AI is transforming customer expectations faster than ever. The winners of tomorrow will not be the most digital companies – but those that combine human empathy with intelligent technology. Steven Van Belleghem’s keynote reveals the strategies to thrive in this new age of customer connection.

An in-depth analysis of Europe’s economic and geopolitical landscape, highlighting key risks and opportunities shaping the commercial strategy for businesses. This session will be followed by a Q&A.

This is a 15 minute Q&A session following Sergio Guerreiro’s presentation where attendees have the opportunity to ask him questions.

In this debate, we explore how the guest journey can evolve from a series of touchpoints into a true engine for growth. As AI reshapes guest expectations and performance increasingly depends on organisational alignment, the panel will discuss how hotels can move beyond siloed initiatives to connect marketing, revenue, operations, and experience design around one shared goal: guests but also drive lasting loyalty, stronger performance, and sustainable business results.

A long-standing HSMAI tradition: industry leaders share their best experiences, strategic perspectives, and big ideas to drive revenue and profitability—each in just 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

You will gain concrete tools and best practices you can apply immediately to strengthen both day-to-day operations and overall business performance. In addition, you’ll receive strategic insights that provide broader perspective and deeper understanding of key topics within revenue optimisation and leadership.

When Guests Speak, Brands Must Answer: The Rise of the Always-Reply Experience

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in hospitality—it is already shaping how guests discover, book, experience, and remember a hotel stay. From personalised recommendations and real-time feedback to smarter operations and service recovery, AI is fundamentally influencing the guest experience at every touchpoint.

This session explores not just the what, but the how and why behind the tangible impact of AI on modern guest journeys.

Post-stay communication and loyalty revenue management

Most hotels still invest heavily in acquiring guests, while the communication that drives repeat and direct bookings remains underdeveloped. This session will focus on how structured guest communication across the entire journey can directly influence booking behavior and reduce dependency on OTAs. We will explore practical examples of how hotels can stay present in the guest’s decision-making process without adding operational complexity. Special attention will be given to post-stay communication and how it can be used to guide guests back into direct channels. The goal is to provide a clear understanding of how communication and revenue strategy need to work together. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas that can be implemented immediately ahead of the 2026 summer season.

AI Assistants in hoteliers’ daily life

AI assistants are rapidly transforming how hoteliers make decisions, optimize revenue, and personalize guest experiences. This session explores how AI assistants work—from data input to intelligent, personalized recommendations—and what opportunities hotels miss by not adopting them. Drawing on innovations from Revenue Agents and AI-powered BI tools, it will showcase how agentic AI is reshaping hospitality technology. The session will also address how to use these tools effectively while maintaining strategic control and human oversight.

The Anticipatory Hotelier: Using Real-Time Search Data to Beat the CompSet

In today’s volatile market, relying solely on PMS data means your strategy is already lagging. True revenue leadership is won during the search phase, not after the booking. This session explores real-time demand data from your booking engine as well as from your destination reveal hidden market spikes before they hit your books. The goal of this session is to show hoteliers how to shift from reactive pricing to an anticipatory strategy by leveraging live search intelligence. Learn to eliminate data silos, capture early-bird demand, and outpace the competition by acting on the digital heartbeat of your hotel.

OpenAI’s recent announcement marks a turning point for travel — the launch of apps within ChatGPT is set to reshape how guests search and book hotels. With Booking.com and Expedia among the first to go live, this is the moment hoteliers must act to ensure they’re visible and bookable directly in AI-powered channels. Hotels need to start preparing now to navigate this shift — or risk being left behind as AI redefines distribution.

Parallel roundtable discussions – overview and discussion leaders:

Revenue Optimisation

• Data-driven decisions

The Sales Bridge

A focus on the full sales process—from first contact to contract and repeat business.

AI and Guest Experience

• AI is revolutionising discovery, booking, and the in-stay experience
• The shift to AI-driven tools makes GEO and Online Reputation Management critical for guest acquisition
• AI agents can answer guest enquiries instantly, 24/7, in all languages, enabling seamless conversational experiences
• AI empowers staff to focus on hospitality by automating routine tasks

Post-stay communication and loyalty revenue management

This roundtable is designed for hotel leaders who want to openly discuss the challenges around increasing direct bookings and improving guest communication. Many hotels face similar issues, including fragmented communication, limited time, and lack of clear strategy, which results in missed revenue opportunities. The discussion will focus on real operational scenarios and how different approaches can lead to better guest engagement and higher conversion into direct channels. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange experiences and explore what is currently working in the market. The session will remain practical and interactive, with an emphasis on solutions that do not require additional workload for already stretched teams. The objective is to leave the table with clearer direction on how to approach communication and revenue more effectively.

From Traffic to Revenue: Where Are Hotels Losing Direct Bookings?

This roundtable explores where and why hotels lose potential direct bookings along the customer journey—from initial traffic to final conversion. Participants will examine key leakage points across the funnel, including traffic acquisition activities, website experience, pricing parity, user friction, and competition from OTAs. The discussion will focus on practical strategies to identify missed opportunities, reduce drop-offs, and turn more direct traffic into revenue.

The Next Frontier of Revenue Management: Real-Time Demand Intelligence

By the time demand shows up in your PMS, it’s already old news. Today’s market requires a shift toward earlier signals—especially those hidden in search activity.

In this interactive session, we’ll explore how forward-looking hoteliers are using real-time search data from prime sources (not triangulations) to anticipate demand, capture early-booking intent, and outperform their comp set. The discussion will focus on practical challenges: what data is missing today, how teams currently make decisions, and what it takes to move toward a more proactive revenue strategy.

Short presentations from each roundtable.