Hotel Franchising Webinar Report - is a hotel franchise worth having?

EP, together with our friends from Bird & Bird, HVS, and AlixPartners were delighted to host the 8th webinar in the series where the topic in discussion was on the world of Hotel Franchising and whether a hotel franchise worth having?Almost 300 attendees logged on to hear Chris Sheppardson, Founder of EP set the scene for the webinar discussion and expand on the current feeling in the market. Thereafter Partner and Co-Head of Bird & Bird’s international Franchising group, Graeme Payne, provided a great overview of hot topics and themes in the franchise world, including:• Territories seeing or predicting a spike in franchising, • major markets that have introduced new franchise laws in the last 12 months and • those that will do so in the next 12 months and a summary of key topics arising in franchise negotiations. This was followed by an insightful presentation from the CEO of HOFTEL, the association of hotel owners and franchisees, Simon Allison, asking whether franchising is the way forward for hotel owners:• Most owners like the idea of brands – but few of them like the standard HMA structure• Franchising has emerged as a strong alternative, both for self-managed and white-label operated hotels• Owners need to be aware that there are still issues to overcome in getting this to work for themRussell Kett, Chairman of HVS London moderated an interesting panel made up of industry experts drawn from hotel owners, operators, investors, brands and distribution agencies on the The Pros and Cons of Hotel Franchising.The webinar and the highlights where then summarized by Graeme Smith, MD at AlixPartners bringing a very interesting and insightful webinar to a close. A definite must watch.