider myself so incredibly lucky to be able to spend my life doing something I love”, and that he is “truly honoured” to receive the award. Schrager said he sees himself as a social scientist and “likes to get a feeling for what is in the air, capture it and build it into a hotel”. Ömer Isvan, President, Servotel Corporation, presented the award to Schrager, and asked the recipient “where is the balance between asking the guest to tell you what they want and telling them what they want?” Schrager replied that “we are a service business and the customer is king. There is a collective unconsciousness and that is what you need to tap into”. On his relationship with Marriott, Schrager said he “considers the collaboration with Marriott to be the culmination of my career. We pursue excellence, are incredibly competitive and want the best”. — Photo by Questex
17th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) — Photo by Questex

Optimism about hotel development, financing and property values prevailed among the

2,000 delegates from 73 countries who attended the 17th annual International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) , which took place last week at the InterContinental Berlin.

The positive tone was reflected in presentations by 200 speakers during the three-day

event. There was consensus that property values are increasing, banks are more willing to lend at sensible loan-to- value ratios and substantial growth in the Asia Pacific region will continue to dominate the development agenda.

Kerry Gumas, president & CEO of Questex Media Group, the conference's producer,

summed up the mood among Berlin attendees – from economists to global CEOs and at panel discussions and networking sessions – as "confidence returning to the sector."

He observed than more than 25 percent of the delegates were chairmen or chief

executives of their companies, demonstrating that IHIF "brings together the leadership of the industry."

Gumas also noted that the tourism ministers of Tanzania, Brazil and Indonesia, among

others, provided valuable insights into the appetite for investment and the respective opportunities available in these countries.

The globally acclaimed conference has long been seen as the forum where international

organizations choose to release their breaking news, and this year was no exception. Companies including InterContinental Hotels Group, Choice Hotels International, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Berwin Leighton Paisner, HVS, Christie + Co, Hilton Worldwide and JLL all released breaking news at the conference.

For example, Hilton Worldwide announced it was signing a management agreement with

First Qatar Real Estate Development Company to open the 445-room Hilton Doha The Pearl Residences in Qatar. IHG announced it was adding six new hotels to its portfolio. Staff announcements included the appointment of Andreas Scriven as international managing director for Christie + Co. JLL announced a global rebranding.

Various reports and research also were released at the event to support the opinions of

speakers and delegates including the launch of the first BLP European Hotel Market Survey and European Hotel Transactions and Valuation Index from HVS.

Multimedia partner to IHIF, Bloomberg Media, reported live from the event to its

international broadcast audience. Full details can be found on www.berlinconference.com.

The IHIF 2015 is scheduled 2-4 March 2015 in Berlin.

About Questex

Questex Hospitality Group, a division of Questex LLC, represents a senior audience of $650 billion in hotel assets, reaching one in two hotel owners and operators across the globe. With a portfolio of both media and live events, including Hospitality Investor, Annual Hotel Conference (AHC), International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF), and Resort & Residential Hospitality Forum (R&R), Questex Hospitality Group brings together leaders in hospitality investment, development and operations to make the deals that shape recovery and growth in the sector.

Emily Newman
Communications and Content Manager
+44 (0)7771 686202
Questex