Fifth Floor, Westside Ballroom
Enjoy a great breakfast with reunited colleagues as you prepare for an enlightening day that will focus on changes and trends in the industry.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7th
8:20 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
INDUSTRY LEADERS DISCUSS CURRENT TRENDS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL AND HOW TO CAPITALIZE ON WHAT’S COMING NEXT
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
There are owners, there are brands, and there are owners who own their brands; each brings a unique perspective to the table. To these leaders, who have successfully steered their various organizations through the acute phase of the pandemic, we ask: what now? Join these thought leaders for a thought-provoking discussion.

Eileen Crowley
Partner; Vice Chair - U.S. Transportation, Hospitality and Services Co-Leader, Deloitte & Touche

John Cohlan
Chief Executive Officer, Margaritaville

Sloan Dean
Chief Executive Officer and President, Remington Hotels

John Murray
President and Chief Executive Officer, Sonesta International Hotels

Peter J. Strebel
Chairman, Omni Hotels & Resorts

Jeff Wagoner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Outrigger Hospitality Group
9:20 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
THE LEADERS CHECK IN – PART TWO: CONSOLIDATION, SCALE, AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
Is technology leveling the playing field so that participants of any size can compete, or is it making scale more important than ever? With the big guys getting bigger and a lot of little start-ups in our industry, are we headed towards a future where a handful of major chains control a large number of brands? The OTA stable has shrunk through M&A to two powerful mega-providers: how is this impacting the hotel business? Savvy leaders share their innovative thinking.

Jeanelle Johnson
Principal and Lead Client Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Geoff Ballotti
President and Chief Executive Officer, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Larry Cuculic
President and Chief Executive Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts

Kevin J. Jacobs
Chief Financial Officer and President, Global Development, Hilton

Stephanie Linnartz
President, Marriott International

Elie W. Maalouf
Chief Executive Officer, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts

Patrick Pacious
President and Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels International
10:20 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
Industry Leaders’ Think Tank
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
In this tumultuous business environment, what are the smart leaders thinking about? Which of the pandemic-induced changes in customer behaviors and business and meeting travel patterns are permanent and which are temporary? Is the opportunity for lodging brand proliferation infinite or bounded, and are we getting close to a limit? With new technology at every level of every lodging enterprise, which will be part of every traveler’s life 5 years from now? Join these cutting-edge industry leaders as they share their perspectives on current industry conditions.

Umar Riaz
Managing Director, EY

Joe Ahmed-Youssef
Executive Vice President of Business Intelligence and Data, Hospitality, Amadeus

Tim Hentschel
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, HotelPlanner

Richard Holden
Vice President and General Manager, Travel, Google

David Kallery
President, Inspirato

Jean-Jacques Morin
Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Group, Accor
11:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
THE IREFAC C. EVERETT JOHNSON AWARD
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
The Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council (IREFAC), annually presents an award to an individual in the hospitality community who has shown remarkable business acumen in leading their organization to new levels of financial success.

Gilda Perez-Alvarado
Global Chief Executive Officer, JLL | Hotels & Hospitality

Michael Murphy
Head of Lodging and Leisure Capital, First Fidelity Companies
11:35 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
FINANCIALLY SPEAKING: IREFAC INSIDERS
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
IREFAC is a highly respected organization, operating under the American Hotel & Lodging Association umbrella. Its members convene twice a year to discuss the latest deals, industry occurrences, and trends. In addition, many IREFAC participant firms provide the funding that enables deals to come to fruition. This session affords Conference attendees an “inside look” at an IREFAC meeting. The latest (and greatest) from IREFAC.

Mit Shah
Chief Executive Officer, Noble Investment Group

Neil H. Shah
President and Chief Operating Officer, Hersha Hotels and Resorts

Tyler Henritze
Senior Managing Director and Head of Strategic Investments, Blackstone

Lonny Henry
Global Chairman of Investment Bank, J.P. Morgan

Christopher J. Jordan
Managing Director, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

Majid Mangalji
President, Westmont Hospitality Group

Leeny Oberg
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Marriott International

Gilda Perez-Alvarado
Global Chief Executive Officer, JLL | Hotels & Hospitality
WORKSHOP XVII – Labor and Technology
Labor and the Service-Profit Chain: Is it Time for a Paradigm Shift?
Fifth Floor, Belasco and Broadhurst in the Juilliard Complex
It is well-established that the kind of successful service-profit chain that creates growth and profitability for an enterprise starts with employee satisfaction. But how do you recruit and motivate service employees to achieve satisfaction in a world where remote work has become a preference, and in an industry where some of the fundamental job requirements – such as showing up to a workplace, or dealing with ill-behaved customers, or cleaning bathrooms - are perceived as intrinsically unappealing? And with labor in such short supply, how does an organization even begin to focus on its ESG-related goals? If part of the answer lies in technology such as robotics or AI, how do you integrate these to be useful, cost-effective, and not intrusive? Or perhaps we need to think in terms of a fundamental paradigm shift, where the lodging industry will need to create alternative labor models and forms of employee ownership. Join these industry experts for a thought-provoking discussion centering around these top-of-mind issues.

Kevin F. Carey
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)

Moneesh Arora
Chief Executive Officer, Unifocus

Andrew J. Arthurs
Chief Information Officer, Aimbridge Hospitality

James Carroll
President and Chief Executive Officer, Crestline Hotels & Resorts

Dan Kornick
Chief Information Officer, Loews Hotels & Co.

Alexander Mirza
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mogul Hospitality
WORKSHOP XVIII – Industry Segment
Upscale and Upper Upscale: It’s Complicated
Fourth Floor, Wilder
“Things are more like they are now than they ever were before“ and the “now” is that today’s travelers can come with… complications. The trend towards leisure travel means that one and the same customer wants services and amenities that are both business- and leisure-oriented. Is adding services unavoidable? And to what extent are travelers in this segment willing or able to absorb the higher costs that result? With travel still not back to pre-pandemic levels in many locations, can profitability be preserved enough to sustain value? The experts, the brands, and the owners share their real-time experiences about exactly how the upscale and upper upscale segments are responding.

Yuval Tal
Partner, Proskauer Rose

Janis Cannon
Senior Vice President, Upscale Brands, Cambria Hotels and the Ascend Collection, Choice Hotels International

Tiffany Cooper
Senior Vice President, Development - Americas, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Bill Hall
Senior Vice President, Development, Radisson Hotel Group Americas

Agnès Roquefort
Global Chief Development Officer, Accor
WORKSHOP XIX – NYU Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality Alumni Panel
Maximizing Results: Insider Insights
Fourth Floor, Odets
Maximizing operating results and asset value of a hotel investment are among hotel owners’ highest objectives. But broad industry trends provide little actionable guidance for improved results. This panel will address the data sources and evaluative processes that are used by today’s industry-leading firms that specialize in identifying and unlocking opportunities for enhanced performance. The respected professionals on this panel will offer an inside view into many of the “tips & tricks” to seeing past day-to-day issues to identify and implement important value drivers.

Sean Hennessey
Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU School of Professional Studies, Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality

Mahesha Jayawardana
Director, Transactions & Feasibility, BRE Hotels & Resorts

Danny Kim
Vice President, LW Hospitality Advisors

John Paulsen
Senior Vice President, Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE)

Walter Peseski
Senior Director of Feasibility, Aimbridge Hospitality
WORKSHOP XX – Design/Development
Creating High Design with Limited Funds
Fourth Floor, Ziegfeld
As the hotel industry continues to recover, budgets tend to be lighter to make renovation improvements possible. Panelists will explore tricks of the trade to create memorable, inspiring designs on a small budget.

Christina Trauthwein
Vice President, Content and Creative, Hotel Business / InspireDesign

Craig Amos
Executive Vice President Design and Construction, RLJ Lodging Trust

Celia Barrett
Principal Designer and Chief Executive Officer, Barrett Design Studio

Warren G. Feldman
Chief Executive Officer, Nehmer/HVS Design

Stacy Garcia
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Inspiration Officer, Stacy Garcia

Jennifer R. Mehra
Director of Prototype Design and Development, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
WORKSHOP XXI –Industry Segment
Deal Structure that Gets Deals Done
Fifth Floor, Salon 4 in the Lyceum Complex
Deal structures come and go over time. Tax laws are modified. Development incentives are offered or retired. The cost and availability of different types of financing, from different types of lenders, changes. And the type of players who are active in the market, and the needs of these players, also morph. Join these experts for a spirited discussion of what they are seeing in the current environment. What structures are investors favoring in the here and now? How are these facilitating deal consummation? And what structural changes can we expect in the future?

Jordan G. McCarthy
Partner, Perkins Coie

Deric S. Eubanks
Chief Financial Officer, Ashford

Greg Hartmann
Senior Vice President, Luxury, Resort, Residential & Corporate Development, Hilton

Robbie Karver
Partner/Principal, EY

Rick S. Kirkbride
Partner, Real Estate Department, Paul Hastings

Sourav Ghosh
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Host Hotels & Resorts
WORKSHOP XXII – Operations
Optimizing Value: Thinking Ahead When Structuring the HMA
Fifth Floor, Salon 2 in the Juilliard Complex
A hotel whose trades are encumbered by its management and brand, is a fundamentally different animal than one that trades free and clear. Since any new buyer will have to live within the existing contract terms, the asset’s perceived upside in income–producing potential is directly impacted, in terms of both the opportunity to increase revenues and to contain costs. Capex requirements, the amount, nature and requirements of available new debt, and the constituency of the universe of potential bidders also impact price - from the cap rate side. The time for strategic thinking therefore is when a management contact is first structured. The issues are many, and complex. Join these expert panelists as they share strategies for structuring the management agreement to optimize the hotel‘s underlying value.

Michelle S. Russo
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE)

Barry A. N. Bloom
President and Chief Operating Officer, Xenia Hotels & Resorts

Ben Cadwell
Chief Operating Officer, United States, Accor

Kate Henriksen
Co-Chief Investment Officer, RLJ Lodging Trust

Amy King
Vice President, Luxury and Managed Development, Hilton

Tracy L. Prigmore
Managing Partner, TLTsolutions and Founder, She Has a Deal.
WORKSHOP XXIII - Operations
The Future of Agile
Fifth Floor, Booth and Edison in the Lyceum Complex
We can all see how the office sector is being impacted as co-work and remote work come of age, but the impact on the lodging sector is more varied and subtle. Hospitality enterprises are buying co-working businesses. Hotels are offering daily, or pop-up office rentals. Some are converting meeting space to co-work space. Experts are starting to study how hotel demand patterns are being impacted by the new, “flex” work force. What, specifically, are the revenue- and income- generating opportunities in the hospitality industry? Join these panelists as they discuss these issues and trends, what they are seeing, and what we all need to learn.

Peter Caputo
Principal - US Hospitality Subsector Leader, Deloitte Transaction and Business Analytics

Rob Andrews
Chief Operating Officer - The Hoxton, Working From_ / Deputy Head of Americas, Ennismore

Kate Burda
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Kate Burda & Company

Dave Cairns
Senior Vice President - Office Leasing, CBRE Limited
2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Show Us the Money: Where is Lodging Industry Capital Coming from Today?
Sixth Floor, Broadway Ballroom
From multi-billion dollar acquisitions in Las Vegas to 7-digit transfers of economy hotels in Maryland, it is clear that the extreme industry disruption of the past 2 years has not quelled the investment market’s appetite for lodging assets. But who’s dining? Join these experts as they share who is sitting at the table today, what motivates them, how they are doing the math, and where they’re getting the money.

Chelsey Leffet
Senior Vice President - Northeast Leader, HVS

Peter Benudiz
Partner, Sidley Austin

Peter E. Dannemiller
Managing Director, Hodges Ward Elliott

Mark K. Owens
Co-Head of Hospitality Capital Markets, CBRE

Nick Scribani
Senior Managing Director, Newmark

Evan Weiss
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Principal, LW Hospitality Advisors