80%+
Dubai beachfront occupancy by August
From growth story to returns story
The demand dip lasted just two months. With top Gulf markets not back to 2025 levels until 2028, the message was clear: protect your rate, don't discount.
Reinvest in Our Future: Inside FHS World 2026, Where 1,000+ Hospitality Leaders Reimagined What Comes Next
From 29 September to 1 October 2026, the global hospitality investment community gathered at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai for FHS World 2026, the flagship edition of the Future Hospitality Summit organised by The Bench. Under the theme “Reinvest in Our Future”, three days of keynotes, investor panels, workshops, startup pitches and a brand new hackathon set the agenda for the next era of hospitality. Start Reverse was proud to be part of it, on the exhibition floor, on stage and at the heart of the very first FHS World Hackathon. Here is our recap of the numbers, the conversations and the moments that mattered.
FHS World 2026 at a Glance
From Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October 2026, the Madinat Jumeirah Conference and Events Centre in Dubai became the meeting place of the global hospitality investment world. Around 1,000 hospitality investment professionals travelled from more than 50 countries, representing over 500 companies, all united by this year’s theme, Reinvest in Our Future. Behind them stood more than 70 sponsors and partners, whose support helped bring every stage, session and reception to life.
The programme unfolded across three distinct spaces. The Summit Stage hosted the headline keynotes and investor panels, the Future Stage was home to innovation, Africa, the Startup Den and the Hackathon, and a dedicated Workshop Room offered smaller, deeper discussions for those who wanted to go beyond the headlines. On Day Three, FHS Living took over the Summit Stage entirely, turning the spotlight onto branded residences and the wider living economy. The pace never slowed: Day Two alone packed 25 sessions into a single day, moving from ministerial keynotes to investor panels and live startup pitches.
FHS World is, above all, an investment forum, and the figures shared across the three days told a compelling story about the scale of the opportunity ahead.
Global scale
Few industries have this kind of reach
Travel and tourism is one of the world's great economic engines, and with that reach comes real responsibility.
USD12tn
Forecast contribution of travel and tourism to the world economy in 2026
176m
Jobs supported by travel and tourism worldwide
USD1.9tn
Global tourism receipts in 2025
Regional ambition
A pipeline built for speed and returns
The ambition across the GCC and North Africa is striking, and how that pipeline is delivered is changing too: owners and brands are choosing speed to market and capital efficiency over building from scratch.
USD90bn
Hotel pipeline across the GCC and North Africa
200k
Hotel rooms currently under development
AED450bn
UAE tourism economy target by 2031
60%
Of regional hotel openings last year were conversions
Wellness and longevity
The most valuable growth story of all
These numbers go a long way towards explaining why longevity became one of the defining conversations of the summit.
USD860bn
Value of the global wellness real estate market
30%
Price premium commanded by wellness branded residences
Future Hospitality Summit Dubai 2026
Six Insights That Defined FHS World 2026
The numbers and ideas everyone was talking about in Dubai.
2 in 3
Guests already use AI to plan or book
AI is rewriting how guests book
It rises to 3 in 4 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and Accor's ChatGPT integration lifted bookings by 50%. Search is no longer where the journey begins.
30M
Egypt's visitor target by 2030
Africa and Egypt are the next opportunity
Egypt welcomed 19 million visitors in 2025 and is aiming for USD 30 billion in revenue. Morocco already attracts 20 million.
30%
Premium for wellness branded residences
Longevity is the new white space
The UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism named longevity, medical tourism and the silver economy as the most compelling opportunities ahead.
10 to 20%
GCC branded supply run by franchise or third parties
Owners are rewriting the operating model
That compares with around 80% in the United States. Owners are now judging operators on total cost against total return, not headline fees.
People
The real premium in hospitality
AI finds the guest, people keep them
Technology is becoming a commodity. As Les Roches' Carlos Diez de la Lastra put it, the winners will be decided by people and culture, the heart of everything we do at Start Reverse.
Start Reverse at FHS World 2026
For Start Reverse, FHS World 2026 was our busiest and most rewarding edition yet. Andre Wiringa CEO and Founder, took part in several sessions across the three days, and our team welcomed delegates to the Start Reverse stand throughout the summit.
Visiting the Start Reverse stand
Our stand was a meeting point for owners, operators, educators and young talent who share our belief that hospitality starts with people. Visitors explored the Reversology approach behind Andre’s book, Start Reverse: Go Beyond Customer Satisfaction: putting your guests and your team first, understanding what truly motivates them, and only then building the culture, products and processes to match. In a summit where so many speakers concluded that AI may find the guest but people keep them, the conversation could not have been more timely.
On stage: Optimism as Strategy
On Day One, Andre moderated “Optimism as Strategy: How Resilient Leaders Navigate Uncertainty” on the Summit Stage, in conversation with Dimitris Manikis, President EMEA at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, and Raki Phillips, Regional President for the Middle East, Africa and Türkiye at Accor. Coming after a challenging period for the region, the session explored how leaders turn uncertainty into momentum, keep their teams motivated and make optimism a deliberate, practical choice rather than wishful thinking.
Pathways for Future Leaders
On Day Three, Andre joined “Pathways for Future Leaders: Insights from Hospitality’s Best” on the Future Stage, moderated by Luckson Zambuko, founder of the African Youth in Tourism and Hospitality Association, alongside Wesam Okasha of TUI Hotels and Resorts, Eddy Tannous of Rotana and Prof. Nicholas Thomas of Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy Les Roches. Over two hours, the panel shared honest advice with the next generation on building careers, leading with purpose and staying curious.
The Start Reverse stand
Our stand became a meeting point for owners, operators, educators and young talent who share our belief that hospitality starts with people. Visitors explored the Reversology approach behind Andre’s book, Start Reverse: Go Beyond Customer Satisfaction: put your guests and your team first, understand what truly motivates them, and only then build the culture, products and processes to match.
In a summit where so many speakers concluded that AI may find the guest but people keep them, the conversation could not have been more timely.
the FHS World Hackathon: Reset, Reinvent, Reimagine
New for 2026, the FHS World Hackathon was one of the standout features of the summit, and Start Reverse was delighted to lead it alongside Nicolas Mayer, Global Industry Leader for Entertainment and Tourism at PwC and Managing Leader of the PwC Global Center of Tourism.
The challenge
Teams were asked one bold question: how can the UAE use this moment to reset and reinvent its tourism and hospitality proposition, unlocking new markets, new audiences, new experiences, new business models and new reasons to visit, stay and return? Each team had to identify one significant untapped opportunity and turn it into a concept that is both bold and commercially viable.
How it worked
Shortlisted participants from hospitality, tourism, technology, investment, consulting, design and academia were placed into mixed teams for an innovation sprint of around five hours, spread across the three days. Their journey followed six stages:
The Hackathon Journey
Six stages, one bold idea for the future of UAE tourism and hospitality.
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1
Reset and Identify the Opportunity
Teams explored what is changing in global tourism, questioned old assumptions and spotted an untapped opportunity for the UAE.
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2
Reinvent and Select
Ideas flowed freely before each team chose one strong concept to take forward.
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3
Build the Concept
Teams shaped the core idea: what it is, who it serves, why it is different and how it creates real commercial value.
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4
Mentor Stress Test
Industry mentors challenged every concept on investment, operations, technology and design, and teams refined their thinking.
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5
Build the Pitch
The Shift, The Opportunity, The Reinvention, The Concept, The Value and Why Now: each story was crafted to win over the jury.
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6
Final Pitches and Jury
Finalists presented live to an expert jury, and the jury and FHS World audience voted together for the winning concept.
And the winner was revealed on the Summit Stage
From kick off to grand finale
Andre and Nicolas launched the challenge on the Summit Stage on Day One, before the teams got to work on the Future Stage that afternoon. On Day Three, the finalists pitched in “Building What’s Next: The FHS World Hackathon Finals” to a jury including Andre, Nicolas, Eddy Tannous, COO of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, and Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, with the audience also casting their votes. The winner was revealed on the Summit Stage.
After a very close vote, the young talent took the top spot, proving that some of the boldest ideas for the future of UAE tourism come from the next generation.
What impressed us most was the energy in the room. Seasoned executives and emerging talent worked side by side, challenged each other and produced ideas that the industry would do well to take seriously. It was proof that when you put people first, innovation follows.
And the winner is
Meet the Hackathon winners
Winning team
The Students: YoUAE
A concept that matches personal preferences to local experiences through an impactful app, bringing relevance to both local businesses and visitors and helping them look beyond the well known hot spots.
Congratulations Juliana Marie A., Maleehah Suleman, Samiha Farook, Sophie Wiringa, Vince van de Wiele and Vincent Varde!
Runner up, a very close call
The C-level Leaders: SkillPass
A digital Skills Passport for all hospitality staff in the UAE, designed to retain the best professionals in the Emirates. Crucial, given that people make or break the experience.
Awesome job Tatiana Veller, Jennifer Jankovsky, Gleb Mykhailov and Paul Bridger!
Thank you
It takes great people to create a great event
Our sincere thanks go to The Bench for delivering another outstanding FHS World: to Jonathan Worsley, Ali Shahid, Matthew Weihs and every member of the team behind the scenes, and to the more than 70 sponsors and partners who made it possible.
Thank you to Nicolas Mayer and PwC for a brilliant Hackathon partnership, to every mentor, juror and participant, to our fellow panellists, and to everyone who stopped by our stand. Finally, thank you to every delegate who travelled from more than 50 countries to reinvest in our shared future.
See you at FHS World 2027
We left Dubai inspired and full of new connections. Want to bring a people first mindset to your organisation? Let’s start the conversation.
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