Speaker: Radhika Arapally, Founder of Sustainability Kiosk, and UAE Senior Strategic Representative for the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Against the backdrop of evolving sustainability expectations and rising operational costs, Radhika took part in a closed-door session at Future Hospitality Summit Saudi Arabia to discuss how strategic retrofit investments can enhance performance and future-proof hospitality assets. The discussion brought together a strong cross-section of the industry: Rove Hotels, Aleph Hospitality (KSA), Insight Out Consultancy, Considerate Group, the Royal Commission for AlUla, and a senior independent advisor — spanning operators, consultants, and destination-level perspectives.
Key takeaways:
1. The owner-operator gap is the structural problem. It’s not a lack of awareness or ambition. It’s that neither side fully owns the retrofit decision. Operators have the standards; owners have the capital. Until that accountability gap closes, action stalls. This framing resonated strongly.
2. Regulation is arriving and is seen as a lever, not a threat. There’s a newly announced UAE requirement for mandatory energy assessments on buildings over 20 years old. The room welcomed it. The consensus: regulation creates the level playing field that voluntary commitment cannot.
3. The language has to change with the audience. “Sustainability” doesn’t move owners here; asset value, lifecycle risk, and regulatory exposure do. This came through clearly, and I think it’s worth carrying into how we position the Summit’s ME regional framing.
