Francis Louis Passerini, formerly Managing Director Italy MEA at D-EDGE for 24 years, joins Italian travel tech firm Blastness as COO to drive growth and operational scale across international markets.
The 26th WTTC Global Summit will convene 200+ travel and tourism CEOs in Valletta, Malta from 7–9 October 2026, with confirmed attendees from Hilton, IHG, Four Seasons, Marriott, and Expedia among others.
Abode Worldwide has hired Wouter Geerts, formerly of Mews and Skift Research, to lead a new Market Intelligence and Research division serving hospitality and proptech clients.
EHL Group's Dean Achim Schmitt will succeed current CEO Markus Venzin on January 1, 2027, with a mandate to prioritize education, academic rigor, and practical hospitality training.
HSMAI Europe's first Commercial Strategy Forum in Paris will be co-located with EquipHotel Paris on 5 November 2026, with HFTP also joining the event at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
ISHC is accepting nominations until July 14, 2026 for its Lori Raleigh Award, open to hospitality consultants aged 35 or under, with the award presented at the Annual Conference in Rome in September 2026.
citizenM co-founder Michael Levie argues hospitality's real problem is humans behaving like robots, and that automation should free staff for genuine human moments, not replace them.
HotellerieSuisse director Christian Hürlimann draws on 20 years overseeing 200 catering outlets to argue that empowering middle managers, using AI for back-of-house efficiency, and trusting staff to resolve guest issues are the keys to better hotel leadership.
EHL student Billy Turnbull argues Gen Z hotel workers aren't uncommitted, but that outdated behind-the-scenes tech and grueling shift cultures are the real drivers of early attrition.
Kempinski veteran Bernold Schroeder shares lessons from leading through Covid and multiple Asian crises, including the value of helicopter thinking, overcommunication, and empathy over technical brilliance.
Explora Journeys President Anna Nash discusses reframing ocean travel as a floating luxury hotel experience, with 30% first-time sailors and a fleet growing to six ships by 2028.
EHL Next CEO Andrea Monti argues hospitality over-relies on ADR and RevPAR, calls for impact metrics covering workforce and community value, and challenges the industry to prove AI actually frees staff time.
HSMAI Europe's new Playbook outlines 20 strategic choices facing hospitality in 2026, covering AI, operational costs, talent, and technology complexity, available free to paid members.
HSMAI Europe's AI Advisory Board, chaired by TrustYou CEO Benjamin Jost, is translating AI hype into practical guidance on discovery, content strategy, direct booking, and hospitality tech architecture.
EHL Dean Achim Schmitt argues hospitality's decades of comfort-driven complacency left it unprepared on talent and innovation, with retention, human connection, and competency-based education as the path forward.
Accor Deputy CEO Jean-Jacques Morin, speaking at EHL HumanX in Lausanne, argues that human relationships trump data in hospitality and that AI should augment, not replace, the people behind the brand.
Equinox Hotels CEO Christopher Norton shares how he built a hotel brand around health pillars including fitness, nutrition, recovery, and sleep, pulling 1,500 locals daily through a 60,000 sq ft gym.
Dr. Michael Toedt, founder and CEO of dailypoint, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Munich's University of Applied Sciences for decades of teaching, industry leadership, and academic contribution.
ETC re-elected Miguel Sanz as President and named Arnar Már Ólafsson as Vice President at its General Meeting in Montenegro, while welcoming Booking.com, Feratel, GetYourGuide, and Skyscanner as associate members.
Matt Bell of Mollie's outlines how the UK motel brand blends design, technology, and service culture to prove quality and affordability can coexist at scale.