Hospitality Upgrade Magazine Reports Record-breaking Attendance Numbers For 2009 Annual Meeting Of Hospitality Industry’s Top Technology Leaders — Photo by Hospitality Upgrade
CIO Summit

Hospitality Upgrade, the leading technology magazine published for hotel, travel and foodservice professionals, announces the highest pre-registration numbers on record for its annual CIO Summit, despite the difficult economic times.

The CIO Summit is the event for the "who's who" of technology leaders at major hotel, casino, cruise line, management and timeshare companies. It is an invitation-only event that offers a combination of networking, social events and program unlike any other. Titles of attendees include: CIO, SVP of IT, CTO and VP of Technology.

This year not only are the CIOs from companies such as Hyatt, IHG, MGM MIRAGE, Marriott, Royal Caribbean, Starwood and Diamond Resorts International coming but also many smaller hotel and management companies, cruise lines, vacation ownership and gaming companies.

Hospitality Upgrade President and Publisher Richard Siegel said, “In a down economy, it is more important than ever to form critical relationships with peers. Where other events focus on the commercial aspects of conferences such as vendor interaction, The CIO Summit focuses only on peer-to-peer interaction.”

The CIO Summit offers attendees the chance to meet with key industry players, analyze trends and discuss current challenges and issues in a relaxed environment. The benefit of interacting with peers is priceless. In a down economy, you need to learn first-hand what others in your position are doing. The Summit offers this and a unique peer group that attendees can call on throughout the year.

Ira Greenfield, VP Technology of Extended Stay Hotels, attended the CIO Summit for the first time in 2008. He said, “This is the most beneficial IT conference for collaborating with my peers that I have attended.”

Mike Sutten, a former hospitality industry CIO, said, “I really miss Hospitality Upgrade’s The CIO Summit. It is not many industries that can do what they are pulling off--to get such an exclusive team of CIOs in such an effective collective every year. We try things like the summit in the field that I am in today and it turns out to be thousands upon thousands of people, with random agendas. We never get anywhere near the camaraderie that The CIO Summits maintain."

Currently committed CIOs include: Al J. Schneider Company; Aspen Skiing Company; Benchmark Hospitality International; Best Western International; Bluegreen; Canyon Ranch; Carlson Hotels Worldwide; Carnival Cruise Lines; CTF Development; Davidson Hotel Company; Denihan Hospitality Group; Destination Hotels & Resorts; Diamond Resorts International; Extended Stay Hotels; Fairmont Raffles Hotels International; Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts; Great Wolf Resorts; Grupo Posadas; Harrahs Entertainment; HEI Hotels & Resorts; Hyatt Hotels Corporation; IHG; Interstate Hotels & Resorts; Kerzner International; Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants; Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants; Loews Hotels; La Quinta Inns; Magnolia Hotels; Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; Marriott International; MGM MIRAGE; Millennium Hotels; MTM Luxury Lodging; New Castle Hotels LLC; Noble Investment Group; Omni Hotels; Orient-Express; Premier Resorts International; Red Lion Hotels Corporation; Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Station Casinos; Thayer Lodging Group; The Marcus Corporation; Trump Hotel Collection; White Lodging; Wyndham Worldwide; and Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

For more information on The CIO Summit, please contact Charlotte Somers at [email protected].

About Hospitality Upgrade | Established in 1992, Hospitality Upgrade is the leading technology magazine published for hotel, travel and foodservice professionals including management, independent operators, executives and chains. Published three times a year, Hospitality Upgrade educates hospitality professionals on the latest technology software and hardware solutions. Regular coverage focuses on new industry trends and products, in-depth analyses by leading hospitality consultants, insider news and gossip, interviews with top industry executives, and profiles from many of the industries' solution providers. Specific topics include purchasing and maintenance of the following hospitality systems: point-of-sale, property management, back office, sales and marketing, Internet, in-room, restaurant management, central reservations, guest response, handheld/wireless technologies, executive information and more.

With more than 29,000 readers in 102 countries, Hospitality Upgrade is committed to shaping and defining the future of the hospitality technology industry. For more information or to sign up for a FREE subscription, visit .

Charlotte Somers
Hospitality Upgrade