Karina Elias (left) and Sigurdur Thorsteinsson.
Plus, development roundtable hosts announced.
Sleep & Eat, Europe’s leading event for innovation and design in hospitality, has just announced more Conference speakers as well as the hosts of its Development Roundtables, all leaders and influencers in the front line of the industry.
Christoph Hoffmann, CEO of 25 Hours Hotels, will open the second day of the Conference, completing the line-up of keynotes which also includes Amar Lalvani of Standard International and Josh Wyatt from NeueHouse. Five years ago, when 25Hours was just six properties strong, Christoph Hoffmann, the visionary behind the ground-breaking concept, was adamant about two things – having fun and creating a powerful brand rather than a hotel chain. In his presentation, the charismatic CEO will discuss the ups and downs of his journey since then, capturing moments of joy from tales of wonder and fantasy, and considering if and how expansion, moving beyond European borders and partnering with Accor has affected the core essence of 25Hours.
Karina Elias, Director of F&B at The Langham Hotel, is the latest panellist to join ‘Bedrooms are Boring’ set to reveal hot new concepts in restaurant and bars and ask what food and drink related experiences, other than social excitement and post-worthy content, hotels can offer to entice the modern traveller. Karina’s fellow speakers will be Anurag Bali, Assistant Vice President at Shangri-La International, Lydia Forte, Group Director of F&B at Rocco Forte Hotels, and Gustaf Pilebjer, Director of F&B at Marriott International.
Guilt Free Experiences on day two will be a debate for our times when it’s hard to find a hotel brand without sustainability among its values. The speakers, Jonathan Ashmore, Founder and Director of ANARCHITECT, Callie Tedder-Hares, Founder of Volume, James Dilley of Jestico + Whiles and Sigurdur Thorsteinsson from Design Group Italia, will be asked to suggest what defines a true eco-hotel and whether luxury hospitality with its associated price tag can ever truly be a guilt-free experience.
Other panels include a view from the operators in ‘People Driven vs Data Driven’ and ‘A Holistic Answer to Urban Living’ – a discussion among leading international designers on the power of hospitality design to combat loneliness and modern urban isolation whilst considering the well-being of the residents. The six Sleep & Eat Set designers will also be taking to the stage to shine a light on their response to this year’s theme “Social FlexAbility” and explain how the potential of hospitality design to overcome social isolation has been translated into their concept room installations. Expect fascinating insights from Maria Tibblin & Co, NAME Architecture, twenty2degrees, Miaja Design Group, SpaceInvader, and Hat Design.
The Development Roundtables, one of the most eagerly anticipated features of Sleep & Eat, will be returning this year to offer new opportunities for delegates to talk directly with decision makers at the forefront of our evolving industry – developers, operators and industry consultants – and learn about the challenges and opportunities in the hospitality marketplace.
Table hosts will be Laura Brinkman, Vice President at Brookfield; Philip Camble, Director at Whitebridge Hospitality; Maria Adamo, Global Development Manager at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; Irene Hoek, Vice President of Global Residential Development at Rosewood Hotels;
Charles Cresser, Development Director at SACO; Richard Fewings, Senior Vice President of Design & Construction at Highgate; Alex Phillips, Property Director of GLH Hotels; Elena Sainz De La Pena, Business Development Director at CBRE Spain; and Philip Lassman, Accor’s VP Development North Europe.
Organised and moderated by Daniel Englender, Managing Director of Benjamin West, the Development Roundtables will take place at 17:00 on 19th November in the Conference hall. Spaces are limited, so be sure to get there early!
Sleep & Eat will be open from 10.00 – 20.30 on 19th November (late evening networking 18.00 – 20.30) and 10.00 – 18.00 on 20th November at London Olympia. Both the Conference and the Development Roundtables are free to attend.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
