China Cities Vie for IH&RA’s 2005 Congress

AS the stage is set for the IH&RA’s (International Hotel & Restaurant Association) 2004 Annual Congress in Istanbul next month, HOTEL Asia Pacific has learned that several Chinese cities, including Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, are in a fierce bidding match to host next year’s event as the country’s hotel industry goes into overdrive.

Although IH&RA officials have still to make a final decision on next year’s venue, China’s hotel leaders are pulling out all the stops to bring the high-profile event to the country, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Although the IH&RA initially encountered some logistical obstacles in bringing the annual event to China, CEO Alain-Philippe Feutré is expected to announce shortly which Chinese city will host the 42nd Annual Congress following individual discussions with IH&RA members the China Tourist Hotels Association, the China Hospitality Association and the Hong Kong Hotels Association.

Meanwhile, the battle for supremacy between hotel groups and third-party online booking merchants will take centre stage at this year’s Annual Congress, which takes place in Istanbul from 19-22 November under the theme, “Building Business – Building Partnerships”.

A session entitled, “Point-Counterpoint: 3rd-party channels vs on-line direct – Partners or enemies?” will pitch top executives from InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton International, Le Meridien and Jumeirah International against their counterparts at Expedia, Hotels.com and Priceline.

As the hotel industry struggles to get to grips with the explosive growth in internet bookings, the session promises to clear some of the confusion surrounding the crucial issue of how hoteliers and online merchants can work together to their mutual benefit. This will be the first time such a high-profile panel has sat down to discuss the subject, and the points raised could have a lasting – and drastic - effect on the future of the hotel industry worldwide.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou , Chairman & Founder of EasyGroup – whose revolutionary brands include Easy Hotel – will give the keynote speech on how to remain competitive in today’s volatile and rapidly evolving tourism industry, challenging current business models and partnerships with airlines, tour operators, travel agents and e-distribution channels.

Other key presentations include: Travel Trends- Getting the Picture; The Travellers: Getting Them In Focus; The Changing Role of Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Airlines; Staying Ahead – Changing Hotel Product; Staying For A Bite – Changing Restaurant Product; Staying On The Job – Changing Attitudes to Work and Play; Staying On Top – Developing New Markets; Independents vs Branded – Has online marketing really created a level playing field?; and The Future of the Hospitality & Travel Industry.

Note: Additional information on the 2004 Annual Congress in Istanbul is available on the website:

Note: - IH&RA, the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (www.ih-ra.com), is the only global business organisation representing the hospitality industry worldwide. Its members are national hotel and restaurant associations throughout the world, and international and national hotel and restaurant chains representing some 50 brands. Officially recognised by the United Nations, the IH&RA monitors and lobbies all international agencies on behalf of this industry estimated to comprise 300,000 hotels and 8 million restaurants, employ 60 million people and contribute US$950 billion annually to the global economy.

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