Mexican Hospitality Summit 2026 Closes with More Than 400 Industry Professionals and Announces Expansion Across Latin America

The second edition of the event consolidated Mérida’s position as a strategic hub for the tourism and hospitality industry, bringing together national and international leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts. Founded by Rocco Bova, an international hospitality leader, consultant, and mentor in the tourism industry, the Summit reflects his more than 40 years of experience in luxury hotels and his commitment to connecting people, ideas, and opportunities to help shape the future of hospitality.

With the participation of more than 400 professionals from the tourism, hotel, and hospitality sectors, the second edition of the Mexican Hospitality Summit (SMH) successfully concluded. The event took place on May 27 and 28 at Fiesta Americana Mérida and recorded growth of more than 100% in attendance compared with the previous edition.

Over two days, the Summit brought together owners, CEOs, general managers, investors, hotel operators, tourism developers, architects, consultants, travel advisors, journalists, wellness industry experts, and representatives of national and international hotel brands. It has established itself as one of Mexico’s most relevant platforms for networking, learning, and business opportunity generation within the sector.

The 2026 edition featured more than 50 speakers and panelists from globally recognized companies and organizations, including Expedia Group, STR, Accor, Belmond, Forbes Travel Guide, Virtuoso, Adyen, Kaizen, Matrix, and Exclusive Tents. They shared trends, success stories, and perspectives on the future of hospitality.

The Summit was hosted by Jeannette Ceja and Saúl Ancona, two respected figures in the tourism industry. Jeannette Ceja, a travel journalist, speaker, and international communicator specializing in tourism, has collaborated with various media outlets and tourism promotion organizations worldwide, standing out for her work in promoting destinations and industry trends. Saúl Ancona, a consultant, academic, and tourism leader with more than three decades of experience, has held senior roles in tourism management and promotion in Mexico and has also served as a speaker and strategic advisor for projects related to tourism, events, and hospitality. Together, they brought dynamism, experience, and a comprehensive perspective that enriched the Summit’s program.

Throughout the program, key topics were addressed, including hotel innovation, luxury tourism, wellness, artificial intelligence, sustainability, branding, technology, investment, and new hotel projects, generating strategic conversations among some of the most influential players in the industry.

One of the Summit’s most relevant sessions was “The Future Checks In Here: Mexico’s Next Major Hotel Projects,” a panel dedicated to sharing the vision, trends, and investments transforming the country’s hospitality landscape. Participants included Joshua Kremer of Paradero Hotels; Luis Ángel Canul of Atal Resort; Alberto Ramírez of Hamaak Hotels; Simon Quenin of Belmond Hotels; Bruno de los Reyes of Accor; Gustavo Ripol of Leisure Partners; and Normand González of GND Properties. Through their experience and projects, the panelists offered valuable insight into the opportunities, challenges, and trends that will define the next generation of hotel developments in Mexico.

The Summit also featured a commercial exhibition area with more than 25 national and international companies, including Huawei, American Express, Cold Box, Matrix, Aven, Lighthouse, Triptease, and other companies connected to technology, equipment, financial services, innovation, and tourism development. This strengthened opportunities for collaboration between suppliers and industry decision-makers.

One of the most important announcements of this edition was the project’s evolution toward a regional vision. Beginning in 2027, the event will officially adopt the name Latin American Hospitality Summit, reflecting the growth of its community and its objective to become a reference platform for the tourism industry in Mexico, with broader reach and impact across Latin America.

As part of this new stage, the organizers also announced the creation of the Latin American Wellness Tourism Summit, a new specialized event designed to bring together experts, developers, operators, investors, and brands focused on wellbeing, health tourism, transformative experiences, and wellness hospitality—one of the fastest-growing segments worldwide.

It was also confirmed that the next edition of the Latin American Hospitality Summit will take place on May 4, 5, and 6, 2027, while the first edition of the Latin American Wellness Tourism Summit will be held on September 28 and 29, 2027. Both events will take place at Fiesta Americana Mérida, reaffirming the Yucatán capital as a strategic venue for high-level events connected to tourism and hospitality.

The growth of this second edition confirms that there is a real need to create meeting spaces for the industry. Today, we are taking an important step toward a Latin American vision, expanding the Summit’s reach and creating new platforms to foster collaboration, innovation, and sector development

Rocco Bova, founder, and Adolfo Tuñón, co-founder of the project

The event reaffirms the positioning of Mérida and Yucatán as strategic destinations for meetings tourism and as ideal settings to promote dialogue, innovation, and investment in the tourism industry.

With this edition, the Summit concludes a stage of national consolidation and lays the foundation for international expansion, strengthening its role as a meeting point for leaders in hospitality and wellness tourism. It also reinforces its commitment to connecting people, ideas, and projects that are defining the future of hospitality and tourism in Latin America.

Media Contact

Rocco Bova

Event Founder [email protected]