Welcome to the HSMAI Europe Mentor Program — a 12-month pan-European journey connecting hospitality and travel professionals across companies, disciplines, and borders.
The HSMAI Europe Mentor Program is a 12-month, pan-European mentoring program connecting professionals across the hospitality and travel industry.
The program brings together Mentors and Mentees across companies, disciplines and countries, creating a neutral space for professional and personal growth, fresh perspectives and meaningful industry connections.
An external Mentor offers something different from the support available within your own company: an independent perspective, broader industry experience and a neutral space to reflect, gain new insights and explore challenges and choices from different perspectives.
Step outside your usual environment and look at challenges from a new angle.
Work deliberately on your goals, leadership and professional development.
Build meaningful relationships across companies, disciplines and countries.
Mentoring is not only about giving. Both sides gain new perspectives through the relationship.
The Mentor Program creates a structured framework while leaving enough flexibility for every Mentor–Mentee relationship to develop in its own way.
From your first application to ongoing reflection and development, the HSMAI Europe Mentor Program follows a clear and personal journey.
Professionals can apply to participate as either a Mentor or a Mentee.
Places in the program are limited. Acceptance and matching depend on finding a suitable Mentor–Mentee match based on the needs, focus areas and experience of each participant.
Following the application, selected participants are invited to a short individual conversation with the Head of the HSMAI Europe Mentor Program.
For prospective Mentees, the conversation explores their goals, current situation and the areas in which mentorship could create the greatest value.
Mentors and Mentees are carefully matched based on their respective goals, experience, expertise and focus areas.
Once a match has been identified, both participants receive an introduction before their first mentoring conversation.
The Head of the Mentor Program joins the first meeting to support the introduction, establish the framework for the mentorship and help the Mentor and Mentee get their journey off to a strong start.
As a pan-European program connecting people across countries and organizations, most mentoring conversations take place online.
Each pair decides together when and how to meet, with one mentoring conversation of up to 60 minutes recommended each month.
The Head of the Mentor Program reconnects with the Mentor and Mentee during the journey, with structured check-ins around meetings 4, 8 and 12.
These conversations provide an opportunity to reflect on progress, identify what is working well and support the continued development of the mentorship.
With approximately 30 Mentor–Mentee pairs across Europe, the HSMAI Europe Mentor Program brings together professionals across countries, companies, roles and disciplines.
The result is more than a series of mentoring meetings. It is a growing community built around sharing time, experience, ideas and perspectives across the hospitality and travel industry.
In 2026, the HSMAI Europe Mentor Program was recognized with a Certificate of Commendation at the Fast Forward 15 / European Mentoring Awards in the category “Community, Coaching & Mentoring Impact.”
Join the HSMAI Europe Mentor community for conversations, insights and practical perspectives on mentoring, leadership and professional development.
The human skills and qualities that are essential for succeeding in an increasingly technology-driven industry.
How to get the most out of your mentorship and use the experience to accelerate your own development, whether you are a Mentor or a Mentee.
A practical session where participants share their best AI tips and learn new ways to use AI in their own roles and everyday work.
The program brings together professionals at different stages of their careers and creates space for both development and contribution.
The program is relevant across career stages, from emerging managers and specialists to experienced directors and senior leaders working within the hospitality and travel industry.
What matters is a genuine desire to develop, openness to new perspectives and the willingness to take an active role in the 12-month mentoring journey.
Mentee participation is available to professionals whose company is a member of HSMAI Europe.
HSMAI Europe welcomes experienced professionals who want to share their knowledge and perspective, support the development of others and continue learning through the mentoring relationship themselves.
Mentorship is not only an opportunity to give. Many Mentors find that the conversations challenge their own thinking, strengthen their leadership and provide fresh perspectives on their own professional journey.
What characterizes the best sales teams?
Remi Morken, CCO, SalesScreen
How to sell when customers do not know they need you?
Benjamin is a French entrepreneur and investor. His job consists in solving major problems that hoteliers face every day. He is the Co-founder & Evangelist of Quicktext, a 24/7 AI-powered chatbot helping hotels increase sales while improving guest experience.
Benjamin Devisme, VP Sales, Quicktext
Revenue Management to Revenue Strategy: Best practices and key learnings to help your organization succeed in 2020 and beyond
John Gallagher, Sales Director, Duetto
Real time pricing
As the travel industry has evolved and become more digitized, markets that hotels operate in today have become faster, more transparent and more competitive than ever, pushing down profit margins. The old school of revenue management, where it used to be enough to pull historical reports from an isolated, non-connected PMS, to decide the future room prices, does not longer apply.
Alexander Edström, CEO, Atomize
Why are guests so unpredictable? Is there anything we can do in order to make them more predictable?
In recent years more and more hoteliers have commented on the fact that it is becoming harder to predict what demand will be like. Guests book later and later, events that traditionally had a high impact now have much lower impact and guests seem to change their mind on what they like. During this session we will discuss in what way we might be able to do in order to steer our guests towards a more predictable behavior.
Niels MekenkampDirector of Business Solutions, EMEA, Cendyn
Storytelling that works
Brands that tell stories are performing better. We will discuss how you can use stories to clarify your message, connect with customers and grow your business. Make sure your team is on the same page and creating marketing that get results. We will also introduce you to a framework that makes it easier for your team to create stories that work.
Christian Braathen, Client Director, Scandinavian Design Group
Commercial Technology Strategy
What choices to make to PMS, RMS, CRS, Channel Manager, cost implications, training implications, integration implications and more.
Julie Grieve, Founder and CEO, Criton
Close the gap between revenue optimization & digital marketing
Finnbar Cornwall, Senior Industry Head Travel at Google UK
Consequences of Inbound RFP Over-reliance – Why is it the Time to Establish a Proactive Meetings & Events Sales Strategy
MICE segment is becoming commoditized, driven by rate and response time. Cost of acquisition and distribution continues to grow. Need periods are more pronounced. Sales teams have subpar proactive skills – order takers vs. hunters. Sellers are fishing in the same pond with less than 10% conversion rates.
Erika Bucsi, Enterprise Director of Sales, EMEA & APAC, Knowland
Navigating the changing hotel distribution landscape
Insights to improve competitiveness in an increasingly volatile environment
Michael Mernagh, Head of Sales EMEA, OTA Insight
Customer Centricity
About delivering the promises made, managing the perception and trust of the brand on social and digital media through the experiences delivered.
Gil Mulders, Former Head of Learning Europe, Intercontinental Hotel Group and Chair of the HSMAI Region Europe People & Culture Advisory Board
3 ways to make more strategic use of your brand
How leaders can use modern brand thinking to engage people in delivering distinct customer experiences that inspire loyalty and word-of-mouth.
Monna Nordhagen, Partner and strategy advisor, Mars
Using Technology to Deliver a Personalized Guest Experience
Michael De Jongh, Chief Commercial Officer, Avvio
Being a General Manager and Leading a team of strong performers
Jarle Moen, Former Thief Executive Officer at the Award winning hotel The Thief, now the Managing Director at the upcoming hotel Sommerro
Coaching a team for strategic selling
Evert Schuele, Vice President Sales, Europe, Africa, Middle East and South West Asia, Hyatt International
Expansion of revenue management capabilities
Damiano Zennaro, Global Director of Advisory services at IDeaS
Laura McNally, Director, Account Management – Strategic and Global Accounts at IDeaS
Retention strategies for Sales professional that works’
Anant Vithlani, Vice President Sales, Nordic Choice Hotels
Intermediaries: Should they be managed like a key account?
Saurabh Bhargava, Commercial Director UK & Ireland, Taj Hotels
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