‘Stronger Together’ was the theme at this year’s Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) Conference, held once more at Convene in Houndsditch, London.
The day kicked off with a welcome by Situ’s very own Steph Ellis, Director of Operations, who highlighted how vital it is that the serviced accommodation sector works together at this time to address current policy and economic challenges, as well as celebrating the resilience of the sector.
Following this, friends and colleagues of the late Chair of ASAP, Keith Freeman, talked about their memories of Keith and paid tribute to his dedication to the industry.
‘Power in Unity’
Moderated by Stephen Lowy, ASAP’s ‘State of the Nation’ panel was themed ‘Power in Unity.’ The panel of industry experts discussed the current landscape and emphasised that by standing together the sector will be able to face any obstacle.
After a welcome coffee break, delegates could choose between two panels: ‘Building Stronger Teams,’ or ‘AI in Serviced Accommodation.’
Building Stronger Teams
This was a fascinating panel about knowing your team members, and included Situ’s Director of People, Leah Searle Assoc. CIPD. Discussion ranged from best practice in employee onboarding to support for neurodivergence in the workplace. The role of meaningful benefits and incentives was also deliberated on, and the strengths of having different generations in the workplace.
AI in Serviced Accommodation
This exciting panel discussion explored how AI is changing the industry and what might lie ahead, and covered issues such as automated operations, dynamic pricing, and personalised guest experience. Over 90% of attendees at this panel thought that AI was a positive development for the future of the sector.
Regulation Rundown
This session discussed the policy and regulation landscape for serviced accommodation and launched ASAP’s white paper, ‘Caught in the Crossfire.’ The discussion included analysis of how lessons learned from existing attempts at regulation in Scotland and Europe can benefit policy making in England. After a lively question and answer session, the panel ended with a call for the sector to come together to help policy makers differentiate between the professional serviced accommodation industry and peer-to-peer short term rentals.
Complementing this session was a lunchtime drop-in session with Keystone Law for anyone wanting to ask more detailed questions.
Over lunch and coffee breaks, conference attendees could also visit a variety of exhibitor stands.
Behind the Bookings, Agents Unplugged
Situ’s Abbie Erdbrink, Head of Partnerships and Guest Experience, took part in this panel, where there was an honest and in-depth discussion about the added value that agents bring to operators.
Keynote speech
Next, the ‘reluctant Futurist’ Rischard Watson gave an exciting take on the future of travel, forecasting that there will soon be many more business travellers in the upper age ranges than ever before, and that the hospitality industry will need to adapt to this in the same way it is adjusting to the preferences younger travellers in Generation Z.
The conference finished with the ASAP Recognition Awards. ASAP’s CEO, James Foice, presented the first ASAP Fellowship to Keith Freeman’s family.
To conclude, James Foice ended with a rallying call for members of the sector to work in unison to help ASAP’s lobbying and policy work over the coming year, and celebrated how the sector really is, ‘stronger together’.
Thank you, ASAP!
