AGENDA

PART 2 AGENDA

 

DAY 1

SEPTEMBER 10, 10:00-1:05 EDT

10:00-10:05 EDT Opening Remarks

10:05-10:45 EDT Elevating Employee Well-being

Whether at work or on furlough, hotel employees at all levels are dealing with high levels of mental and physical stress. This strain—especially as it turns into a longer-term issue than originally expected—affects every aspect of their lives, including work performance. How can hotels and hotel companies help their staff members deal with life as we know it today?

Speakers:

  • Sloan Dean, CEO, Remington Hotels
  • Daniel Fryer, Author
  • Renyung Ho, VP – Brand HQ, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
  • Biran Patel, Chairman, AAHOA

Moderator:

  • Toni Jacaruso, President, Jacaruso Enterprises

10:45-10:50 EDT Break

10:50-11:30 EDT Assessing Alternatives

Business travelers and guests are not darkening hotels’ doorsteps like they were before COVID-19, which means properties must shift their focus to survive. From offering guestrooms as offices and partnering with colleges to house students to housing medical professionals, here’s what you need to know about alternative uses for your hotel.

Speakers:

  • Carol Lynch, SVP of Sales, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
  • Richard Sandoval, VP of Operations, Spire Hospitality
  • Chris Winterhalter, CEO & Co-Founder, Hotel Rehabs

Moderator:

  • David Eisen, Director of Hotel Intelligence & Customer Solutions, HotStats

Sponsored by Hotel Rehabs

11:30-11:35 EDT Break

11:35-12:15 EDT Moving Beyond the Hotel Restaurant

With little margin for error, hotel F&B can be an unforgiving beast, especially with new COVID-19 guidelines. But there are options for boosting revenue in this category, including offering meal kits, in-room delivery and partnering with food-delivery companies. Panelists will share best practices for expanding beyond the traditional restaurant experience.

Speakers:

  • Rick Hertan, Director of Brand Management, Cambria Hotels
  • David Kaplan, Founder & Co-Owner, Death & Co.
  • Marcus Marshall, VP Restaurants & Bars, HVMG

Moderator:

  • Jeremiah Batucan, Director of Conference & Industry Development, Questex

12:15-12:20 EDT Break Sponsored by PhoneSuite Direct

12:20-1:00 EDT Taking Technology to the Next Level

Whether it likes it or not, the hospitality industry is being forced to take a hard look at technology—from touchless options in guestrooms and public spaces to behind-the-scenes items such as sophisticated air-filtration systems. What are the must-have elements versus the nice-to-have features and how do you pay for it all?

Speakers:

  • Vanessa Borkmann, Researcher, Fraunhofer-IAO
  • Lennert de Jong, Chief Commercial Officer, citizenM
  • Neal Patel, Treasurer, AAHOA

Moderator:

  • Ian Millar, Senior Lecturer, Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne

Sponsored by Smarthands by Minibar Systems

1:00-1:05 EDT Wrap Up

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DAY 2

SEPTEMBER 24, 10:00-12:20 EDT

10:00-10:05 EDT Opening Remarks

10:05-10:45 EDT Being Direct About Distribution

The global operators were starting to reap the rewards of their rewards programmes as the pandemic hit, with owners realizing the benefits of direct booking on their bottom line. As the battle for fewer customers gets underway, will hotels return to the perceived security the OTAs and the costs which that entails? Or will they keep faith with the direct drive?

Speakers:

  • Charlie Osmond, Chief Tease, Triptease
  • Biran Patel, Chairman, AAHOA
  • Frank Reeves, CEO, Avvio

Moderator:

  • Katherine Doggrell, Editor-in-Chief EMEA, Questex

Sponsored by IDeaS

10:45-10:50 EDT Break 

10:50-11:30 EDT Is Your Brand Promise Squeaky Clean

The global operators were quick to offer cleaning protocols to reassure the customer and set themselves apart from their rivals. Other brand standards were treated with more flexibility as cleanliness became the one rule. With hotels - and the skies - now reopening, are the brands sticking to their promises and, in the move from management to franchising, how can they ensure that those on the ground are too?

Speakers:

  • Tina Burnett, Division VP – Franchise Brand Performance, G6 Hospitality
  • Fouad Malouf, SVP Franchise Operations, Red Roof
  • Vinay Patel, Vice Chairman, AAHOA

Moderator:

  • Elaine Simon, Senior Managing Editor, Questex

Sponsored by Serta Hospitality

11:30-11:35 EDT Break Sponsored by Orkin

11:35-12:15 EDT Refilling the Coffers

Governments around the world have appreciated that the hotel sector needs external support and there are a variety of schemes in place to help it cope while occupancy remains and or below breakeven. As support tapers and fades, hotels must talk to owners and lenders about how everyone in the stack can work to keep hotels not only open, but viable investments. With bonds now being offered in Thailand, we look at the traditional - and innovative - options available for hotels looking to shore up their liquidity.

Speakers:

  • David Duncan, President & CEO, First Hospitality
  • Dilip Petigara, CEO, Access Point Financial
  • Michael Sonnabend, Founder & Managing Partner, PMZ Realty Capital LLC

Moderator:

  • Alphy Johnson, Managing Director-Americas, Hotel Consulting Solutions (HoCoSo)

12:15-12:20 EDT Wrap Up

PART 1 AGENDA

 

DAY 1 | PREPARE

JUNE 9, 10:00-12:20 EDT

10:00-10:05 EDT Opening Remarks

10:05-10:45 EDT Strength from Within

Your employees are an indispensable part of your hotel operation, but with so many of them furloughed, communication is an ever more vital component of operations. Our panel of experts will take a look at how to stay in touch with employees, how to build loyalty during these uncertain times and how to rebuild your staff as the industry ramps back up.

Speakers:

  • Jerry Cataldo, Hostmark
  • Chris Mumford, Cervus Leadership Consulting
  • Vinay Patel, AAHOA

Moderator:

  • Elaine Simon, Questex

10:45-10:50 EDT Break Sponsored by Ascentium Capital

10:50-11:30 EDT Finding Financial Strength

Hotels can turn to a number of sources to help them through the virtual standstill created by COVID-19—banks, financing companies, the Small Business Administration and more. Here’s what you need to know about the assistance they can provide as well as strategies for negotiating with your franchisor, lenders, vendors and tax authorities.

Speakers:

  • Frank Croston, Hamilton Hotel Partners
  • Tim Helliwell, Barclays
  • Joe Iacono, Crescit Capital Strategies
  • Mark Kerrutt, Ascentium Capital

Moderator:

  • Jeff Diener, DLA Piper

Sponsored by Crescit Capital Strategies

11:30-11:35 EDT Break Sponsored by AVIXA

11:35-12:15 EDT Building Trust to Restart

Even before hotels open their doors to guests, operators must consider their employees: How do you make them feel safe? We also will discuss how to deal with employees who might be hesitant to work with the public and how to ensure employees consistently follow new health and safety procedures.

Speakers:

  • Joel Carver, Carver Companies
  • Biran Patel, AAHOA
  • Mark Ricketts, McNeill Hotel Company

Moderator:

  • Katherine Doggrell, Questex

Sponsored by NeoSan Labs

12:15-12:20 EDT Wrap Up

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

DAY 2 | POSITION

JUNE 10, 10:00-12:20 EDT

SPONSORED BY AVIXA

10:00-10:05 EDT Opening Remarks Sponsored by AVIXA

10:05-10:45 EDT Technology and the Customer Experience

Group events as we know them are gone, so what does that mean for hotels? The panel will provide a look at what the new normal for meetings and group events might look like - from reimagined F&B and making the most of event spaces to how to balance an increase in technology with human interaction - and how to capitalize on the changes.

Speakers:

  • Eric Gavin, Benchmark Hospitality
  • Katherine Kies, PM Hotel Group
  • Michael McCartan, McCartan Tech Consulting
  • Mark Van Amerongen, Prism Hotels

Moderator:

  • Elaine Simon, Questex

Sponsored by Chargerback

10:45-10:50 EDT Break Sponsored by CleanBrands

10:50-11:30 EDT Smart Marketing

There’s a fine line between keeping your company or property top of mind and being insensitive to what potential guests are dealing with, but make no mistake, marketing still should be a vital part of a hotel’s strategy. Find out when what your message should be, who your audience should be and more, including how to incorporate your cleaning process as a selling point.

Speakers:

  • Chris Daly, Daly Gray Public Relations
  • Brian Klein, MMGY Global
  • Loren Gray, Hospitality Digital Marketing

Moderator:

  • Andrea Stokes, J.D. Power & Associates

11:30-11:35 EDT Break Sponsored by CleanBrands

11:35-12:15 EDT Recharge your Revenue Management

Revenue management is the name of the game during the recovery, and every dollar counts as the hotel industry starts to pull itself out of the hole created by COVID-19. These best practices for a “new normal”—including how you can use hygiene to hold onto rates—will put you ahead of the competition as bookings pick up.

Speakers:

  • Joe Pettigrew, Starwood Capital/Yotel
  • Rachel Moniz, HEI Hotels & Resorts
  • Donald Wise, Turnbull Capital

Moderator:

  • David Eisen, HotStats

12:15-12:20 EDT Wrap Up

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

DAY 3 | PERFORM

June 11, 10:00-12:20 EDT

10:00-10:05 EDT Opening Remarks

10:05-10:45 EDT Cleaning Up

This panel takes a nitty gritty look at COVID-19 and sustainability—can a hotel achieve the level of sanitation required to fight COVID-19 and still be sustainable?—as well as how hotel companies are using hygiene certification to drive revenue and brand awareness.

Speakers:

  • Steven McNabb, SaniPro NSB
  • Megan Morikawa, Iberostar Group
  • Jim Stapleton, Nelson Worldwide
  • Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Considerate Group

Moderator:

  • Katherine Doggrell, Questex

 Sponsored by SaniPro NSB

10:45-10:50 EDT Break Sponsored by AVIXA

10:50-11:30 EDT Healthy Habitats

Cleaning, sanitation, hygiene—these are more than just marketing buzzwords in the age of COVID-19. We’ll discuss the top do’s and don’ts for getting your hotel ready for guests as well as take a look at what structural change is needed to make a building truly hygienic.

Speakers:

  • Dexter Moren, Dexter Moren Associates
  • Chip Rogers, AHLA
  • Vinay Patel, AAHOA

Moderator:

  • David Eisen, HotStats

 Sponsored by SmartHands by Minibar Systems

11:30-11:35 EDT Break Sponsored by CleanBrands

11:35-12:15 EDT Reshaping, Respacing

The ongoing push for social distancing will shape hotel design, at least in the short term. From crowded check-in areas and lobby bars to restaurants and fitness centers, experts will share what hotels should do now to ensure proper spacing as well as what they need to consider going forward.

Speakers:

  • Suzie Hall, Cornerstone Design
  • Darrell Long, Wilson Associates
  • Henry Wong, AO

Moderator:

  • Sarah Miller, Sarah Miller and Partners

 12:15-12:20 EDT Wrap Up