SAN future plans – leading and reflecting the industry’s growth

Industry Leading Events
Fresh from the success of the 2015 Serviced Apartment Summit in London – an event which attracted delegates from more than 20 countries around the globe – we have been asked by industry leaders to launch the Serviced Apartment Summit inc Extended Stay MEA (Dubai, October 26 and 27) and Serviced Apartment Summit Americas (New York, April 2016). Having events in each of the three leading global hubs for corporate business and international travel – not to mention thriving and established serviced accommodation markets – will give us an invaluable opportunity to offer delegates learning opportunities on a granular and local, as well as a global scale, while providing an unrivalled new business and networking platform.
 
The conference and exhibitions, and special events also gives the industry a great opportunity to focus attention on our sector and promote it as it matures in to a mainstream element of the hospitality industry – a good example of this was the free to attend Future of Hospitality session we hosted at London’s flagship Apple Retail store. Another being our SAS2015 keynote speaker, British Hospitality Association CEO Ufi Ibrahim. The conference gave delegates the chance for direct contact with Ufi, arguably the most effective and well-connected lobbyist for the industry in the UK.
 
Serviced Apartment Charter
The serviced apartment sector definitions charter, which Serviced Apartment News spearheads, continues to go from strength to strength. It now has more than 30 signatories, including many of the biggest operators in the world, such as Marriott Extended Stay, Adagio Aparthotels, Oakwood Worldwide, BridgeStreet Global Hospitality, The Ascott Ltd, Frasers Hospitality, SACO and Churchill Living. Between them, these companies make up a large proportion of the serviced apartment and extended stay sector worldwide with well over 250,000 units under operation between them. If your company supports the definitions and would like to join the brands featured, simply email info@servicedapartmentnews.com and we will do the rest.
 
The Serviced Apartment News website will continue to be the first to bring you all the key developments in the sector, with an added emphasis on analysis of the news, industry comment and guest contributions from business and leisure travel leaders. As the sector grows, so will the volume and breadth of our coverage, giving the industry an up-to-the-minute dedicated information hub. Our weekly e-newsletter has become a staple for many in the sector – borne out by its exceptional open and click-through rates (take note PR agencies and advertisers).
 
Join our no-cost industry events (limited spaces only)
The next few months will see more exciting new initiatives and the continuation of some established ones.
 
Investor Breakfasts
Our successful series of investor breakfasts – where we bring together owners and operators with top-tier private equity investors, fund managers, banks and family offices – will continue to facilitate major transactions. The next event will feature lots of fresh faces at Colliers International’s London headquarters on September 7. Email info@servicedapartmentnews.comfor more details.
 
As the serviced apartment and aparthotel sector matures, having more information and data on every facet of the industry will be key to helping your company make better, more informed decisions, together with raising consumer and investor awareness.
 
Digital Marketing Benchmark Report
We are involved in a number of research and benchmarking initiatives, the results of which will be available in September. In conjunction with the Travel Intelligence Network, ReviewPro and HubSpot, we have produced a benchmarking report in to how serviced apartment operators are performing in the fields of social media, guest engagement, reputation management and digital marketing. The findings will be announced and discussed at a round table event at the IDeaS Innovations lab in London on September 7. Invited guests are travel buyers, TMC’s, RMC’s, specialist agents, marketers, owners, operators, press and decision makers, plus media. Email info@servicedapartmentnews.com for more details.
 
IHM Hospitality Mash Up
And our parent company International Hospitality Media – having noted the increasing blurring of the lines between traditional hospitality offerings – is launching a series of events to bring together leaders from serviced apartments, boutique and lifestyle hotels, hostels and budget hotels, and vacation rental an informal networking environment. The first IHM Hospitality Mash-Up #IHMMashup takes place in London in September.
 
Looking Forward
As if September wasn’t busy enough already, it will also see the launch of another major industry initiative from Serviced Apartment News – watch this space!
 
When we launched Serviced Apartment News in 2013, the UK serviced apartment sector was a fledgling industry with no collective website, free-to-subscribe e-newsletter or conference and exhibition that everybody could participate within and truly bring the sector together and move forward.
 
Things have come a long way for us and the industry since then, and we are proud to be at the forefront of the sector’s growth, both shaping it and reporting on it.
 
We would like to say thanks to those that have supported the journey so far, there’s lots planned ahead and trust your business is seeing the benefit of all the initiatives we are helping drive forward in the UK, Europe and further afield – never has business been more global.

If you have new ideas, feedback and suggestions or are simply interested in your company becoming more involved email info@servicedapartmentnews.com or call +44 (0)20 8340 7989.
 
The industry can be proud of its development and evolution, but it is important that none of us rest on our laurels and continue to promote the sector as widely as possible – we should be under no illusions about the task we face when it comes to educating the consumer, as you will see if you click on the image below. We took our video camera on to the streets of London to ask the public the simple question: “What is a serviced apartment?” The results were fascinating, and highlight some of the challenges our industry faces.
 
See you at a Serviced Apartment News event soon!

George Sell, editor, Serviced Apartment News
george@servicedapartmentnews.com