Head of Hospitality at Al Rajhi Investments Turab Saleem has stressed the importance of an ongoing cooperation between hotel owners and operators, at the recently held Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC).
Heading a panel discussion on the industry perspective on the new normal at the 16th edition of AHIC, Saleem highlighted the need for joint efforts to overcome the current crisis and capitalise on new opportunities.
He pointed out that expecting operators to fix all challenges and have a readily available answer to problems is not a realistic expectation from owners and the same applies to operators. Both parties need to coordinate their efforts with a flexible mindset to find solutions.
“Currently, the lack of collaboration between owners and hotel operators is aggravating the situation where owners are reaching out for legal options which will not be helpful and make the situation worse. We strongly recommend that both parties work together to overcome the challenges by containing cost structure to partially offset the financial damages, enhancing sales strength, and working on developing new revenue streams,” he adds.
Turab also stressed the importance of thinking out of the box to reset operational standards which are sustainable and highly advantageous in the long run.