“What is next?” Hospitality Event Recap

On Wednesday 31 May Aryxe had the pleasure to host “What is next?”, an event to discuss how the hospitality industry can benefit from the momentum after the 2018 Presidency of the EU in Bulgaria. Our office in Sofia gathered Aryxe experts and leaders from the industry, who collaborated in identifying opportunities for the sector.

We would like to thank our guests and speakers for their input and the productive time we had together!

Scroll through the images below to explore the event for yourself and get some exclusive insights from our panel of speakers.

Hristo Arabadzhov, Social Media Project Leader at Aryxe, kicked off the event with the newest digital trends in hospitality and the use of social media in tourism. Hristo stressed the huge shift in customer behavior towards more interactive formats, such as customer communication and influencer marketing.

Yuliana Lefedjieva continued the discussion by introducing one of the main competitors of the hotel sector – the shared economy, and specifically the impact of Airbnb. As a result of Airbnb, hotels are forced to reduce prices and lose their loyal customers. A key takeaway from Julie’s presentation was that hotels should be more proactive in addressing the needs of customers, in order to keep up with competitive business models.

Alexandra Kuenzli, Social Media Expert, addressed the challenge of providing more personalized experiences to business travellers, yet being able to standardize the processes and scale the business. It is of immense importance that hotels and hospitality businesses focus on providing more personalized proposition to customers, allowing them to see, feel, touch, and taste various aspects of the experience. Exceeding their expectations is what matters when we want them to review our business or recommend us to their network.

Stephan Muehlemann, CEO and Creative Director of Aryxe, rounded off the talks with a discussion of the important future trends in the industry and the rise of the local luxury hotels. The unique selling point of luxury hotels is that they provide experiences which wow their guests. The originality and authenticity of the business, as well as its location, enhances their stay and encourages them to interact with the brand and share their unique experience with friends and potential visitors.