The Independent Hotel Show will return to Olympia London on 4-5 October to reunite the boutique and independent hotel market for two days of networking, learning and curated product sourcing.

New for 2022 is The Inclusive Hotel Room designed by Cocoon & Bauer, an immersive feature which will link ideas around wellbeing and sustainability with a desire to create welcoming and calming spaces for all guests, including those who might have hypersensitivities stemming from conditions such as autism and ADHD.

“We’re really looking forward to being involved with the Independent Hotel Show,” comments Cocoon & Bauer Managing Director Peter Turner. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to design this bedroom and go a bit wild and be creative with what we want to do. We’ve been thinking a lot about neurodiversity and how each individual experiences things differently. It’s about how we can increase that level of inclusivity to a point where the space can appeal to everyone using light, sense and colour.”

Event Manager Glenn Wallace comments: “We’re so excited to see The Inclusive Hotel Room come to life. Catering for neurodiversity in guests is a fascinating theme to explore, along with how key trends such as sustainability and well-being feed into this too.

“The Independent Hotel Show is brought to life by some fantastic design partners, and we’re thrilled to be working with Cocoon & Bauer, Design Command, Taner’s Sons and Rosendale Design for this year’s event.”

Solutions to business pain points

Elsewhere at the show, The ESG Hub by Green Key will allow hoteliers to meet with sustainability benchmarking professionals and learn more about what goes into gaining accreditation with the organisation.

HOPSA and the Hotel Marketing Association will be joining forces for the Business Solutions Bar, an opportunity for hotel owners and managers to meet with independent experts specialising in areas like hospitality technology and marketing and to receive bespoke, objective and confidential advice for their business.

"We are delighted to be returning to the Independent Hotel Show this year to help present the Business Solutions Bar with our friends at the HMA,” says Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA. “Technology is an ever-changing sphere in hospitality, yet it will certainly play an increasingly important role for all of us in the future.”

Quality suppliers to the independent hotel sector

The Independent Hotel Show will showcase over 200 carefully curated suppliers across design & décor, furniture, hospitality tech, food & beverage solutions, amenities and toiletries and much more.

From start-ups to long-established brands, each supplier caters directly to the independent hotel sector and will be displaying their latest new products, ranges and services.

Gordon Castle Scotland will be launching its naturally fragranced hotel amenities range at the show, while H2k Botanicals showcase its collection of luxury, natural skincare products. Hotel Art Group has over 50 years expertise in sourcing wall display imagery for the hospitality sector and West Wales family business Melin Tregwynt has been specialising in weaving blankets, bedspreads, throws, cushions and more since 1912.

In the Concept Lab, innovations like Ezisan’s sanitising fine mist dispenser, and upcycled furniture from Navi Designs by Vipa Shah will be on display, while in the show’s Tech Quarter, Please ask m will unveil the new SaaS software for the B2B hotel market and ROOMNET will be on hand to discuss its exclusive partnership with Apple for hospitality TV that can transform guest TV into a personal space.

A vision of the future

The show’s Innovation Stage, in partnership with eviivo and designed by Design Command, will host a wide range of discussions across the two days of the event, including several on Tuesday 4 October taking a deep dive into different facets of sustainability.

Jacqueline Kneebone, Regional Director for ESG at Lore Group and moderator for the session ‘How to save the planet (and your business)’, comments: “Within the hospitality industry we are all aware of the emotional and financial investment we make to our businesses.

“Future proofing is essential and can be, providing holistic ESG risk assessments, followed by measuring the socio-economic impact of this work to ensure its effectiveness is done. Building and maintaining our social license forms the foundations for long term business success, however in a space that is constantly evolving we must ensure the tools are available and manageable so everyone can benefit.”

Day two of the show, Wednesday 5 October, will see Andrew Boer, Principal of Edge Hotel School, host a must-attend session on the industry’s staffing crisis, and how the industry can come together to tackle the problem.

“If you talk to any operator in our industry, one of the most pressing issues is finding staff with the right knowledge, skills and mind-set to fulfil the operational and management vacancies within our industry,” says Boer. “For too long we have been used to a benign economic and employment environment and now our complacency and lack of investment is coming back to haunt us.

“The response must be the responsibility of each and every business to commit to enhancing the working environment, to changing the outdated image of our industry and to investing either time, money or both in making our industry a more attractive and rewarding career choice.”

This year’s event will see the return of the Social Business Space, sponsored by Planet and designed by Taner’s Sons, which will once again host informal, roundtable discussions for hoteliers take part in. These sessions are an opportunity for visitors to the show to network and hear how industry peers are tackling universal problems in the sector.

To find out more about everything happening at this year’s Independent Hotel Show, and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, visit www.independenthotelshow.co.uk.