The year 2023 is certainly looking bright for the hospitality industry, particularly in the Middle East. According to hospitality market research firm STR, Africa and the Middle East were the only global regions to display increased overall hotel pipeline activity by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. In key areas like Dubai, there’s been impressive growth in hotel and holiday home occupancies, as well as progress in construction plans for more luxury hospitality developments throughout the region.
Here are remarkable figures to consider:
- Construction activity is highest regionally in Saudi Arabia (where 40,742 new rooms are being built) and in the UAE (27,456 rooms).
- These construction projects are spurred on by the UN’s World Tourism Organization reports that the Middle East recorded the strongest growth in terms of international arrivals in 2022 (83%) compared to pre-pandemic figures.
- Loyalty travel program Mariott Bonvoy expects travellers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to spend more holidays in 2023. 93% of travellers from both markets plan to go away, and more than two-thirds from each market (Saudi Arabia 66%, UAE 69%) look forward to going on more breaks this year compared to 2022.
- Mostly, this increase in spending and trips stems from greater confidence that 2023 holiday plans will not be impacted by COVID-19. Trips that focus on well-being are expected to be the predominant type of holidaymaking for most Middle Eastern travellers.
From these reports, the Middle East’s hospitality sector is expected to demonstrate further and lively growth in the coming months.
What This Industry Growth Has Inspired
For professionals and companies looking to secure a place in the hospitality industry, right now is a great time to build a brand, understand the market, and beef up their knowledge and expertise to become formidable players in the industry.
Attending well-established hospitality events is an excellent way for hospitality professionals in the Middle East and across the globe to gain valuable education from experts, network with top suppliers, and stay up-to-date on the latest innovations and global developments in the industry that could help move their business forward.
From such a highly regarded exhibition, participants will learn more about critical technological innovations that are helping to inspire new ideas and positively transform the hospitality industry.
Here are examples of trends that hospitality businesses and professionals in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world can discover.
5 Technology Trends That Are Changing the Hospitality Industry
1. Expect smart front desks utilising contactless and mobile tech
Contactless or digital transactions emerged during the global pandemic and are here to stay thanks to their safety and security provisions as well as ease and speed of use.
Look forward to more establishments continuing to offer and improving on solutions such as self-check-in options, EPOS systems, QR code scanning, and booking software. There are also options for personalising room service, further accelerating check-in and check-out processes, and using mobile apps to enable digital access control of room doors.
2. Enjoy a seamless mix of business and pleasure travel arrangements
Hotels may soon be upgrading their room structures and designs to accommodate a growing number of travellers who plan to integrate leisure activities into their business trips. That could mean building rooms or non-room spaces now fitted with workspaces, meeting areas, charging docks and more in addition to the standard facilities.
3. Experience improved services thanks to Artificial Intelligence
What can’t AI do? For the hospitality industry, chatbots can provide early morning wake-up calls. More complex applications include establishments using AI-powered analytics to track and predict future customer behaviours. In the future, there may very well be robot receptionists attending to guests and performing other routine tasks.
4. Discover more ethical labour practices
In the last few years, hospitality employers found more workers resigning due to underpaid labour and burnout. This year and in the future, hospitality businesses can turn to technology to restructure their staff management policies and devise strategies to help employees focus more on and function better in their roles.
For example, automated solutions can take over routine tasks and thus enable employees to take on roles that require human intelligence and skills. Cloud platforms can be used to help employees stay on top of their duties and avoid overwork. Digital safety solutions such as panic buttons and employee safety devices can increase staff safety and welfare.
5. Be assured of greener hospitality operations
Hospitality establishments may be better able to improve on sustainability shortly. For example, cloud-based platforms can reduce energy or resource wastage in small and big hotels. Mobile applications and devices can be designed to track a venue’s carbon footprints to align with sustainability goals.
The hospitality industry in the Middle East is experiencing a promising rebirth, with travellers from all over the world regaining a healthy appetite for travel and leisure now that there is a decreased risk of COVID-19 disrupting their trips. Hospitality professionals must be ready to adapt to the growing demand and adopt technologies that can usher their businesses into a brighter tomorrow for the sector.
