Cascais Tourism Forum Takes Aim at Hotels Innovations

The hotel landscape in Portugal is unique among European markets for several reasons. The best way to describe the landscape there is “feast and famine”, as some hotel businesses are flourishing, while others are bankrupt. A May 19th event, the Cascais Tourism Forum, held for the first time this year, focuses on the developmental challenges for hotels wanting to survive in this dynamic environment.

Organized by The Regional Association of Hoteliers of the Costa do Estoril, Sintra, Mafra and Oeiras, the first time event will be held at the magnificent Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel & SPA. Participants will not only the latest innovations that drive successful hotels, but a developmental workshop for hammering out the most sustainable new solutions as well. The short list of speakers at the debut event include: Martin Soler, CMO of SnapShot Analytics; Carolina Sass de Haro, of PhocusWright; Maria Vera Ulrich, of ReviewPro; and Pedro Colaço, of GuestCentric, to name a few. A partial agenda for the forum is as follows:

• Disruption and Innovation – Understanding the impact of technological development on the economy and society.
• The Tribes of Travelers 2030 – Who will be the travelers of the next decade?
• The Data Revolution – How to take advantage of the data?
• New approaches to Marketing – Growth hacking  techniques via creativity, analytical thinking and social metrics.

Other sessions and a panel discussion will also feature some of the industry experts offering give-and-take with Portugal hoteliers and key decision makers as well.