Roger Allen, ISHC
Group CEO, Resources for Leisure Assets

Patrick Adamle
Partner, mrp hotels

Prior to joining mrp hotels in 2013, Patrick Adamle successfully completed his studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Patrick Adamle gained more than 10 years of international experience in various sectors of the hospitality industry, including opening and operating his own business in Guatemala City. Patrick Adamle has extensive knowledge of the international hotel markets of Western and Central Eastern Europe. His assignments include owner representation and hotel performance management for major investors. By providing specific hotel market knowledge he ensures that the relationship with the hotel operator is suitable and beneficial for the owner.

Saad Audeh
Chairman, Campbell Gray Hotels Ltd.

Saad Issa Audeh, entrepreneur, visionary and shareholder of the Audeh Group, a family business formed in 1990, operating in Europe, Near & Middle East, GCC and Africa.

Mr Audeh achieved a degree from the University of Reading in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and later, in 1991, he joined the family business and developed a powerful network of interconnecting business operations and business partnerships.    He was responsible for the introduction of numerous products for international brands including Heinz and Nabisco and other FMCG in the former Soviet Union.  Mr Audeh’s creativity and clever use of design served him well when he created a coffee brand from concept to sale and distribution.  Over the years, his ability to identify, attract and nurture new business as a result of his strong networking skills has ultimately resulted in mutually beneficial and successful business relationships within a diverse international market.

His visionary skills attracted him to one of his current projects within the Al-Abdali development in Amman, Jordan, a unique Real Estate Development Project.  This mixed-use development will become a new visible centre for Amman and act as the major business district in one of the region’s fast growing cities.

Mr Audeh initially connected with Campbell Gray Hotels to brand and operate his part of the project and in doing so, he saw the potential to expand his portfolio into the service and hospitality industry.  Having now acquired Campbell Gray Hotels as part of the Audeh Group, “Campbell Gray Living”, the brand, has recently launched the company’s residential, office and retail spaces. 

Always looking to the future, Mr Audeh is also involved in developing ecological and environmentally friendly products which include Water solutions and Renewable energy. 

Werner Bilgram
Managing Director, Family Select Hotels, Austria

Werner finished University of applied sciences. He began his career 1984 as junior consultant at Reppel Unternehmensberatung where he was working on Tourism master plan for Baden-Württemberg and several marketing concepts  for communities, destinations and regions in Germany. 1985-1999 he was he was at the Touristik Union International, started as a trainee, ended as vice president. 1999-2001 he was managing director at Frosch Touristik International (FTI) with a turnover responsibility over 500 million Euros.

From 2001 to 2010 he has been working for two companies: Horwath Consulting Zagreb d.o.o. as managing partner and Kärnten Werbung Marketing & Innovations management GmbH as managing director. From 2010 until 2016 he had 100% ownership over Europäischer Reiseservice GmbH. In mean time, from 2013 until 2015 he was freelance managing director of Haindl Reisen. From 2012 until this very day he is managing director of Family Select Hotels and Kinderhotels Europe GmbH located in Austria.

During his opulent career his field of interest was mainly focused around tourism. Making Strategic marketing plans, operational marketing plans, destination management, tourism master planning, coaching and training in hospitality industry, competitiveness in tourism, tourism master plans, event organization are just some of many Mr. Bilgram's activities and responsibilities.

Greg Bows
Managing Director, Thola Travel

Greg has worked in African tourism and development for over a decade. Originally from the UK, Greg spent the past fifteen years in Africa, where he worked as a wildlife researcher and bush guide before co-founding and managing a number of tourism companies, including Africa & You, an award-winning tour operator, and African Impact, Africa’s leading volunteer travel organisation. Greg also co-founded the African Impact Foundation, African Horse Safaris and Africa & You.  Greg has seen first-hand how travel has the potential to not only provide amazing experiences, but to also be a force of good. A few years ago, he won the IHIF Young Leader Award, which recognised his contributions to the travel industry. Greg recently co-founded Thola Travel a travel accelerator and Incubator.

Kate Burda
Founder, Kate Burda & Co

Kate Burda, founder and principal of Kate Burda & Co. has been working within hospitality for 27 years.    Kate founded Kate Burda & Co three years ago focusing on accelerating revenue in Sales Effectiveness, Optimizing Revenue Management, and Customer-Centric Marketing Initiatives.       

They work with companies and organizations to build revenue strategies that are relevant in today’s economy and marketing place.  Her vision is work alongside leaders within our industry to innovate to become more profitable and agile; leaving legacy thinking behind.    Their work is a distruptor in the space of how the industry understands the Most Profitable Customer creates strategy that is based upon financial proforma, rather than focusing on costly segments.   They work with teams in elevating processes and customer engagement, whether they are in sales, revenue management, or marketing. 

Their clients are financial investors, owners, management companies, and brands, including IHG, Loew’s Hotels and Resorts, Chesapeake Hospitality.   

The also work outside of hospitality and bring best practices to our industry from healthcare, medical devices, law firms, and manufacturing.  Clients include; Abbott Labs, Ricoh, Boehringer Ingelhiem, Medtronic, and General Mills 

Other work:
Purdue University, Adjunct Professor- Revenue Management and Distribution Systems
Strategic Account Management Association

When she isn’t creating impact, Kate is a Travel bug, Shutter bug, Explorer, Skier and Retired Marathoner.

Lynn Curry, ISHC
President & Co-Owner, Resources for Leisure Assets

Christophe de Bruyn, ISHC
CEO, THR Tourism, Hospitality & Recreation Advisors

Kristie Dickinson, ISHC
Executive Vice President, CHMWarnick

Scott Dyde, ISHC
Director, SALA Design Group

Wolfgang Gattringer, ISHC
Managing Director, 
Solutions dot WG Hospitality Advisory Alliance GmbH

Alison Hoyt
Senior Director, Consulting and Analytics, STR

Aris Ikkos, ISHC
Research Director, INSETE

Stanislav Ivanov
CEO, Zangador Ltd. 

Stanislav Ivanov is a Professor in Tourism Economics and Vice Rector (Research) in Varna University of Management. He is the founder and the Editor-in-chief of the only academic journal in tourism and hospitality in Bulgaria - European Journal of Tourism Research (indexed in Scopus and Web of Science) - and serves on the editorial and review boards of over 30 other journals. He authored over 120 publications (books, book chapters, articles, conference reports and industry reports) in the field of robonomics, hotel marketing, hotel chains, pricing and revenue management, destination marketing and management, tourism's impact on economic growth, political issues in tourism. Stan keeps close links with the tourism business. He has been a three time lecturer at the largest event for tourism professionals in Bulgaria - Travel Academy. Through Zangador Ltd., Stan conducts trainings in Hotel marketing, Pricing and revenue management, Marketing audit, etc., implements marketing research projects, prepares specialised analyses and reports for various companies. He has specialised in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Norway, Cyprus, USA, Italy. Stan is happily married with one child and lives in Varna, Bulgaria.

Norbert Kettner
CEO, Vienna Tourist Board

Norbert Kettner was born in 1967 and grew up in Tyrol. He has been the Vienna Tourist Board's Director since September 1, 2007. Prior to this (from September 2003), he was founding managing director of departure wirtschaft, kunst und kultur GmbH, Austria's first business promotion institution for the creative industries. From August 1993 till August 2003, Norbert Kettner was spokesman for the Executive City Councilor of Finance and Deputy Mayor of Vienna. Until 1999 he worked for him in the Vienna health department, and then moved to the City of Vienna's finance and economics policy department.

From 2010, Norbert Kettner has been a member of the board of trustees of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF. He is deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Vienna City Marketing Agency, deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna's biggest exhibition space for contemporary art, a member of the City of Vienna's Economic Council 2030 and part of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Advisory Board of MODUL University Vienna. From 1997 to 2007 he belonged to the board of directors of the Life Ball, Europe's biggest AIDS charity event. 2015 Kettner chaired the municipal steering committee of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. 

Alexi Khajavi
Managing Director EMEA, Questex

Alexi Khajavi is Managing Director of the EMEA region and Chairs the Hospitality & Travel Group for Questex LLC, a global business intelligence company that informs and connects buyers and sellers across five key sectors; hospitality, travel, healthcare, wellness and technology. Alexi is responsible for the overall management and development of the company’s global hospitality and destination communications properties and events including the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) Summit Series, Destination Develop and Destination Development Investment Services, HOTEC and other destination and hotel investment events in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Khajavi, who brings more than 20 years of travel, hospitality and marketing and sales experience to his position, joined Questex in 2014 as senior managing director of Destination Develop, a new digital media platform covering global tourism industry investment opportunities at the destination level, and Destination Develop Investment Services, an in-house agency that develops marketing and matchmaking campaigns and services for destinations and private-sector businesses in tourism looking for investment.

Prior to joining Questex, Khajavi was senior vice president, global strategy, for MercuryCSC, a creative agency specializing in the travel industry where he helped design global marketing campaigns for hotel companies, tourism boards and active lifestyle brands. Prior to MercuryCSC, he was one of the founding team members of the travel consortium Nature Group based in Costa Rica and helped lead the airline and hospitality portfolio to be awarded the fastest growing travel company in Central America between 2003 and 2010. 

Judy King, ISHC
Founder & Principal, Quality Management Services, LLC

Herman Konings
Change Psychologist, Pocket Marketing

Herman Konings, built in 1964, is a Master in theoretical psychology (Catholic University of Leuven) and managing director of the Antwerp agency for trend analysis and future research Pocket Marketing/nXt. As a trend analyst and consumer psychologist Herman regularly offers advice, holds workshops and gives lectures for companies, societies, governments and higher education about changes in trends and expectations for the future.

Between 2005 and 2015 Herman gave about 2000 lectures and work meetings, about 700 in the Netherlands and over 150 outside of the Benelux. Herman is a genuine storyteller who inspires the spectator on an engaging course about the amazing world of passions and interests, trends and future expectations, and about what is and what will be.

Susanne Kraus-Winkler
President, Austrian Professional Hotel Association

She is a longstanding entrepreneur and industry representative in the Hospitality Industry with more than 35 years of practical experience in the hotel and restaurant business as well as in tourism consulting and academic lecturing. Ms. Kraus Winkler is a founding partner of the LOISIUM Wine & Spa Resort Hotel Group and a shareholder of several hotel development, hotel management and tourism consulting companies such as Harry's Home Hotel group, RIMC Austria GmbH Vienna or Advisory board member of MRP-Hotels. She currently is President of the Austrian Professional Hotel Association (APHA) within the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Past President of HOTREC. Ms. Kraus Winkler is a member of the Austrian chapter of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, as well as member of several official working groups and committees in the Austrian tourism industry.

Corinna Kretschmar-Joehnk
Founder & Co-Partner, JOI-Design

Author of numerous design books and a university lecturer, Corinna Kretschmar-Joehnk is co-managing director of JOI-Design, a leading European studio creating interior and product designs for international hospitality destinations. With business partner and husband Peter Joehnk, who founded the Hamburg-based practice in 1984, JOI-Design shapes bijou, privately-owned boutique properties, trendsetting destinations for community-minded guests and luxurious atmospheres for global brands. Over the years, the designers have realized more than 500 hotel projects worldwide and have been honored with several international awards.

Rudolf Krizan
COO, Member of the Board, Best Hotel Properties

Responsible for operations control of hotels managed by BHP (834 keys branded by international hotel brands The Luxury Collection Hotel Bratislava, Sheraton Bratislava, Crowne Plaza Bratislava, Double Tree by Hilton Kosice), managing of Zion Spa (an operator of four luxury and premium spas), BHP activities in Russia and CIS Market. Further responsibilities include asset oversight, franchise and management company evaluation, selection of brands and contract negotiations, operational and development consulting to third parties, processing of hotel renovation, technical and operational due diligence assistance by acquisitions and dispositions of BHP assets, coordination of feasibility analysis by new BHP developments. 

Dr. Willy Legrand
Professor, IUBH International University

Dr. Willy Legrand is Professor of Hospitality Management at the IUBH International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef - Bonn, Germany since 2003. Prof. Legrand holds undergraduate and graduate courses on Sustainable Development and Business Management, Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism and Marketing in Germany but also as a visiting professor at universities in China, Dubai, France, India, Peru and the United States. Prof. Dr. Legrand is the lead author of Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations, a leading textbook on sustainability principles, strategy and operations in hospitality now in its 3rd edition. He is also co-editor of two other books being the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food and Gastronomy as well as Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism as Motors for Development: Case Studies from Developing Regions of the World. Prof. Dr. Legrand is Executive co-Editor of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases (JHTC), a prominent International refereed journal, published by ICHRIE (International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education). 

Tamas Magyarics
Professor, ELTE

Professor Tamás Magyarics earned an M.A. in History and English at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest. He was a graduate student at LSU, Baton Rouge (1984-1986), He received a University Doctorate at ELTE in 1987 (The Relations Between the U.S. and the Successor States, 1921-1925). He has been teaching at the School of English and American Studies since 1987; currently, he is a Full Professor there. He earned his Candidate’s Degree at the Hungarian Academy of Science in 1996 (The US-Hungarian Diplomatic Relations, 1957-1967). Besides teaching, Dr. Magyarics has had several other academic and non-academic positions over the past 30 years. He taught – or is teaching – as a guest professor at UCSB, Corvinus University (Budapest) and the IES (Vienna). He was the Secretary General of the Hungarian Atlantic Council in 2001-2002. He was the Vice-President of the International Center for Democratic Transition (ICDT) in 2008-2010. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) between 2002-2010; in 2010-2011 he was the Director of the same institution. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Külügyi Szemle and Foreign Policy Review between 2002-2010. He was the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF) in 2010-2015. He served as Ambassador to Ireland in 2011-2015; upon returning home, he became the Head of the North American Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He left the Ministry in December 2016. He is currently a Guest Professor at IES, Vienna, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for U.S. Studies and Research at the University for Public Services, Budapest. Dr. Magyarics is specialized in Cold War history, U.S. foreign affairs, transatlantic relations and the theory of international relations. He has authored or edited 10 books, published extensively in diverse peer-reviewed and other journals in Hungary and abroad alike, and has translated some 20 books on history from English into Hungarian. 

Michael Manz
Director, ASW Group

Michael Manz is a founder and managing partner of the Swiss Hospitality & Partners group, which he and his twin brother founded in 2010. The group manages various hotels in Switzerland, and establishes and positions a range of ventures, brands and concepts.

From 2000 to 2004, he worked for Manz Privacy Hotels Group as a member of the management team responsible for monthly operational reports, and planning and supervising renovations. He was also involved in the acquisition of 20 Global Players in collaboration with the sales team. From 2006 to 2010 he was Chief Finance Officer of the company, responsible for all real estate investments.

Michael has an MBA degree from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy. He speaks five languages fluently: German, English, Italian, French and Russian, as well as advanced Spanish and basic Chinese. In his free time Michael enjoys skiing, chess and cooking. He is married and has three children.

Herbert Mascha, ISHC
Partner, mrp hotels

Amruda Nair
Director, Araiya Hotels / Owner, Hotel Leela Venture

Amruda has hotels and hospitality in her DNA. From her grandfather, the late Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, founder of The Leela Group, she inherited a maverick streak and an eye for trailblazing business opportunities. Amruda is an Economics graduate and has a degree in Hospitality Management from CHN University in The Netherlands and a master's from Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, New York, including exposure to Asian markets through the Nanyang Business School, Singapore.

After a stint with Mandarin Oriental New York, Amruda worked for Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (JLLH). Based in Singapore she joined the firm as a full-time analyst on the hospitality brokerage team and was involved in investment sales mandates across the region including Indonesia, Japan, China, India and Thailand. In 2008, Amruda joined the corporate advisory division of JLLH where she acted as an Owner's Representative managing three trading assets in Singapore and Shanghai, for properties operated by IHG, Fairmont and Starwood. She also conducted pre-opening budget reviews, management contract negotiations and mystery guest audits for properties in Bali, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Returning to India she served as Head of Asset Management for Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts during a period of major growth, which included the opening of new properties in Gurgaon, Udaipur, Delhi and Chennai and an increase in group room inventory under management to 2,211 guest rooms. In her role, Amruda was responsible for conducting financial reviews for the luxury group's eight operating properties, reviewing pre-opening budgets for upcoming projects and annual business plans.

As joint managing director and chief executive officer of Aiana Hotels & Resorts, Amruda was responsible for designing Aiana's signature programming as well as spearheading the company's overall business development to create a unique proposition that defined Indian hospitality in the Middle East.

,Amruda was awarded the 'Generation Next Awards' for Hospitality (2011) by The All India Association of Industries and the Young Entrepreneurs Society as well as the Young FICCI Ladies Organization Women Achiever's Award (2012). Amruda is a part of Hotelier India's Power List 2016 that includes several acclaimed names from the hospitality industry in India. She has also won the Rising Star Award South Asia at the Hotel Investment Forum India, 2016.

In 2018, Amruda founded Araiya Hotels & Resorts, an India-based, boutique hotel brand, focused on experiential travel, to meet the need for an upscale brand that offers Indian hospitality with a design-forward perspective as well as modern Indian culinary and wellness concepts.

Amruda currently serves on multiple boards and non-profit organizations.

Marco Nijhof
Director of Hospitality & Guest Experience, Value Retail

 Accomplished, multilingual Senior Executive within the international five star luxury hotel and hospitality industry; includes Jumeirah Hotels in Dubai, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Marriott. An outstanding track record in high volume, multi-site operations on five continents. Skilled in delivering strategic change and driving innovation/improvement with a strong focus on sales, marketing, service delivery and revenue management; achieved exceptionally high levels of customer satisfaction in 18 countries by real engagement with/development of multi-cultural work forces and investment in their training, welfare and career progression.  

An accomplished and passionate public speaker and lecturer. Thrives on change management and challenging roles. 

Superior personal planning, organization and time management skills. Specialties: Multi-units Hotel Management, Management of Hotel Companies, Development of Hotel and Real Estate, Retail Service Delivery. Turn around business; creation & establishment of brands and companies; Management of large work force; Motivator and coach; Strong Sales and Marketing. Speaks 6 languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, Greek and knowledge of Japanese. 

Ulrich Pillau
Founder, apaleo

Ulrich Pillau is an entrepreneur and angel investor. He is founder of apaleo, a Munich based start-up developing a next generation cloud platform for the hospitality industry. Previously Uli was involved in building up several very successful software companies in the hotel and travel space such as Fidelio Software, IDeaS or hetras. Apart from his current venture apaleo, Uli invests in start-up companies that develop innovative software and apps. for the hotel industry. Uli is a frequent speaker on many conferences and panels for hotel and travel technology, and in his private life has a big passion for hotels & travel, technology and running.

Dietmar Ploberger
Senior Project Manager, Signa

Dietmar Ploberger, born in 1969, is Senior Project Manager at SIGNA Real Estate Management GmbH, authorized representative at SIGNA Development Selection AG and acting manager in different companies managing hotel projects. 

Mr. Ploberger finished his studies in civil engineering and economics 1997 in Graz. He is a well-experienced project manager especially in the field of hotel developments in Austria, CEE and SEE. Before he joined SIGNA REM in 2011, he was head of department in hotel development at Raiffeisen Project Development GmbH. During that time, Mr. Ploberger developed several Hotel projects under monument protection. Based on the experience he developed the Park Hyatt Vienna and is actually acting as owner's representative since the hotel opened in 2014. Actually, Mr. Ploberger is working on six hotel projects in different categories and development phases.

Reinhard Pohorec
Sensory Expert, Pohorec Sensory Experience

Entrepreneur, creative mind and host: Pohorec has established a reputation as international expert in the world of sensory technology, F&B, through keynote speaking and coaching. This also includes special projects with the luxury brands market. With a focus on the multi-sensory, he offers numerous training platforms within the hospitality industry & tailor made programs for corporates.

Robyn Pratt, ISHC
Managing Director, Impact Consulting Ltd.

Jennifer Ramsey, ISHC
President, Ramsey & Assoc.

Frank Reeves
Co-Founder & CEO, Avvio

Frank has acquired a reputation for being one of the top innovators in travel technology. Since co-founding hotel technology company Avvio in 2002, Frank has become the brand.com champion by developing cutting-edge technologies that enable outstanding growth in hotel direct bookings, while reducing dependence on online travel agent channels.

Frank’s unwavering focus on innovation has ensured that Avvio’s award-winning technology leads the field. In October 2017, Frank placed Avvio as the first company in the world to provide the hospitality industry with a fully guest-centric booking platform powered by artificial intelligence. Allora now serves hoteliers with multiple skills, including Machine Learning, Recommender Engine, Chatbot functionality and Networked Intelligence.

Frank has been named as one of Europe’s Top Extraordinary Minds in the hospitality sector by HSMAI Europe. Frank is regularly invited to speak at prestigious events across the world, including EyeforTravel, Phocuswright, HEDNA conferences, Fáilte Ireland events, British Hospitality Association’s Summit, Master Innholders’ General Managers Conference, World Travel Market, Travel Technology Europe, the Independent Hotel Show as well as numerous roundtables and debates. Frank also sits on the Marketing advisory board with HSMIA, as well as various steering groups including the Annual Hotel Conference and BDRC’s Hotel Insights Forum. He carries out pro-bono work for hotel schools including Glion, Maastricht, Shannon and Lausanne, as well as the charities Co-operation Ireland and Hospitality Action.

Under Frank’s leadership, Avvio has gone from strength to strength and consistently delivers impressive results for hoteliers across the world. Avvio is now partnering with around 600 hotels and accommodation providers to help them be more direct, and drive their online business forward. To find out more about Avvio, visit www.avvio.com

Michaela Reitterer
Owner, Boutiquehotel Stadthalle

Upon first meeting her, it's soon clear that the concept of "zero energy" only applies to the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle, not to owner Michaela Reitterer. Her smile is radiant, her energy is infectious, and her Viennese charm is relaxing.  Luckily, her zest for life hasn't just benefited the hotel's guests, but also the entire company, which she purchased from her parents in 2002.

That was when the hotel "Zur Stadthalle" became the "Boutiquehotel Stadthalle". But the new name was just the beginning of the transformation. In the Stone Age of sustainability, as Michaela Reitterer likes to call those days, she was the first to screw a solar system onto the roof and think aloud about using rainwater for flushing toilets. At that time, she dreamed of an entirely organic business, but as you can see: dreams come true. Especially if you do it yourself.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." This quote from Gandhi accompanies Michaela Reitterer since that time. And fortunately, the world she wanted to see was one in which, as a hotel guest, you not only do something for your own psychological well-being and allow yourself to be pampered, but also make a contribution for a better world. Just by staying in a hotel, you can live according the principle of maximum sustainability.

In 2003, she bought the adjoining house and decided that, as long as she was going to build a new guesthouse, it should produce its own energy. As is so often the case, Michaela and her idea were unique in Vienna at the time. Thus, the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle became the city's first zero-energy balance hotel. However, her success proved her right, and thankfully, has also inspired others to follow her lead and to think and act ecologically.

That's why we have to look beyond borders and competition and work together. As the President of the Austrian Hotel Association, Michaela Reitterer is able to make a difference and to learn and benefit from all the innovations she learns about during her work. Whether it is the coffee brought to Europe by sailing ship or the upcycling trend in which rooms are furnished with new-old furniture and objects.

Michaela Reitterer and her Boutiquehotel Stadthalle in Vienna have not only won many hearts in recent years, but also a few awards.

Tea Ros, ISHC
Managing Director, Strategic Hotel Consulting

Tony Ryan, ISHC
Managing Director, Global Mergers & Acquisitions, JLL Hotels & Hospitality

Margaret Shutze, ISHC
Founder, Shutze Studio

Jan Hein Simons
Partner, mrp hotels

Jan Hein Simons served 21 years within the NH Hotel-Group and Golden Tulip organizations in various leading and executive roles. After assuming the post-merger activity responsibility in the Spanish head-office in Madrid, he changed role and scope while being managing director different business units in the group, such as Germany & Poland, as well as in the business unit Benelux, France, UK and Africa. After leaving NH Hotels, he successfully led operations of the Falkensteiner Hotels, as chief operating officer. He is a great advocate of more intensified sustainable development in hospitality, in guest experience, asset-side and operations.

Jake Stein
Senior Director, Owner Relations, Expedia Group

A 14-year veteran of Expedia, Jake leads a global team responsible for managing the relationships between Expedia Group and hotel ownership and management companies. Within this role, one of his primary focuses is aiding owners to make more informed decisions about their business, drive higher conversion, and discover the tools available to impact their bottom line.

Previously, Jake served as Senior Director of Strategic Accounts where he led teams responsible for managing relationships and negotiations with some of Lodging Partner Services largest NORAM based global and key lodging partners.  In addition, Jake has formerly been at the helm of teams that empower lodging relationships in major gaming markets as well as those that optimize partnerships with lodging connectivity providers.

Jake has been a core component of the company's evolution, providing more than 20 years of experience in the online travel industry focused on global partnership management, negotiations, technology implementation, revenue management and online marketing for top 100 lodging brands. Stein holds Bachelors degree in Marketing from Ithaca College.

Trevor Stuart-Hill, ISHC
President, Revenue Matters

Ken Taylor, ISHC
Vice President Strategic Development, MarkeTeam Inc.

Sinisa Topalovic, ISHC
Managing Partner, Horwath HTL

Lukas Zirker
Founder & CEO, MidnightDeal GmbH

Lukas is a serial entrepreneur, passionate traveller and event manager. He founded his first business when he was 19. Lukas later partnered up with a music industry specialist to build an artist management company and record label. He studied Business Administration at WU Vienna and finished his BSc in 2016. Since 2017, he’s running his new business in the travel industry - a new, innovative way for hotels to distribute their rooms - called Midnightdeal.

Timothy Walton
Regional Vice President – International Hotel Development, Western Europe, Marriott International

Tim Walton is Regional Vice President of International Hotel Development for Marriott International.  He is responsible for a team of 11 executives and oversees the development of all Marriott’s hotel brands across Western Europe (primarily through means of signing new management and franchise agreements with third party owners). 

Before re-joining Marriott in 2005, Tim spent four years as Vice President of Hotel Development, Europe, with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts.  Prior to that, he worked with Marriott’s Development Planning and Feasibility group based in London and was responsible for assignments across the UKEMEA region. 

Tim has also held positions within the fields of consultancy (with BDO) and sales and marketing.  He is a 1992 graduate of the University of Surrey.  He is a frequent guest lecturer at the University and is also a member of the University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management advisory board.

Jonathan Worsley, ISHC
Chairman, Bench Events