Future Hospitality Summit Podcast

In this episode, Hala Matar Choufany, President, HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia, shares her perspective on Egypt's evolving hospitality investment landscape, examining the strength of the market's fundamentals, rising hotel valuations, and the growing development pipeline.

The conversation explores the industry's focus on luxury hotels, the untapped opportunities in midscale and affordable accommodation, and the potential risks of oversupply. Hala also discusses the importance of aligning development strategies with evolving traveller demand, balancing investor ambitions with commercial realities, and using data-driven feasibility studies to ensure long-term financial viability.

With Egypt attracting increasing investor interest, the discussion offers valuable insights into where the next opportunities lie and what developers should consider to build sustainable, profitable hospitality projects.

Michael Aldridge, Founder and CEO of KOFISI, joins the FHS Egypt Podcast to explain the "hotelified workspace," the model KOFISI has refined over ten years by applying hotel-grade hospitality to the world of work. After launching in East Africa, expanding through West and South Africa, and most recently opening in Casablanca, KOFISI now has Cairo in its sights, with three leased buildings of 80,000 to 100,000 square feet planned for New Cairo. Michael explains why workspace belongs in Egypt's mixed-use compounds and destinations, how lounges, terraces, restaurants, event space and meeting rooms sit under one roof, and why Cairo fits alongside KOFISI's Dubai and Riyadh openings. He closes with advice for Egypt's hospitality market: look to where innovation is heading, meet users' global expectations, and build for the standards of tomorrow, not today.

Marc Dardenne, CEO of Modon Hospitality, joins the FHS Podcast to discuss how guest expectations are reshaping the future of hospitality and why travellers are increasingly choosing experiences over destinations alone.

He introduces Afiniti, Modon Hospitality's new experience-led hospitality brand, designed around five distinct worlds: family, adults-only, adventure, urban resort and wellness. Rather than asking guests to choose a destination first, Afiniti is built around the type of experience they want to have, with each property offering its own character while remaining part of one connected brand environment. Pasted text

Marc also explains how branded residences will form an important part of the concept, allowing guests to buy into the lifestyle while accessing hotel-style services, management and rental options. Pasted text

Looking ahead, he shares Modon Hospitality's plans to grow Afiniti from its Abu Dhabi base into new destinations across the UAE and internationally, including Ras Al Hekma, island destinations, Africa and Europe. The focus, he says, is not on chasing hotel numbers, but on building the brand carefully, maintaining control over the guest experience and creating a long-term platform that can grow with consistency. Pasted text

In this episode of the FHS Podcast, Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director of Tourism Development at the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, joins us to discuss the UAE's continued strength as a global tourism and investment hub.

The conversation explores what is driving the country's resilience, how the Ministry is supporting long-term tourism growth, and where the next opportunities are emerging across investment, destination development, infrastructure, talent and lifestyle.

Mohamed Zaghloul, Board Member & VP of Hospitality Development at Zaghloul Holding, joins the FHS Egypt Podcast to discuss eight decades of real estate and hospitality development in Egypt - from the family business roots of the 1940s through to today's pipeline of 3,000 rooms. Mohamed shares his perspective on Cairo's multi-segment advantage, the flight capacity bottleneck holding back Egypt's tourism growth, the rise of medical and ecotourism, and why Gulf capital flowing into the market is a net positive for local operators. A grounded, owner-side view on where Egypt is and where it's heading.

In this episode, Dr. Moath Alyahya, Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge Economic City, explores how Madinah is evolving into a broader investment, hospitality and mixed-use destination. The conversation looks at KEC's expansion strategy, major developments including Knowledge Gardens and the Islamic World District, changing demand beyond religious tourism, and how new partnerships and investment structures are helping shape the city's next chapter under Vision 2030.

In this episode, Riyan Itani, Founder of Global Branded Residences Ltd., explores how branded residences are evolving at the intersection of luxury, real estate and investment. The conversation looks at what drives brand premiums, why standalone residences are gaining ground, how buyer expectations are changing, and why the Middle East has become one of the sector's most dynamic growth markets.

In this episode, Richard Stevens, Director at Sectorlight, explores why strong hospitality brands are built through story, not just design, and how a clear brand narrative can shape everything from market positioning to guest perception. The discussion looks at what makes a hotel brand distinctive in an increasingly crowded market, how developers can create concepts that feel bold without losing commercial relevance, and why branding needs to be considered early in the development process. Richard also shares his perspective on the relationship between storytelling, place, design, and long-term brand value, and what it takes to create hospitality concepts that people remember.

In our latest FHS podcast, we sit down with Ayman Ezzeddine, Director of Development, Middle East at Radisson Hotel Group, as he walks us through the behind-the-scenes of hotel development. Our conversations ranged from resilience to what makes an opportunity worth pursuing. With hospitality across the Middle East evolving at remarkable speed, we explore the forces shaping the region's next phase of growth, the markets catching developers' attention, and what it takes to build partnerships that create long-term value for owners, operators, and destinations alike.

Mohamed Zaghloul, Board Member & VP of Hospitality Development at Zaghloul Holding, joins the FHS Egypt Podcast to discuss eight decades of real estate and hospitality development in Egypt — from the family business roots of the 1940s through to today's pipeline of 3,000 rooms. Mohamed shares his perspective on Cairo's multi-segment advantage, the flight capacity bottleneck holding back Egypt's tourism growth, the rise of medical and ecotourism, and why Gulf capital flowing into the market is a net positive for local operators. A grounded, owner-side view on where Egypt is and where it's heading.