London: Organised by corporate accommodation provider AltoVita and hosted at Ham Yard Hotel, The Altos 2024 took place last week and explored the current and future corporate accommodation landscape.
This year’s Altos featured panel discussions, presentations, and an awards ceremony, supported by SAN and sister website Urban Living News.
Radhika Gorsia, account executive at Aries, highlighted a 20-25 per cent uplift in existing and new clients wanting to relocate in the Middle East. Rick Schultheis, area director of sales at Rotana, added that he expects rates to remain high over the next few years, though incoming supply will shift the needle. For example, the UAE will add 23,000 bedrooms by 2030.
Schultheis added that a wider mix of accommodation types, from full to limited service across hotels and apartments, is necessary to keep pace with demand.
In a fireside chat with Karen FitzGerald, director of global mobility at NBCUniversal, she talked about shifting the company’s strategy towards preferred properties as opposed to preferred suppliers. In the four main areas where NBC typically works (London, New York, LA and Miami), FitzGerald mocked up a list of preferred properties that sit within a certain distance and price point, and which meet NBC standards. Creating a portfolio of properties as such helps to streamline future vetting.
FitzGerald advocates transparency, communication and trust as being the foundations of a successful partnership.
Once the panel discussions and product demos wrapped up, the evening finished with an award ceremony. All winners of The Altos 2024 are included below:
• Best Interior Design – Wilde Aparthotels, London, Liverpool Street
• Most Innovative Use of Technology – Charles Hope Apartments
• Excellence in Safety & Security – Premier Suites
• Best Sustainability Initiative – aparthotel Birmingham
• Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative – Charles Hope Apartments
• Best Hospitality Operator (Europe) – Homenhancement
• Best Hospitality Operator (Middle East & Africa) – The Ascott
• Best Hospitality Operator (North America / LATAM) – AptsLatam
• Best Hospitality Operator (APAC) – Frasers Hospitality
• Special Award – Customer Success Champions – Viridian Apartments and Rotana
• Rising Star – Kate Draper, global key account manager at Staycity
