THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S POSITION IN THE EUROPEAN HOTEL MARKET

The lecture will offer an overview of the development of hotel market in Europe in 2024. We will focus on the latest trends in key performance indicators and analyze how occupancy rates and revenues are changing across Europe. Furthermore, we will explore how the accommodation market in the Czech Republic is evolving compared to the EU market. Finally, we will address key challenges for hoteliers – from operational costs and taxation, to macroeconomic influences, and the future of AI and ESG.

With over 15 years of experience as a specialist and consultant in the hospitality and tourism industry, Adrien Lanotte is a data and hospitality enthusiast who enjoys sharing insights on current and future market trends. He joined MKG Consulting in 2010 and later became the Head of Strategic and Sectoral Research at MKG in Paris, where he gathered and analyzed data and statistics related to the development of tourism and accommodation worldwide. He also oversees research and publications. In previous years, Adrien was responsible for marketing and public development at the Museum of Aeronautics and Space after starting his career at Disneyland Paris. Adrien graduated from Sciences Po in Paris, specializing in marketing and research.m.

HOW TO DEVELOP TEAM INTELLIGENCE

Recent research shows that team intelligence can be measured and influenced. Team intelligence closely correlates with overall team performance and the motivation of its members. Interestingly, team intelligence is not directly influenced by the intelligence of its members. A group of above-average intelligent people does not necessarily exhibit above-average team intelligence. Through the development of team intelligence, any team can become an excellent team. The talk by doc. MUDr. PhDr. Radvan Bahbouh, Ph.D., will explore how to develop team intelligence.

Radvan studied psychology, medicine, mathematical statistics, and probability theory. Since 1993, he has focused on research into team communication, for which he developed the method of sociomapping. Since 1994, he has been teaching at the Department of Psychology at Charles University, where he lectures on coaching psychology, among other topics. In 1996, he founded the company QED GROUP a.s., which specializes in providing psychological services to companies and individuals. Radvan is involved in individual and team coaching, coaching training, and supervision.

GASTRONOMY TODAY – AN INTERVIEW WITH ROMAN PAULUS

Roman Paulus will focus on the differences between Prague and Olomouc in terms of gastronomy and business approaches. He will also address staffing issues and cost management.

Roman Paulus gained experience in gastronomy at the Savoy Hotel in London and aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. He worked at Hilton Hotels in Vienna and Prague, and from 2008 to 2020, he was the head chef at the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel in Prague, where he earned a Michelin star six times. He completed internships at prestigious institutions and restaurants. He is now co-owner of Bistro Paulus and head chef at Lobster Catering in Olomouc.

EMOTIONAL MARKETING IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY AND GASTRONOMY

The constant pressure on the speed of the offer, the dominant position of global accommodation services, the change in the socialization of the younger generation, the pressure on sustainability, the lure away of gastro customers by retail, and everyone's less patience. There is a lot that hoteliers and operators of gastro businesses have to face, but all disruptive phenomena can be used to their advantage. How to use emotions, new automation trends, a healthy lifestyle, the growing trend of loneliness, talk about good vibes and not fall prey to the commoditization of offers? Shared reflection and practical tips on how to work with these trends and how to combine digitization with hospitality.

Tomáš Jindříšek is the Managing Partner of the DFMG (Digital First Marketing Group) group of agencies. In 2012, he co-founded the Dark Side agency, part of the DFMG holding company. He worked for ten years as the director of Ogilvy Interactive, the internet division of the international advertising network Ogilvy. Tomáš has been professionally involved in marketing communication and the internet since 1998, regularly lectures and publishes, acts as a member of a number of expert juries and is actively involved in the projects of major brands. He is a member of the presidium of the Association of Communication Agencies.

AI PRODUCTIVITY – TAKE BACK YOUR TIME

In this lecture, we will focus on innovative uses of artificial intelligence in the HoReCa sector. We will discuss the latest AI technologies and applications that improve operational efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and optimize marketing strategies. For example, we will explore the use of chatbots for customer service, predictive analysis for inventory management, and personalized offers or AI avatars in kiosks acting as hotel concierges. Come and get inspired to implement these technologies and start saving hours or even dozens of hours per week overnigh

Ondřej Hlaváč specializes in machine learning and finding meaningful automation solutions for leading Czech companies. He has contributed to the creation of dozens of technological solutions, audits, and consultations. Under the auspices of the AI Institute, he leads the B2B section and promotes awareness of AI applications across the HoReCa, real estate, and legal sectors, where, together with his colleagues, he trained nearly 3,000 people in 2023 alone. He is also behind Advomate, the most widely used legal tool, which automates legal work and contract data extraction for companies such as Škoda Auto, Skanska, and the Central Bohemian Region.

HYBRID HOTELS FOR A CONTACTLESS GUEST JOURNEY

Where did the hybrid hotel come from? What is the target group of customers and what are the key elements of the concept? Do you know the benefits and challenges of the hybrid project? How does hybrid reception and upselling using the potential of AI to increase comfort and efficiency? Let's talk about hybrid concepts in gastronomy. We will present the Na Poříčí 39 project, an innovative project which is a concrete implementation of a hybrid hotel concept in the heart of Prague.

Petr is the founder and partner of the Czech hotel group iQ Hospitality Group, which operates 20 hotels with a total annual turnover exceeding CZK 1.5 billion. The group has grown four times over the past 5 years and continues to grow dynamically. In addition to running hotels, the company also deals with hotel technology, revenue management and corporate events. In total, it serves more than 100 hotels in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and has more than 3,000 cooperating corporate customers.

BOOKING.COM - DISCUSSIONS ON TOPICS THAT INTEREST YOU

Use the opportunity to discuss with Jaroslav Stasinka and Martin Koref from Booking.com about the topics that are relevant to you.

Jaroslav was active in the field of tourism and hotel business already during his studies, having graduated from the Hospitality Department at the Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty of the Silesian University in Karviná. At Booking.com, he has been taking care of accommodation facilities across the whole republic for the tenth year. He started in 2015 in Olomouc, together with Ostrava, close to the Beskydy and Jeseníky mountains, he took care of local accommodation facilities. He then changed his area of ​​activity and moved to South Moravia and through Prague, Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně worked his way up to lead the sales team for the Czech Republic.

BOOKING.COM - DISCUSSIONS ON TOPICS THAT INTEREST YOU

Use the opportunity to discuss with Jaroslav Stasinka and Martin Koref from Booking.com about the topics that are relevant to you.

Martin joined Booking.com in 2019 from Austria, where he operated an apartment house. In his first year, he served as a Booking Home Manager overseeing the apartment market in Prague, and now, as a Senior Account Manager, he is responsible for hotel chains and groups in the Czech Republic.

ATTRACT TALENT – CHANGING MINDSETS AND TEAM CARE

There are no employees, but all hotels have the same starting position. How to make job candidates queue up outside your hotel? There is no magic formula, the key is to change your mindset and it is not easy, you need to work on it, but the result is worth it. It's time for a change and revolution in thinking. Listening and taking care of your employees will pay off. Pamper your team, make them your partners, not your subordinates. Prepare the perfect onboarding to make the start of the job a real experience for newcomers.

Jan Adámek was the general manager of the 5* Hotel Yalta in Prague on Wenceslas Square. In 2010, he founded his own company JAN Hospitality – Hotel Experts, which helps hoteliers increase sales and reduce costs. The company is a consultant for hotel owners and managers, it mediates the sale and rental of hotels. Jan is also a certified appraiser for determining the prices of hotels and properties.

FROM COST TO SALES PRICE

We will discuss how to optimally set the sale price. We will find that there is no formula or formula for the creation of the selling price, but it is a rather complex process. We will show you how to calculate all the costs and how to include them in the price calculation. We will focus on the food cost and, as with the selling price, we will show what is included in the food cost. Last but not least, we will discuss how and where to save and reduce costs not only on raw materials, but in the entire operation and how to make production processes more efficient.

Radek has extensive experience in gastro operations at home and abroad. He has been through several international hotels in his career. He worked his way up to head chef and later managed the entire department as F&B Manager. He gained his first cooking experience at the Grill Duran restaurant in Hradec Králové, and from there his journeys led to the world. Among his foreign cooking missions, he mentions, for example: Germany, the USA, Italy, Africa, and France. After returning from his travels in 2002, he worked as a chef for the Paris Hotel and at the same time was a member of the National Team of Chefs and Pastry Chefs of the Czech Republic. For the next 6 years, he stayed at the Crowne Plaza Prague hotel, as a chef and later as F&B Manager. Until 2021, he worked as a chef for the DUO hotel. At the beginning of 2022, he founded the Gastro Consulting company.

OPTIMIZATION AND SAVING OF OPERATION

Radek has been working at Bidfood for 21 years, gradually working his way up from regional sales manager to the position of Food Service Key Account Manager for the HoReCa area, in which he is responsible, among other things, for hotel and restaurant chains across the country. He likes the HoReCa industry for its variety, appreciates the possibility of cooperation with the best in the field, appreciates that he can be involved in the creation of new products and their launch not only in the field of gastronomy itself, but also in the technological equipment of kitchens.