Towards the end of 2018, Kerten Hospitality’s CEO, Marloes Knippenberg, was a speaker at a panel discussion at HITEC Dubai.
HITEC is a showcase of hospitality technology that has been taking place for more than 45 years. In 2017, the first Middle East edition of HITEC was held in Dubai – endorsed by Dubai Tourism. For its second edition in 2018, more than 600 hoteliers – CEOs, COOs, GMs and IT directors – met on December 5-6 at the Madinat Jumeirah. On the agenda were topics including PMS, data analytics, alternative accommodations, robots, smart hotels, and case studies from regional and international properties.
During ‘The CEO Panel’, discussion ranged around transforming hospitality businesses, how to use technology as an opportunity rather than a threat, and whether mergers & acquisitions allowed for the introduction of new strategic technologies, among other topics. Knippenberg sat on the panel with ADNH CEO Khalid Anib, Emaar Hospitality CEO Olivier Harnisch, and Time Hotels CEO Mohamed Awadalla.
Knippenberg truly values technology and its smart use in hotels – she, as well as all of Kerten Hospitality, believes that tech allows boutique and niche brand operators, quite specifically, to serve their guests better. Technology, if used correctly, can drive the new wave of responsive, guest-centric hospitality – more so than ever before – while still remaining mindful of operating costs. A supporter of early adoption of technology, Knippenberg advocated hoteliers to keep an open mind and utilize new developments to complement existing activities and drive new business.
When it comes to Kerten Hospitality, we deliver a hospitable experience – which comes from human-to-human interaction. Technology by itself is not going to drive guests into our hotels, but it’s the technology that we use to deliver the hospitality that will bring them into our doors.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our properties – we’re opening The House Hotel Jeddah in July 2019 and The House Hotel Tbilisi in September 2019.
