Global Hotel Alliance Stages Hotel CEO Conference In South Africa For The First Time; Highlights Upbeat Global Outlook And Trends For 2023

Wednesday, Apr 12, 2023 0

• South Africa selected following Sun International joining GHA in 2022
• Conference to highlight key trends influencing traveller mindsets in 2023
• GHA to reveal positive Q1 results with room revenue and room nights back to 2019 levels
• GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme has seen 79% hike in members from Africa since end of 2019

UAE–headquartered Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotels brands, is staging its annual CEO conference in South Africa for the first time, with the leaders of its 40 hotel brands representing 800 hotels in 100 countries gathering at Sun International’s The Table Bay Hotel from April 12th to 14th to discuss the positive global travel industry outlook in 2023.

The host location was selected after Sun International, headquartered in Johannesburg, and one of South Africa’s largest gaming and hospitality groups, joined GHA in 2022, providing the 24 million members of the GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme expanded choice on the African continent, where today, GHA hotel brands operate 7,364 rooms across 57 hotels. Sun International’s portfolio enhanced the offering adding the flagship Sun City Resort, including The Palace of the Lost City, as well as leading luxury and lifestyle hotels such as The Table Bay in Cape Town and The Maslow Sandton, Johannesburg.

Graham Wood, COO of Sun International, said: “It is a privilege to host GHA’s hotel brand CEOs in South Africa and be part of the conversation highlighting global trends and performance in 2023. Since joining GHA, we have benefitted from the marketing and distribution power of GHA DISCOVERY, which has delivered an increase in business to our properties from new and existing markets, and from other GHA hotel brands, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead, as travel’s rebound accelerates.”

Q1 research conducted by GHA in 94 global markets has revealed four major trends influencing traveller mindsets in 2023, details of which CEO Chris Hartley will share and discuss with hotel brand CEOs in depth at this month’s conference to collectively identify the opportunities they present.

The research found consumers are increasingly making travel decisions based on new inspiration sources, such as TV series or social media while blended travel, such as remote work or tagging holidays onto business trips, is a trend that is here to stay. Against a backdrop of rising inflation, travellers want to make the most of their trips and expect quality in return for rising prices. Since the pandemic, there has been growth in celebratory trips and people are looking to make up for lost time with trips that will create moments and memories for themselves, with friends or with family members. New leisure travel genres are emerging too, from trips with positive impact and sabbaticals to subscription models, with consumers willing to pay for exclusive hotel benefits.

GHA’s CEO conference also reflected on the alliance’s bullish Q1 performance, with repeat–stay room revenue and room nights across now back to 2019 levels. International stays grew strongly from November 2022 onwards, with destinations leading the strong recovery in room revenue into Q1 2023 including Thailand, Maldives and the Caribbean. In terms of domestic and international stay room revenue, Thailand leads again followed by the UAE, Spain, Maldives and Singapore respectively.

Total GHA DISCOVERY revenue was over US$550 million in Q1, while cross–brand revenue hit US$61 million and is forecast to reach $260 million by the end of the year, up from $168 million in 2022.The success of GHA DISCOVERY’s digital rewards currency, DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), whereby members can earn D$ for their spend across the GHA network, to use on their next stay at any GHA hotel, has been a key growth driver, with GHA research revealing the most common occasion for using D$ is towards a holiday.

“Building on GHA’s stellar performance in 2022, the outlook for 2023 is even stronger, with Q1 figures revealing growth beyond pre–pandemic levels as travel demand accelerates and GHA DISCOVERY members fully leverage the loyalty programme’s many benefits across our growing portfolio of hotels,” said GHA CEO Chris Hartley.

There are opportunities for GHA DISCOVERY to tap into new travel trends deliver more business to our hotels, and it is always a pleasure to discuss this evolving hospitality landscape with our CEOs, who are some of the most respected leaders in the global hospitality sector.

He added: “With Africa being a key growth market for GHA, and now that Sun International is part of the alliance, it is fitting that we stage our event in South Africa to bring the potential of this region into focus.”

GHA DISCOVERY membership in South Africa has increased significantly since Sun International joined GHA, with numbers up 79% since the end of 2019. The top five member source markets for GHA properties in Africa are the US, South Africa, the UK, France and Russia.