The third annual Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, a leading travel trade event in the region, will see the launch of innovative new technology products for the hospitality industry this May.

With Saudi Arabia leading the Middle East in terms of the number of internet and social, the region also expects a boom in the hospitality sector with 16,000 new hotel rooms projected for development by 2018. Over 50 per cent of these will be five-star developments

Global technology giants LG Electronics is capitalising on the increase of premium hotels in Saudi by introducing advanced new technology products designed specifically for this market, after recording phenomenal growth in 2014. Heejin Moon, B2B business director of LG Electronics said: “As the market leaders of commercial displays, LG Electronics will be showcasing an advanced line-up of Hospitality TV and Digital Signage products at The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2015.”

He said: “LG will be announcing new technologies featuring cutting-edge displays such as 3.5mm Bezel Gap Video Walls and Web OS Digital Signage. Premium Web OS Hotel TV LY960H IP-based programs will also be on display, designed to provide premium hotels with the finest, slimmest and most luxurious designs expressing a cinema screen. 98-inch UHD Signage and 84-inch Interactive White board solutions will also be on show. As the Saudi hospitality industry is growing rapidly, LG is making sure to maintain the No. 1 position in Premium Hotel Chain market.”

Eric Rogers, regional head, FCS Computer Systems (EMEA) will be speaking at the Show’s Vision Conference on how technology can now be used to ensure seamless hotel operations. FCS will launch its first data-capture solution, Vega, described as the only ‘Guest Behaviour Business Intelligence System’ currently available for the hospitality industry. Rogers said: “The move towards Big Data is an important trend for global industries. With the ability to gather and analyse many guest data sources, the Vega system will provide individual hotels and their corporate offices with a comprehensive view of guest behaviours and how they impact the business.”

LG Electronics and FCS join a long list of leading names in technology set to exhibit at the Jeddah event including Sharp, Toshiba, LEIN Technology, Locatel, Equinox Arabia and the event’s Platinum Sponsor, Samsung Business.

Furthermore, Accor Hotel Services Middle East has 14 hotels in Saudi Arabia and plans to open 26 new hotels, bringing the its total network in Saudi Arabia by 2018 to 40 hotels with 10,000 rooms.

Christophe Landais, chief operating officer for Accor Hotel Services Middle East, said: “As the digital stratosphere is growing at a very high pace, an ever-increasing number of customers are opting for online channels to make personalised bookings. This trend is catching on particularly quickly in Saudi Arabia, where internet and smartphone penetration rates are among the highest in the world.”

“At Accor, to ensure our hotels are equipped, we have rolled out an Arabised version of Accorhotels.com and several digital programmes including Welcome by Le Club Accorhotels, a useful pre-check-in tool; Mobile First, an easy booking app; and Customer Centric, a centralised feedback platform,” he said.

The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia will take place from May 3 to 5 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. – TradeArabia News Service