The head of the British Hospitality Association (BHA) has called on the government engage more with the serviced apartment sector and show it "greater respect".
Speaking at The Serviced Apartments Summit today in London, BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said there is a huge potential for growth in terms of helping youth unemployment and the potential income for the UK economy.
She welcomed the engagement from key political figures such as London mayor Boris Johnson but said a lot more can be done.
"This industry is the fourth largest employer in the country and a very important one for the UK," said Ibrahim. "We deserve greater respect, recognition and engagement than we have at the moment.
"When you look at other sectors and their relationships with government and the way it prioritises them you start to realise the industry doesn’t get the kudos it deserves."
Ibrahim highlighted the impact the industry can have on jobs in the UK. "We need to find our differentiator, and that can be done through jobs with a specific focus on combating youth unemployment. In terms of jobs we have grown at double the rate in the past two years, the only other sector to come close is retail.
"We have bold KPIs to help grow the industry such as 7,000 apprentices by 2016. This is already at 9,000 so you can see the opportunities for growth."
Last week, the Association of Serviced Apartments announced it has added 30 new members in the past three months.
The additions to the body, which represents firms in the serviced apartment sector, means it now represents 120 organisations.
Buying Business Travel is media partner to the Serviced Apartment Summit