London, England, United Kingdom
Jonathan’s drive is building great teams and communities around him to propel industry transformation.
Jonathan Worsley has a rich legacy shaping the hospitality and events industry as one of the founders of multiple leading international conferences including the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference - now the Future Hospitality Summit, FHS Saudi, AHIF-Africa Hospitality Investment Forum, IDEEA Hospitality Investment Summit and South America’s SAHIC where he sits as a partner. He branched out into aviation and F&B, through AviaDev and GRIF-Global Restaurant Investment Forum. In 2020, Jonathan, along with The Bench team, pivoted swiftly toward pioneering virtual and hybrid conferences. This strategic shift led to the launch of the Hospitality Tomorrow series and the Future Hospitality Summit for the G20 Saudi Secretariat. Jonathan's impact in the industry dates back to 1997 when he co-founded the annual IHIF-International Hotel Investment Forum (Berlin). Earlier in his career, he worked for real estate consultants CBRE & Hotel Partners, hotel advisors PKF and before that Forte & Holiday Inns. Jonathan’s legacy is not only marked by the conferences he has organised, but also by his relentless commitment to driving industry evolution, promoting fresh thinking and providing a launchpad for groundbreaking concepts that can reshape the hospitality landscape. This approach to ‘change’ is exemplified by his role as co-founder of STR Global, launching initiatives such as the FHS Startup Den, Lead the Change and embracing the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge either as a judge or hosting the finals. He also sits on the boards of Fresh on Table, Envi Lodges and other startups that he believes have the potential to drive transformative change within the industry. Jonathan is a trustee of Future Talent - a charity that provides financial support to gifted young musicians, a past board member of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and recently joined the board of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Launched The Bench with partner's Jamie Chappell and Pelle Lydmar to provide a revenue management tool for hotels to benchmark daily, weekly and monthy revenue performance indices. Quickly became the leading benchmark tool for hotels in Europe and in 2007 The Bench merged with STR Global and Deloitte's Hotel Benchmark.
Joined the Board of Trustees of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance which is focused on driving collaboration within the hospitality industry for a more sustainable future. The Alliance represents over 7 million rooms globally and includes over 40 world-leading hotel companies and value chain partners, and over 50 supply chain and strategic partners, with a combined reach of over 50,000 properties.
Fresh On Table is a catalyst with a mission to promote local farms, sustainability and to assist the UAE's food security mission. Our mission is to reduce carbon footprint by keeping the source of production and consumption closest to each other. FOT is working towards its vision to complete the circular economy sustainability loop by recycling food/farm waste.
Envi Lodges was brought together by a desire for progress and strong values and a community of explorers invested in creating a better way to travel: with heightened awareness and a sense of respect and responsibility to both people and our planet. Envi Lodges are scattered in remote, unchartered, unspoilt territories all around the world. The perfect combination of high-end accommodations and transformational experiences with a holistic approach focused on well-being, responsible tourism, and improving the lives of the communities that host Envi on their land.