{"id":46616,"date":"2021-10-16T05:22:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T05:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=46616"},"modified":"2021-10-16T05:22:41","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T05:22:41","slug":"turkey-plans-military-action-against-syrian-kurdish-ypg-if-diplomacy-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=46616","title":{"rendered":"Turkey plans military action against Syrian Kurdish YPG if diplomacy fails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hospitality\u2019s next generation envisions a more ethical and sustainable hotel industry<\/h2>\n
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\n\tDUBAI: What attracts guests to a hotel? Fine dining, Egyptian cotton sheets and 24-hour room service, certainly. But that model of hospitality may be changing \u2014 at least if a new generation of hoteliers, bar owners and restaurateurs has its way.<\/p>\n

\n\tRather than reviewing the contents of the minibar or revising the coffee shop menu, this new breed of hotel operator is intent on combating loneliness, sourcing from local farmers, fighting climate change and building a sense of community.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2014, Hotelschool the Hague, a training institute, created the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge to provide a platform for the next generation of hospitality professionals who want to reinvent what hotels and restaurants have to offer.<\/p>\n

\n\tThese students are seen as future drivers of taste by their willingness to challenge the industry\u2019s status quo. NEOM, the futuristic smart city in northwest Saudi Arabia, sponsored this year\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tSaudi Arabia’s natural beauty is matched by the opulent interiors of Riyadh’s premium hotels (Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh\/ Expedia.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cThe NEOM giga-project, which we all call \u2018the city of the future,\u2019 aims to incorporate smart-city technologies and innovation with a focus on sustainability,\u201d Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality and chair of the jury, told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt comes as no surprise that NEOM has sponsored the challenge this year, bringing all finalists to the event in the UAE.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe event invited 30 universities from across the globe to submit ideas that would help the industry play its part in reaching the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals. Last month, six finalists presented their concepts to a jury of hospitality industry investors in Dubai.<\/p>\n

\n\tEve Mignot, a member of the winning team from Switzerland\u2019s Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, said hospitality is at a crossroads. The sector has historically lagged behind other industries when it comes to embracing change, she said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt is time to reverse this stereotype and stigma and become leaders in sustainable innovations. With our concept, we anticipate the hospitality industry of 2050 to be a community builder, innovator and a responsible and ethical member of society.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tMarloes Knippenberg CEO Kerten Hospitality. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe winning team proposed a concept dubbed \u201cShared Economic Value through Co-living Cooperative Opportunities,\u201d or SEVCCO, which aims to incorporate sustainability through communal living operated by hospitality companies, for which they see immense potential in growing cities.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis will require a reimagining of lifestyles, business models and strategies. \u201cThere has never been a more pressing time to reinvent the industry,\u201d Mignot said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe team hopes this concept of \u201cneo-hospitality\u201d will transform societies and become a driving force that inspires communities and other industries to engage in the transformation of the world by 2050.<\/p>\n

\n\tLukas Lauber, another team member, said that while oil has accelerated growth and development in the Middle East, secondary consumption of oil has had negative consequences in terms of climate change and its effects on the environment.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tThis photograph taken on July 23, 2021 shows a view of the Park Royal Collection Hotel at Pickering Street in Singapore. (AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tHowever, in recent years, many countries in the region have adopted diversification strategies to their national economies as well as introduced policies to reduce their dependence on oil reserves and promote renewable energy. This is where SEVCCO comes in.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCountries in the Middle East are hoping to attract foreign investment. A large part of this strategy involves tourism and hospitality, as seen by the re-branding of Dubai as a tourism hub and Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 strategy whereby it seeks to develop cities and destinations,\u201d Lauber told Arab News.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs countries in the region develop, he said sustainable communities and cities must be built to promote a more cyclical and regenerative society. \u201cThis is where we promote SEVCCO, the creation of co-living environments for tomorrow,\u201d said Stefano Abedum de Lima Hanzawa, a third team member.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt is imperative that the Middle East incorporates sustainability and regenerative growth into their strategy for economic diversification and development.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tFAST<\/span>FACTS<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\n\t\t\t* NEOM, the futuristic smart city in northwest Saudi Arabia, sponsored this year\u2019s Sustainable Hospitality Challenge competition. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t* Some 30 universities were invited to submit ideas that would help the hospitality industry play its part in achieving the UN\u2019s SDGs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThese concerns are made more pressing as the 2030 deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals draws nearer. By then, national economies must mobilize to prevent a 1.5 Celsius increase in global temperatures and implement strategies to shift away from fossil-fueled economies.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe team developed the SEVCCO concept to empower individuals and communities to come together and co-create a city of the future that complies with these goals.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe concept of cognitive cities is gaining traction, as seen by the NEOM development in Saudi Arabia, and this acceleration and momentum will continue to grow,\u201d Hanzawa said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe believe cyclical and sustainable co-living has incredible potential to change the way we behave and live for a better tomorrow. We wish to tackle the most pressing issues such as urban loneliness \u2014 exacerbated by the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tMuslim pilgrims add food to their plates from the buffet of a restaurant at a luxury hotel overlooking the Kaaba, Islam\u2019s holiest shrine, and its encompassing Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia\u2019s holy city of Makkah ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (AFP\/File Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tOther ills listed by the competitors include unsustainable production and consumption of scarce resources, resource inefficiencies, housing shortages experienced by generations Y and Z, growing elderly care home demand, the difficulties of waste management and the challenges of reducing carbon footprints by 2030.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSHC brings forth innovative ideas about sustainable, implementable projects. The corporate world launches and brings them to life only if and when they are presented to them,\u201d said Knippenberg. \u201cThe challenge (has) become a platform that reaches decision-makers today and is not just a school engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, the initiative brought together the student community, the corporate world, and investors. As 70 percent of the Middle East\u2019s population are younger than 35, the competition is relevant to the region, the organizers said, as governments invest heavily in shifting toward knowledge-based economies.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEspecially in the Middle East, there is a great opportunity to implement \u2018out of the box\u2019 ideas,\u201d said Paul Griep, director of industry and alumni relations at Hotelschool The Hague and founder of the challenge.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs the region grows exponentially, it is of utmost importance for the region to become the showroom of the world when it comes to implementing sustainable solutions. Sustainability projects are the core of the multiple giga-projects in Saudi Arabia, (such as) NEOM.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tPicture from thestage from the award ceremony on stage at AHIC, in September 2021, with members of the jury and the winners. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAside from EHL, the Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland, the Hotel Management School Maastricht Zuyd and the Hotelschool The Hague, Ryerson University from Canada, and CY Cergy Paris University in France took part, as did students from the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe judges said the SEVCCO concept developed by EHL won out because it looked long term.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTheir concept was unique, well thought of and very 2050,\u201d Knippenberg said. \u201cTheir idea seems like a natural evolution \u2014 community build, supporting the locality and the local supply chain and doing things with a truly sustainable mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGriep said that the younger generation coming into management is especially passionate about sustainability. \u201cIn fact, they no longer wish for it but actually require it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt has been proven that, thanks to this mindset, innovative solutions have already been developed. The challenge provides an opportunity for these students to work with industry partners, universities and companies alike, which help them make their concepts become real hospitality projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t—————<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tTwitter: @CalineMalek<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hospitality\u2019s next generation envisions a more ethical and sustainable hotel industry DUBAI: What attracts guests to a hotel? Fine dining, Egyptian cotton sheets and 24-hour room service, certainly. But that model of hospitality may be changing \u2014 at least if a new generation of hoteliers, bar owners and restaurateurs has its way. Rather than reviewing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}