An upcoming hotel investment conference will  focus mainly on financing trends and structures in hotel projects and developments in the region, said the organiser of the event.

The fifth Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (Ahic) will be held from May 2 to 4 at Madinat Jumeirah Convention Centre in Dubai.

“The region has always had its peculiarities in terms of hotel ownership and the type of finance available, and at a time of change, this key topic is of vital importance," said Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events.

Ahic 2009 is being jointly organised by Bench Events and Meed Events.

Worsley said that continued liquidity to finance investment is crucial to development of the hospitality sector as he noted that the abundance of local funds played an instrumental role in the surge in hotel developments in recent years.

The summit will see banking experts representing banks from the region, and international markets, addressing issues such as what is a lending 'sweet spot' and size, location, brand, borrower and return on capital as possible criteria that may influence approval.

They will also discuss how lenders can better structure deals. – TradeArabia News Service