The Future Hospitality Summit Returns to Saudi Arabia

Bringing together the Kingdom’s leading industry experts, the redesigned 2022 edition of the event is set to take place on 24-25 May 2022 in Riyadh

Following the success of the inaugural Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) in October 2020 with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism and the G20 Secretariat, the event will return in a new format for its second edition on 24-25 May 2022 at the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel.

Hosted by Dur Hospitality, FHS Saudi Arabia is co-organised by The Bench and MEED, along with the Saudi-based SEMARK, and will bring together government leaders, hotel investors, owners, developers, and operators to discuss the growth of the hospitality industry in the Kingdom.

“Following the resounding success and feedback we received from FHS in 2020 and AHIC in 2021, we have been working hard behind the scenes to redesign the event and we’re thrilled to bring FHS back with not just one, but two monumental and distinct programmes this year in Riyadh in May and in Dubai in September,” said Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench. 

Under the theme ‘Reimagined Horizons’ the programme for FHS Saudi Arabia will be shaped with the help of its newly launched Advisory Board comprising a carefully curated group of senior industry leaders, to ensure the programme addresses the most pressing needs of the market. Key conference themes will include the future of hotel development, human capital and food & beverage as well as the future of flight, destination investment and sustainability and innovation.

“We’re excited to have the active and high-level investment communities from both markets back together for what is promising to be an action-packed few days of content, dialogue and networking,” Worsley added. 

Commenting on the investment sentiment in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Future Hospitality Summit, Philip Wooller, Area Director Middle East & Africa at STR, said: 

“There is a palpable excitement about Saudi Arabia—not just locally, but globally. The future of Saudi Arabia is never far from the curiosity of most, and the curiosity is well-founded. Despite the challenges of the last two years, the acceleration of Saudi Arabia as both a leisure and business destination has been remarkable, and the ambitious plans laid out in Vision 2030 are on track.”

“From the giga projects of the Red Sea, Amaala and Diriyah Gate, to the sporting centre stage with Grand Prix, golf and boxing, to large-scale music events, Saudi Arabia has an exciting profile. With all of these demand drivers in the Kingdom, Saudi currently has more than 100,000 rooms in the hotel pipeline. Those rooms would represent a 55% increase in the market’s supply with the global average sitting at just 12%,” Wooller added.

FHS Saudi Arabia will take place at the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel. Ahead of the event Dur’s CEO Mr. Sultan bin Badr Al Otaibi stated: "We are honoured to continue to support events such as “Future Hospitality Summit” as bringing tourism leaders together at such a critical turning point in the industry will be beneficial to all stakeholders. Engaging with our tourism partners as we reimagine the future of hospitality, explore the opportunities and address challenges head-on through proactive knowledge and insight exchange will strengthen the Kingdom’s ability to enhance its flourishing hospitality offerings. Through the advancement of Dur’s diversified portfolio, which includes over 32 properties, plus 15 more developments to be added to the fold, we continue to contribute to growing a thriving and sustainable tourism sector by tapping into new growth areas and spreading our scope of partnerships while continuing to develop our innovative concepts and home-grown brands.”

This year, the organisers have incorporated the region's flagship hospitality investment conferences; Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC) and Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC), into the Future Hospitality Summits. Just like at every SHIC and AHIC event, FHS delegates will gain access to all the great hospitality investment sessions, C-level networking, and insights that they have become accustomed to benefiting from.

For more information on FHS Saudi Arabia and FHS Middle East please visit https://www.futurehospitalitysummit.com/

About The Bench

The Bench has established a legacy for delivering world-leading investment forums and conferences in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The key principle behind these platforms has remained ‘dealmaking’. Transforming the way business connect, Bench has developed a reputation for creating innovative and high-impact meeting spaces for the industry. 

For over two decades - government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel & tourism associations, the world’s most influential hospitality brands, hotel owners & investors, renowned restaurant groups, airlines & aviation authorities, destination developers, asset managers, financial groups and consultants – have been participating in The Bench’s events for their respective objectives. These include AHIC, AHIF, GRIF, FHS, AHF, IDEEA, AviaDev and RENEW –where industry players showcase their brands, position themselves as thought leaders or innovators, and connect with the right opportunities and knowledge. 

Learn more on thebench.com

About MEED

Launched on International Women’s Day 1957, the Middle East Economic Digest, MEED, is a well-known and trusted brand used by governments and businesses operating in the region.

Encompassing a business intelligence service, digital media, publications and events MEED provides exclusive daily news, data and analysis.  We are responsible for keeping our audiences of subscribers, registered users and event attendees informed, helping to facilitate decision making and connections.  

Our marketing solutions team provides clients with access to our audiences.  We partner with local and international companies who need to reach our high-value communities.   In consultation with our clients we utilise tried and tested methods to target and engage decision makers to announce and explain, lead and grow and to contact and convert business leaders into customers. 

MEED is wholly owned by data and intelligence company GlobalData Plc which means that our marketing solutions clients are also able to access a network of over 13m digital users per month across 18 different sectors.

FHS Saudi Arabia

Date:                            24-25 May 2022

Location:                       Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel, Riyadh, KSA

Sponsors:                     Dur Hospitality as Strategic Partner; Accor, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as Platinum Sponsors; Marriott International, NEOM and Taiba Investments as Emerald Sponsors; Aleph Hospitality, Compass Project Management Services, ENVI Lodges, The Indian Hotels Company Limited, Insignia, Keane, Knight Frank, Louvre Hotels Group, MAPAL, Sophos Hotels SA, STR and Voltere as Gold Sponsors; Deutsche Hospitality and HVS as Silver Sponsors.

FHS Middle East

Date:                            19-21 September 2022

Location:                       Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE

Sponsors:                     Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as Host Sponsor; Accor, Dur Hospitality and Hilton Hotels & Resorts as Platinum Sponsors; Marriott International, NEOM and Taiba Investments as Emerald Sponsors; Aleph Hospitality, Compass Project Management Services, ENVI Lodges, The Indian Hotels Company Limited, Insignia, Knight Frank, Louvre Hotels Group, MAPAL, STR and Voltere as Gold Sponsors; Deutsche Hospitality and HVS as Silver Sponsors.