In Brief: Wide-Ranging Sessions Will Bring Hotel Leaders Together to Tackle Guest Loyalty, Profitability, AI and Other Operational Challenges
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Image Credit The Hospitality Show
The Hospitality Show, an annual gathering of hotel owners, operators, brands and suppliers, has completed its 2026 Center Stage lineup. Eight Center Stage sessions are scheduled for November 3–4 in the Expo Hall at the Miami Beach Convention Center, covering decisions hotel teams face every day, from keeping guests loyal and managing costs to using AI and finding new talent.
Center Stage speakers include Scott Strickland, Chief Commercial Officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Jason Reader, Chief Operating Officer of Davidson Hospitality Group; Keryn McNamara, Chief Information Officer of Aimbridge Hospitality; Gustaaf Schrils, Chief Information Officer of Omni Hotels & Resorts; Warren Fields, Chief Executive Officer of Pyramid Global Hospitality; and Jeremy Tobin, Senior Vice President of Starwood Capital Group.
The Center Stage program includes:
- “What Hotel Guests Actually Value: New Consumer Insights” — Strickland, Reader and Fabien Gnemmi, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, will discuss consumer research on what brings guests back and what leads them to spend more.
- “From Amenity to P&L Driver: Repositioning Hotel F&B for Profitability” — Jill Ziemba of Atrium Hospitality, Richard Garcia of Crescent Hotels & Resorts and Mark Weiss of Loews Hotels & Co will examine how food and beverage contributes to hotel profitability.
- “Real-World Use Cases for Implementing AI in Hotel Operations” — McNamara and Schrils will join Dan Fernandez of Concord Hospitality and Jacqueline DeChamps of Towne to discuss how they’re using AI in revenue, labor, guest service and back-of-house operations.
- “Are We Worth the Cost?” — Fields, Tobin, Lily Hu of Crescent Hotels and Kirk Pederson of PM Hotel Group will tackle a question hotel owners are increasingly asking: What are they getting for their management fees?
Additional Center Stage programming includes “PIPs Under Pressure,” “How Smarter Energy Use Drives Hotel Profitability” and a discussion on building hospitality’s future workforce, along with the 2026 HTNG/AHLA TechOvation Award semifinals.
Elsewhere on the program, Peter Chambers, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Montage International, and Priya Chandnani, Executive Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Sage Hospitality Group, will discuss how AI is changing the way travelers find and book hotels. Sarah Phelps, Vice President of Games Hospitality for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, will speak about sports and entertainment that drive demand. Miami chef and World Central Kitchen board member Karla Hoyos will share what she has learned about building teams by working with local immigrant communities to provide opportunities for immigrant women, as well as maintaining quality at scale.
“Hotels are navigating rising costs, staffing challenges, rapid technology advancement, and ever-changing guest demand,” said Brandy Rand, Vice President of Hospitality at Forge (formerly Questex), which produces The Hospitality Show with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). “At The Hospitality Show, they can meet and talk with people who are facing the same decisions and hear what’s actually working at other hotels.”
The broader program also features previously announced speakers Chris Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton; Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International; and Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at The Walt Disney Company.
For the full agenda and registration, visit thehospitalityshow.com
About The Hospitality Show
The Hospitality Show is an event for the entire hospitality ecosystem with one goal: operating hotels more efficiently. Produced by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Forge (formerly Questex), the event brings together top industry leaders, senior executives of hotel brands, owners, operators, management companies, procurement specialists, and their teams. The Hospitality Show 2026 takes place November 2-4, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, FL.
About Forge
Forge is a leading global B2B events and media company, connecting buyers and sellers across high-value industries through live events, trusted media brands, digital products and year-round communities. Powered by first-party data, technology and deep market expertise, Forge helps businesses discover opportunities, build the right relationships and stay engaged well beyond the event itself. It is a company guided by a single purpose, Moving Markets. For more information, visit forgelive.com.
About AHLA
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide – including iconic global brands, 80% of all franchised hotels, and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at ahla.com.