24th CIO Summit Brings Hospitality Technology Leaders to Milwaukee for Three Days of Insight and Networking

Last week, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) and Hospitality Upgrade successfully hosted 76 chief information officers (CIO) and hospitality industry professionals for three days of high-level exploration of tech and business trends impacting the hospitality space. In its 24th year, the CIO Summit was held Sept. 9–11 at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee. In its two decades, the CIO Summit has become known as a unique, invitation-only event for CIOs from hotel brands, management companies, cruise lines, gaming and independent hotels. The Summit program offers a mix of expert-led sessions and fun social activities that highlight the host city’s local treasures.

"The CIO Summit is an event I look forward to every year, and this year certainly did not disappoint,” said Sandra Alpert, Principal with Salamander Hotels. “From making new connections and gaining fresh perspectives to having invaluable conversations with peers, this event continues to offer a unique experience that is hard to find elsewhere."

The education portion covered important industry topics such as AI, cybersecurity, shifting industry economics, intellectual property rights, payment technology and more. In detail, the 2026 program was as follows:

• AI is Reshaping Technology Buying Before You Meet the Vendor
  Presented by Michael Goldrich; Founder & Chief Advisor; Vivander Advisors

• Profit First – Responding to Fundamental Shifts in Hotel Economics
  Presented by Cindy Estis Green; Co-Founder & CEO; Kalibri

• Beyond the Breach - Building Cyber Resilience Across the Modern Hospitality Enterprise
  Presented by Ashley Bennett Jones; SVP, AI Risk & Advisory; Lockton Companies LLC

• What Owners Want
  Moderated by Julian Bish; Global Director IT, Hyatt Hotels Corporation | Panel featuring Dharam Chaudhari; CEO/ Founder; Westbridge Hotel Group • Trevor Warner; President; Warner Consulting Group • Steve Steinberg; President; Murphy Asset Management 

• Protecting Hospitality Innovation — Intellectual Property Risks, Litigation and Emerging Technology
  Presented by Ben Hodges; Principal; Foster Garvey PC

• Payments Without the Pain: Unshackling the Misconception of Hotel Tech Payments
  Moderated by Matt Schwartz; CTO; Sage Hospitality Group | Panel featuring Jeffrey Horowitz; Chief Growth Officer; POST • Nick Moiseykin; Director, Global Consumer Payments; Hyatt Hotels & Resorts • Leroy Prout, CIO, HRI Properties

• CIO Summit Round Table
  Moderated by John Burns; President, Hospitality Technology Consulting • Mark Gage; Vice President, IT/IS; Tanzerra Resorts

“We don’t create these events in a vacuum and it’s no surprise that we surround ourselves with amazing speakers for the program, sponsorship partners who understand the unique event formula, and CIOs who are always at the focus of the week and actively participate,” said Geneva Rinehart, Publisher, HFTP Media Division. “Please look for the full review of the week in the upcoming issue of Hospitality Upgrade, due out next month.” To receive a copy of the issue, please subscribe to Hospitality Upgrade. 

On top of the industry-focused sessions, attendees were treated to a tour of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Best Place and the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Baseball Game. Also, a highlight was the HFTP Helps activity contributing to the Ronald McDonald House of Eastern Wisconsin. With the support of Premiere sponsor POST Hospitality Payments, attendees worked together in teams to create special blankets that were donated to children and families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, providing warmth, comfort, and support during their time away from home.

To glimpse the activity of this year’s CIO Summit in pictures, view the photo gallery.

Thank you to the 2026 sponsors, including Premiere sponsor POST Hospitality Payments; Signature sponsors Agilysys, Blueprint RF, Canary Technologies, Inntelo AI, and Sertifi by flywire; as well as transportation sponsors Cloud5, IBS Software and WorldVue.

Media Contact

Geneva Rinehart

SVP, Media Division [email protected]