In conversation with Manav Thadani – Founder Chairman, Hotelivate

The Hotel Investment Conference – South Asia (HICSA) is in its 19^th year now. How do you think HICSA has evolved over almost two decades?

I think initially, it began as a platform primarily focused on networking and discussions around hotel investments in South Asia. However, as the hospitality landscape evolved dynamically, so did HICSA.  It is now more of a global platform that apart from networking, also delves into investment opportunities and addresses a wide array of pivotal aspects crucial to the hospitality industry’s growth in South Asia, bringing together the brightest minds in the industry, all under one roof.

A theme provides a central idea or concept around which all elements of the event can revolve. Does HICSA 2024 have a theme?

Yes, absolutely! We started the concept of having a central theme two years ago and I think It helps in organizing and structuring the event, ensuring that all components are relevant, aligned and coherent, keeping in mind the current hospitality scape. The theme for HICSA 2024 is “Savouring South Asia: Innovations in Food Tech and Design” which aims at unlocking the potential of South Asia’s culinary future and create a sustainable, delightful, and technologically advanced hospitality ecosystem.  

HICSA has its own reputation and one of the things often talked about are the “HICSA Experiences”. What are they this year?

This year we have a few experiences finalised but we are still 4-5 months away, so who knows, there may be more! As of now we have:

• The Golf Round and Lunch
• The Owners Only Workshop
• The Culinary Carnival

Could you elaborate on the concept of the ‘Culinary Carnival’? It sounds intriguing and engaging. I’m curious to know more about what this entails.

The first full day of conference will culminate into the Culinary Carnival – a celebration of gastronomy, bringing together talented chefs, artisanal food vendors, and passionate hoteliers on Wednesday, 3 April 2024 at the JW Marriott Bengaluru Golfshire Resort and Spa. At the Culinary Carnival, you can expect a diverse and mouth-watering array of dishes from your favourite restaurants across India like ITC Hotels will showcase food from Dumpukht, Leela will have a station for Le Cirque, Marriott will do Asian from their signature restaurant East, IHG will showcase Mediterranean food from their Glass Kitchen & Bar, INJA will do Indo-Japanese fusion – to name a few. From street food classics to gourmet delicacies, there will be something for every palate and will be open for all for dinner, as a part of the conference main agenda.

Owners’ Only Meet – does that mean it’s not open to everyone? Isn’t that a bit tricky?

To put it in mildly! It’s exclusively meant for Owners to meet and discuss an agenda specially curated for them so that they have a platform to discuss and deliberate on issues that are specific to Owners. There have been a couple of times when I have had requests from non-owners but on this I have always been very clear. There are no exceptions.

Food, Tech and Design – the three aspects of your theme, in what ways are technological advancements reshaping hotel operations and management in your opinion, and what implications do they have for investment decisions?

One prominent area where technology has made a substantial impact is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning which has further transformed decision-making processes in revenue management, predictive maintenance, and even personalized guest services. These innovations are not just about improving efficiency; they represent an opportunity for investors to identify properties that embrace technology to future-proof their investments against rapidly evolving market demands.

So, focussing on tech then – while AI has taken over the world now, how important is data analytics and AI-driven solutions in optimizing revenue management and enhancing profitability in the hotel industry?

Oh very! In fact, last year’s HICSA was focussed on AI as one the 3 main pillars of the hospitality industry. Machine learning algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data in real-time, enabling hotels to make dynamic pricing adjustments, personalize guest offerings, and even predict future demand patterns.
This year for HICSA we have a couple of interesting sessions on F&B revenue management as well which is not an area that hotels have focussed on yet and in my opinion, the future.

Last question, who all should attend HICSA 2024?

Well, this should have been the first question! It would be easier giving examples of past attendees at HICSA. We’ve had the following attend; Development Teams from hospitality’s top brands, Hotel Owners and Developers, Investors, Banks and Private Equity Companies, COOs and CFOs from hospitality’s top brands, SVPs and VPs from hospitality’s top brands, Architects & Designers, Hospitality Technology Companies, Restaurant Companies, Senior General Managers, Product companies looking to supply / already supplying to hotels, Senior F&B Professionals, Travel and Aviation Companies, to name a few.
Apart from this, we have decided that the Hotel Operations Summit India (HOSI) will take a hiatus this year and we will combine aspects of operations into HICSA2024. The Operations ticket will be priced at half the value of the HICSA delegate pass and will allow access to unit level operations teams to attend the full two days of the conference.

We didn’t know that it would be open to hotel employees too! This is the actually last question then – will it be useful for Operations Heads to attend HICSA 2024?

Oh yes! Absolutely. It will allow unit level operations heads to experience two full days of the conference as well as the networking breaks and closing dinners, including the culinary carnival. For department heads and senior unit level leadership, it will be a great opportunity to broaden their horizon and listen to industry trailblazers, all under one roof.

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