Between 15 and 17 April, more than 2,500 senior representatives from across the hospitality industry will head to Berlin for the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) EMEA 2024.
This year’s speakers include: the CEOs of IHG, Hilton and Accor as well as senior representatives from Starwood Capital, TUI Group, KSL Capital Partners, and more.
Not only will you hear from leading hotel investment executives, but the multiple networking opportunities mean you’ll be able to capitalise on the return to dealmaking we are seeing this year.
The following preview is part of a series aimed at bringing you a flavour of the conversations you can expect on stage, highlighting some of the big-picture trends and themes ahead of the event.
As the hotel industry contends with the complexities of a high-interest-rate environment, creative financing solutions and innovative investment strategies emerge as key drivers of success. From analysing past transactions to unlock future opportunities to recalibrating private equity strategies in order to thrive, industry leaders will explore the latest trends, challenges and opportunities.
Learn from the past
Hosted by Christie & Co managing director Carine Bonnejean, the 12-noon session on 16 April titled Transactions Insights: Decoding Historic Transactions for Future Investment Strategies will bridge past transaction activities with future investment approaches. With European investment volumes in 2024 expected to grow by between 15 per cent to 25 per cent compared to 2023, according to research from JLL, panellists including Trinty Investments’ Ryan Donn, Bain Capital’s Rob Mangan, Tikehau’s Xiao Sun and Moelis’ Larry Kwon will delve into lessons learned from historic transactions and how they could inform future investment decisions.
Leases
Later at 14:00, Beyond the Lease: Evolving Investment Strategies for Annuity Funds – hosted by CBRE’s Lewis Corby - will feature Deka Immobilien’s head of hotel acquisitions Frank Hildwein and Hova Hospitality’s deputy CEO Elsa Tobelem discussing how annuity funds are navigating the shift away from fixed leases.
Private equity
As many traditional lenders pulled back their lending post-Covid, and higher interest rates coupled with inflation meant raising money became trickier, in stepped private equity. It seems that higher interest rates will remain part of the story for the foreseeable future, and at the Global Investment Summit held last November, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman noted the attractiveness of Europe as an investment destination due to the impact of rising interest rates on European real estate. During the 15:15 session titled Recalibrate PE Investing for a High Interest Rate Environment, KSL Capital’s Tina Yu, Deutsche Finance’s Francesco Orofino and Shibui Partners’ George Nicholas will explore tactical approaches and innovative manoeuvres that private equity firms can implement in order to thrive.
Creative financing
Kicking off the second day, at 9:30, panellists in the session Debt Unleashed: Unlocking Opportunities with Creative Financing will explore innovative financing models and partnerships that offer a way forward beyond conventional funding methods, in an environment where buyers are having to get creative when it comes to financing acquisitions. Get valuable insights from Erste Group Bank’s Jasna Ahrer and Eastdil Secured’s managing director Stephen Morita on hoy to break free from traditional funding constraints.
Brokering success
Finally at 10:30, join brokers including Eastdil’s Paul Kapiris, Christie & Co’s Jeremy Jones, JLL’s Ana Ivanovic, CBRE’s Rob Seabrook and Cushman & Wakefield’s Frederic Le Fichoux to uncover how to deploy creative approaches to navigate challenges, uncover opportunities, and facilitate successful transactions.
If you still haven’t registered for IHIF EMEA yet, you can do so here. You can also view the latest programme, here.