The International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) 2022 saw an increase in event revenue, sponsorship and new delegates compared to IHIF 2019, its owner Questex has reported.
More than 2,400 forward-thinking hospitality professionals, including investors, owners and developers, who represented more than $500 billion in hotel assets under management, gathered for the event in Berlin last month (3-5 May).
The 2022 event included 67% more investors and 33% new delegates than IHIF 2019, while IHIF 2022 sponsors included the world’s largest and leading hotel companies such as Marriott, Jin Jiang, Hilton, IHG, Wyndham and Accor, which collectively brand over 50% of global hotel supply.
Delegates attending IHIF 2022 described it as ‘the best hotel conference in Europe, probably in the world’ and said it attracted ‘everyone you could possibly need to know in the hospitality industry under one roof.’
The appeal and relevance of IHIF for the largest global players in hotel capital markets can also be demonstrated by the following:
- The top 10 investors by European hotel assets under management, equivalent to around $39.29 billion in value, were all present at IHIF and despite a slowdown in the capital markets because of the pandemic, have acquired $3.65 billion of hotel stock in the European region over the last 24 months.
- The top 35 hotel investors at IHIF, by European AUM ($67.28 billion) have acquired $7.6 billion of hotel stock and have sold stock to the value of $2.84 billion in the last 24 months. Collectively, they own 2,300 hotels in the European region.
Alexi Khajavi, Group President, Questex said, “IHIF is more than just a three-day forum. It’s a touchstone for the best and brightest in hospitality investment, operations and development to convene, connect and do business. Every industry needs that opportunity and we’re proud that IHIF is the platform for the hospitality sector to gather in spite of the challenges the sector has faced the past two years.”
The 25th edition of IHIF will take place in Berlin on 15-17 May 2023.