Influence Society hosts a free, invite-only half-day event for Swiss hoteliers in the Geneva area, focusing on AI, data, and digital marketing's impact on hotel visibility and guest relationships.
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.
Influence Society has built a digital platform for SNUUG, a Swiss low-impact hotel concept opening in 2026, featuring sustainably manufactured suites hosted by local landowners in natural settings.
EHL research based on executive interviews finds Swiss hotels lack structured cultural intelligence training, leaving staff unprepared for growing Indian, Middle Eastern, and Asian guest segments.
Swiss craft beer awards like the Swiss Beer Award are acting as legitimacy signals that help beer enter fine dining contexts, with implications for HORECA operators, chefs, and distributors.
Wilhelm Luxem, Head of Quality Commission at Swiss Deluxe Hotels, shares how luxury properties can adopt technology while preserving authentic human connection, drawing on a 50-year career.
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.
Alina Hernandez argues that experience design must precede physical construction, with co-creation from guests and staff replacing assumption-driven decisions to avoid costly retrofits.
Pernod Ricard's Global Brand Homes Director Laura Sileo Pavat outlines how the spirits giant welcomes 1 million visitors annually across distilleries and châteaux, using five key elements to maintain personal guest connections at scale.
Kelly Ommundsen of the World Economic Forum argues hospitality tech is over-designed for confident users, under-regulated, and too often deployed without asking what problem it actually solves.
Mirko Lalli warns that 80% of AI travel suggestions come from OTAs, leaving most hotels invisible, and argues that 70% of the fix is content strategy, not technology.
EHL student and Young Hospitality Summit president Ilona Guérin argues Gen Z hoteliers are driven and passionate, but warns formalising "generation translator" roles would widen, not bridge, the gap.
EHL's Dr Sowon Kim uses AI-powered role-play avatars to train hospitality leaders in high-stakes interpersonal skills, and discusses loneliness, empathy, and her Women in Leadership programme.
Dr. Adrienne Boissy draws on healthcare's measurable approach to empathy, burnout, and system design to challenge hospitality leaders to move beyond aspiration and build human connection into operations.
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.
Dr. Aradhana Khowala, CEO of Aptamind Partners, challenges the hospitality industry to move beyond sustainability theatre, arguing regeneration requires measurable outcomes, community benefit, and a systemic redesign, not new vocabulary.
Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne has appointed Andreas Kohn as Resort Commercial Director, effective 8 June 2026. In his new role, Kohn will oversee the strategic direction of the resort’s commercial divisions, including MICE Sales, Leisure Sales, Event Sales and Revenue Management.
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.