Ahmed Soliman: Facilitating memorable experiences

With a decade’s experience in the hospitality industry, Ahmed Soliman has bought his considerable knowledge, relationships and understanding of GCC travellers together; forming Travel Connections Arabia (TCA) to provide consultancy and marketing support to niche properties and destinations.

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Tell us a bit about yourself

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In my last role, I was responsible for driving transient corporate and wholesale leisure business for four central London hotels: the Sheraton Park Tower in Knightsbridge, the Sheraton Belgravia, the Le Meridian Piccadilly and The Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly.

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With demand for bespoke and original properties consistently on the rise, I saw the potential to help these best-in-class properties market their unique offerings through TCA's dedicated team of travel and hospitality specialists.

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What new themes, trends or changes are you seeing in luxury travel?

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We have seen a strong increase in the experiential side of travel, the side that is once-in-a-lifetime, time sensitive and exclusive to the travellers’ interest and attention.

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Knowing your customers’ aspirations is key to the success of facilitating a memorable experience.

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What does luxury mean to you these days?

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Travel has changed. Information is readily available and being able to sift through the noise is essential to finding the real experiences that meet your clients’ expectations.

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We pride ourselves on our established partnerships that allow us to create unique, one-of-a-kind travel itineraries.

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How has technology changed your business?

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Technology is essential, when used correctly. It should be used as a facilitating platform when selling luxury. Any other way diminishes the personal touch or emotional connection to a personally created itinerary, as well as all the touch points that produce a long-lasting experience.

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