KEYNOTE
London, 25 - 26 February 2026
Schedule
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Welcome address
The road to 2030: designing the future of hospitality today
As the hospitality landscape evolves, the next five years promises major shifts driven by technology, sustainability, and changing guest expectations. This keynote explores how hotels can proactively design their future to stay relevant and impactful.
- Discover how innovation will reshape hospitality by 2030
- Debate the balance between tech advancements and human connection
- Learn about emerging trends that will redefine guest experiences
Vibe coding workshop – live demo
Frank Reeves opens Day 1 with a live introduction tovibe coding - a new way to build software by simply describing what you want in plain English and letting AI do the rest. No developers. No long scoping cycles. No six-figure budgets.
Frank will make a bold promise to the audience: bring him a real operational problem from your hotel, and by the end of the day he will return on stage with a working application that solves it.
While much of the conference explores how AIwilltransform hospitality, this session shows that transformation happening in real time. Vibe coding removes the traditional barriers to innovation, enabling revenue managers, GMs, and operators to prototype tools in hours or days - not months.
Attendees won’t just hear about the shift. They’ll watch it happen across the day - and see the result live on stage.
Bridging business and beauty through strategic design
From behind the bar to the boardroom: empowering the next generation of hoteliers
From car parks to department stores: Zedwell’s radical approach to city spaces
How to make the high-net-worth customer your best marketers in a world of social media
The future of sustainability in hospitality: bringing clear metrics helping guests make informed decisions
Join Jeremy, COO of Bob W, to learn about Per Night Emissions: a groundbreaking metric that brings nutrition-label clarity to accommodation sustainability. Discover how Bob W measures carbon emissions across 40+ aparthotels in 10+ countries, achieving 26-94% lower emissions than industry averages. Learn why this transparent, comparable metric empowers conscious travel decisions, exposes greenwashing, and charts the path toward universal hospitality sustainability standards.
Delivering a seamless wellness experience for your guests
This 20-minute talk overviews best practice examples on how to deliver a seamless wellness experience for your users.
Seizing the wellness trend for greater attraction and business growth is becoming a key differentiating factor and revenue generator.
Here we will explore how to offer a tailored and seamless experience that is supported by Mywellness CRM – a suite of software applications to create a bespoke user journey - and Technogym App – a complete wellbeing app offering users tracking, programming workout content, ability to communicate with your fitness team and much more.
The talk is led by Tim Clayton Head of Digital at Technogym, the Official Wellness Partner for NoVacancy London.
From tech to revenue: get more from your Expedia Group partnership
For over two decades, partners have trusted Expedia Group’s travel tech solutions to create exceptional traveler experiences. In that time, we’ve become experts in helping our hotel partners achieve their goals with the best of our tech and advertising expertise, all in service of the traveler. Join this presentation to see how you can get the most out of your partnership with Expedia Group.
Metrics that matter: measuring success in the age of AI
Using a modern Property Management System but still relying on legacy KPIs? In this session, we explore how modern hoteliers are rethinking performance - from operational efficiency to revenue beyond rooms. You’ll learn how automation and connected data uncover clearer insights, streamline day-to-day work and support better decisions, freeing teams to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional, human hospitality.
Smart rooms, smarter energy: how intelligent control delivers real sustainability gains
As hotels face increasing pressure to meet ESG and net-zero targets, intelligent room control is emerging as a key sustainability enabler. In this session, Lee Nunn of Zennio UK explores how open-standard Guest Room Management Systems (GRMS) can significantly reduce energy waste through occupancy-based automation, system integration, and smart data use.
Drawing on results from Zennio’s owndata, Lee will demonstrate how intelligent control of HVAC and lighting can achieve energy savings of up to 60%, delivering measurable environmental and commercial benefits without compromising guest experience.
Placing wellness at the centre of design
Wellness is no longer optional. More than ever, guests expect spaces that support mind, body and soul health. This discussion uncovers design strategies that integrate wellness seamlessly into the guest experience.
- Discover how wellness design meets modern guest expectations
- Learn practical ways to integrate mind-body balance in spaces
- Debate wellness as a trend vs. a lasting hospitality shift
Should chatbots replace the concierge?
Automation is reshaping how accomodations run their day-to-day operations. Can chatbots really replace the warmth and knowledge of a concierge? This panel weighs the benefits and limits of technology in personalised service.
- Debate the pros and cons of automation vs. human service
- Learn when chatbots enhance guest experience and when they fall short
- Discover hybrid models that balance efficiency with empathy
The future of personalisation: how AI and data are transforming hotel marketing
In partnership with HSMAI Europe.
Key takeaways:
- How to use first-party data to drive guest loyalty and direct bookings in the cookieless era.
- Practical examples of how AI and automation are reshaping campaigns and guest communication
- What’s next: balancing personalisation, privacy, and profitability.
What does it mean to be a sustainable hotel?
Hospitality, more than ever, is putting a focus on how to be more sustainable. It is about meaningful action that benefits the planet and the guest. This panel discusses how hotels can authentically embed sustainability into operations.
- Discover how to move beyond green-washing to real sustainability
- Learn ways to engage guests in your green initiatives
- Debate whether sustainability can enhance guest comfort
Why are hospitality graduates leaving the industry and what can we do to fix it?
The hospitality industry faces a critical talent drain as new graduates seek opportunities elsewhere. This panel dives into what’s pushing them away and how hotels can reinvent themselves to become attractive career destinations.
- Find out why young talent is walking away and what the industry can change
- Debate new approaches to retention, mentorship, and career development
- Learn about reimagining hospitality roles to attract the next generation
Brand as framework, not identity
From scripted to self-driven: the agentic future of hospitality AI
Greening what we've got: lessons from upgrading existing buildings
Luxury 2.0: redefining aspiration in a post-material world
The golden thread: escaping hospitality’s ‘Sea of Sameness’ to drive revenue
The gap between Brand Promise and Guest Experience is where profit and bookings are lost. Whether managing independent collection hotels or multisite and franchise brands, the real commercial risk is drifting into the "Sea of Sameness." Join us to tighten the "Golden Thread" between commercial marketing strategy and execution—ensuring you don't just get seen, but get booked.
Key takeaways:
- Commercial Swim Lanes: Aligning Marketing & Ops to drive distinctiveness across multibrand and independent portfolios.
- Distinctiveness vs. Visibility: Why standing out is more profitable than just showing up.
- The 2026 Banned Words List: Replacing "authentic" and "curated" fluff with commercial reality.
Beyond the booking: how real-time personalisation unlocks ancillary revenue
Breaking down the silos: connecting data to drive direct hotel bookings
Hotel Marketing and Revenue teams work closely but have to use disconnected tools. That means gaps, silos and inefficiency. We’ll look at how technology can close the gaps and drive more direct bookings. Key topics:
- Why AI isn’t all that matters for marketing in 2026
- Using occupancy data to automatically optimise marketing, and how personalisation extends your CRM
- A new way to see how marketing influences direct bookings
Live session with The Interior Design Podcast
Vibe coding workshop – live demo completion
Frank Reeves returns to the stage to reveal a working application built in a single day using vibe coding. Based on a real operational challenge submitted by the audience, this live demonstration shows how plain-English ideas can become functional hotel software - without developers, long timelines, or large budgets.
This session closes the loop on AI’s promise in hospitality, turning “what if we could…” into “here’s what we built.”
How can AI save me money and drive revenue?
AI is positioned as a money-saver, but how can it truly optimise costs and unlock revenue? This session explores practical applications and the human-AI balance needed for success.
- Find out how AI can optimise costs and unlock new revenue streams
- Learn about potential risks and ethical considerations with AI
- Debate how staff can work alongside AI to improve operations
Outsmarting the giants: how independent hotels can use GEO to win generative searches
As generative search becomes the new front door to travel discovery, independent hotels have a real opportunity to stand out - using GEO to help AI understand, trust and confidently recommend their brand. This session will explore practical strategies to:
- Decode how AI systems evaluate hotel websites, content and brands
- Structure and present your content for AI
- Apply proven GEO tactics already helping independent hotels today
Pivot or preserve? The renovation and repositioning dilemma in hospitality
Hotels must constantly evolve, but when do you preserve heritage versus reinvent? This session discusses balancing guest loyalty with fresh appeal.
- Find out when to preserve heritage and when to renovate boldly
- Debate how to keep existing guests while attracting new ones
- Learn common renovation pitfalls to avoid
From generative to agentic: the next leap in hospitality AI
How can thoughtful spaces elevate the guest experience?
Design shapes more than looks: it creates emotional memories. This session explores how thoughtful sensory and spatial choices transform guest stays.
- Find out how design influences guest emotions and memories
- Learn the impact of sensory elements like lighting and texture
- Debate how design storytelling shapes brand identity
On the journey to net zero: how circular design is shaping the future of hometels
In an industry characterised by high material turnover, Lamington Group is reimagining hotel design, construction and operation through circular design principles. Drawing on insights from their Circular Design Studio, Josh will share practical strategies for reducing waste, extending material lifecycles, and creating regenerative value chains within hospitality. The talk offers an honest look at the challenges and successes of shifting from a linear to a circular model, featuring real-world examples from our properties, including lampshades made from used coffee grounds and tabletops crafted from recycled cardboard.
With the spa industry growing, now is the time to invest in the next generation of spa leaders
The spa and wellness sector is one of the fastest-growing areas within hospitality, driving revenue, guest loyalty and brand differentiation. Yet as spas become bigger, more complex businesses, many spa leaders are still expected to learn the commercial side of the role on the job.
This session looks at why the industry’s growth moment makes leadership development more important than ever. We’ll explore how investing in the commercial skills of spa teams – from revenue and data to strategic thinking – is critical to unlocking long-term performance and future-proofing hospitality businesses.
Key takeaways:
- Understand how the growth of the spa industry is changing what’s required of spa leaders
- Learn why developing commercial capability is now as important as operational excellence
- Explore the skills future spa leaders need to run profitable, sustainable spa businesses
Cash-strapped luxury: How younger generations deal in taste, not wealth
Oliver Cousins of Screen Pilot explores how the luxury market is being redefined by a younger generation of cash-strapped, yet intensely aspirational consumers - and why hospitality is at the centre of the action.
New voices, new vision: the future of hotel leadership
This session will explore how young managers are shaping the next generation of hospitality. Drawing on Madison's own journey through a variety of hotel roles, she will share how new perspectives, adaptability, and a digital-first mindset are transforming the way we lead. The session highlights the importance of embracing technology, building strong partnerships, and empowering young talent to create lasting impact. Madison believes the future of our industry belongs to those who are bold enough to challenge tradition, think differently, and lead with passion and purpose.
Why digital doesn’t have to mean distant
How the top 50 hotels in the world communicate with their guests via AI
The world’s best hotels are rethinking guest communication. Not as a support function, but as a strategic driver of guest experience, operational efficiency, and incremental revenue.
In this session, Cahal Kane will share real-world examples from some of the world’s top 50 hotels, revealing how leading luxury and premium brands are using AI-driven guest communication to manage conversations across the entire guest journey. From pre-arrival WhatsApp messaging to in-stay service requests and post-stay engagement, these hotels are using AI to respond faster, personalise at scale, and unlock new commercial opportunities without adding pressure to their teams.
Attendees will gain practical insight into how AI is being applied today by high-performing hotels, what separates effective guest communication from noise, and how similar strategies can be adopted by hotels of any size to improve guest satisfaction, reduce workload, and drive measurable value.
The end of SEO as we know it: what's next for digital discovery
Beyond the buzzword: the people turning hotel sustainability into reality
Is digital convenience enhancing or diminishing the guest experience?
From self-check-in to smart rooms, digital tools are everywhere! Yet, some worry they take away from hospitality’s soul. This panel debates where digital convenience adds value and where it doesn’t.
- Debate the impact of digital tools on hospitality’s ‘soul’ and ‘heart’
- Discover which tech conveniences guests actually value, and which they could do without
- Learn how to blend digital ease with personal warmth
Redesigning hospitality for the future: how can we balance flexibility without compromising service?
Flexibility is key in today’s hospitality industry, but how do hotels maintain exceptional service amid growing customisation demands? This session explores strategies for delivering adaptable yet consistent guest experiences.
- Discover strategies for delivering flexible service without losing quality
- Debate the role of technology in maintaining a personal touch
- Learn how to meet evolving guest expectations on customisation and consistency
NoVacancy Networking Drinks Party
We’ll be celebrating another exciting year in hotels and accommodation at Novacancy 2026! Join us after a full day of sessions on Wednesday, 25 February for drinks, music, and plenty of fun as we toast to innovation, connections, and the future of the industry.
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Welcome address
UK hospitality outlook: challenges and opportunities
From workforce issues to the impact of economic policy, the UK hospitality sector faces a complex mix of pressures. In this keynote, Allen Simpson will outline the key forces shaping the market and what they mean for operators, investors and suppliers. He will also identify the areas of opportunity that are likely to define the next phase of growth.
Lessons from working with the world’s best boutique hotels
Discovering the ‘hospitality’ in the hospitality industry
From conflict to collaboration: transforming generational differences into success
From garden to guest: crafting a brand that grows wild
How a food philosophy cangrowinto an entire brand identity - natural, grounded, and distinctively British.
GDS: Global Distribution Secrets
Discover what it takes to succeed as an independent hotel today. Join us to explore strategies for building a diverse, balanced, and commercially sustainable distribution mix that drives global success.
Adapt or die: mastering agile leadership to disrupt hospitality
Traditional hospitality models are too slow for the digital age. To win, you have to be agile - or get out of the way. TFE Hotels and LIKE MAGIC tear up the script to show how the "Hotel Lab" model at MM:NT Berlin turns guest feedback into real-time operational pivots.
Asli Kutlucan dives into the high-pressure leadership required to drive innovation across a global chain, while Markus Feller breaks down the flexible tech stacks that turn "impossible" concepts into scalable reality. This session is a masterclass for the next generation of leaders ready to bridge the gap between ambitious ideas and executable technology. Come prepared to challenge the status quo and connect with the architects of the new guest journey and operations platform.
How technology is transforming learning in hospitality
Hospitality has always been a people-first industry, but the way we train, develop and support those people is being transformed right now.
A new generation of learning technology is changing what’s possible on the hospitality floor. Training is no longer confined to classrooms, manuals or one-off sessions; it’s becoming embedded into everyday work, supporting teams in real time, in the flow of a shift.
In this session, we’ll explore how hospitality businesses are already using these tools to upskill teams faster, boost engagement, better support managers and create learning experiences that people actually want to take part in. The result? More confident teams, stronger performance and better guest experiences, without adding pressure to already demanding roles.
Supply + demand = growth (fact or fiction?)
We'll dive into hotel performance in Europe with a specific focus on the UK. Is continued supply growth putting pressure on performance,or is it boosting the local markets? What is the future of UK hotel supply look like? These are just a few questions and themes we will explore.
Beyond RevPAR: mastering total revenue with the modern guest journey
Beat the burnout with Hospitality Action
Hospitality Action’s recent research shows that for an alarming number of hospitality workers, ‘burnout is just part of the job’. When resources are tight and staff are forced to do more with less every shift, poor mental health, frayed relationships and no-shows can lead to unhappy customers and lost business.
When the team is stressed, it falls on managers to steady the ship and deal with problems as they arise. That’s why it’s so important they’re trained to react with confidence and have the frameworks to solve problems as they happen.
Join Hospitality Action & training partner Elevo to discover how a simple framework of support for managers can make the difference between surviving and thriving in your business. You’ll leave the session with actionable insights and a greater understanding of the pressures your workforce are likely to be feeling right now.
Rethinking hotel success: what really drives profit?
Profitability today means more than just room rates and occupancy. This panel explores new metrics and revenue streams that define real success in hospitality.
- Discover new ways to define and measure hotel profitability
- Ancillary revenue: the role of non-room profit in financial success
- Learn how guest lifetime value changes revenue strategy
The future is boutique: trends and tools that are making guests look beyond the big brands
Guests are increasingly seeking authentic, local experiences over standardised brand stays. This panel discusses how boutique and independent hotels can capitalise on this trend by leveraging their uniqueness.
- Find out what boutique hotels offer that big brands can’t
- Discover how to authentically incorporate culture without clichés
- Explore tech tools helping independents gain visibility
The hospitality playbook: how winning hotels are staying ahead of the game
Successful hotels share common traits. This discussion uncovers winning leadership strategies that keep hotels thriving amid an ever-changing industry.
- Discover the mindsets and habits of successful hotel leaders
- Debate how to foster innovation without losing focus
- Learn why social responsibility matters more than ever for leadership
Winning direct bookings in the age of AI
How Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is reshaping hotel discovery
As travellers increasingly turn to AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI-powered search to decide where to stay, traditional SEO and OTA-led visibility are no longer enough. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the next evolution: ensuring hotels, resorts and accommodation providers are not just searchable, but recommended by AI.
In this session, Heads On Pillows will break down how generative search engines decide which accommodation brands to feature, why OTAs are currently winning this space, and how hotels can use GEO to regain visibility, influence traveller choice earlier in the journey, and drive more high-intent direct bookings.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what GEO is, why it matters now, and practical steps they can take to future-proof their direct booking strategy in an AI-driven discovery landscape.
Start-up pitch competition
A selection of innovative hospitality and travel tech start-ups will pitch to a panel of industry experts, followed by a Q&A, with the winning start-up announced on our keynote stage.
Start-ups that are in the competition:
- Biteluxe
- Otelai
- Nodal
- Altek.ai
- HotelBuddy
- H20 Connected
- SoakinWellness
- Hotel Fam Club
How Corinthia is using their legacy to drive modern hospitality
Maximising revenue through flexible living
Why curation wins: what guests want from short-stay brands in 2026
In an era where guests are overwhelmed by endless, look-alike places to stay, the brands that stand out are those with personality, taste, and a clear point of view. This session explores why curation is the key to winning, and why tomorrow’s travellers are seeking stays that feel meaningful, memorable, and personal rather than mass-market and interchangeable. Drawing on Landfolk’s growth into a curated portfolio of thousands of handpicked homes across Europe, Cathrine will share how guests increasingly want hidden gems - and how unlocking a supply where 70% are new to sharing has opened up a new category of truly special stays.
The session also highlights how curation and intuitive, emotion-rooted discovery tools help guests find the right place effortlessly, reducing overwhelm and building trust through taste-led guidance, rather than pure volume in a crowded, OTA-dominated market.
How experiential hotels are responding to the new expectations of travellers: Miluna Open Nature Rooms
Today’s travellers are no longer looking only for accommodation — they are seeking emotional experiences, authenticity, meaningful design and human connection. Independent hotels face the challenge of responding to these evolving expectations while remaining operationally efficient and financially sustainable.
This session explores how Miluna Open Nature Rooms, an experiential boutique hotel in rural Spain, has translated creativity and emotion into a strong operational model that delivers memorable guest journeys and business performance.
Through real-world insights, this talk will highlight how experiential hospitality, team culture, operational excellence and storytelling can become powerful competitive advantages for independent hotels navigating a rapidly changing market.
Presentation title TBC
Total revenue optimisation: why rooms-only strategies miss 40% of the picture description
True optimisation starts when rooms, events, and F&B stop operating in silos. Break the walls, and the missing 40% becomes visible.
The increasingly commercially critical role of the Technology Director
in partnership with HOSPA.
As technology becomes central to revenue growth, customer experience, and competitive advantage, the role of the Technology Director is evolving well beyond delivery and infrastructure. This panel explores how tech is crucial to becoming key commercial leaders: shaping strategy, influencing investment decisions, and driving measurable business outcomes.
Bots are easy, intelligence is hard: a showcase of data intelligence orchestration before agentic AI
Resilient leadership: fostering mental wellbeing in your team and yourself
Tech-Enabled Hospitality: five forces reshaping the business of hospitality
Technology doesn't diminish hospitality. It elevates it. Jessica Gillingham, author of Tech-Enabled Hospitality, reveals how operators worldwide are leveraging technology to deliver more personalized and seamless guest experiences while empowering their staff. Based on interviews with 38 hospitality and technology leaders across 13 countries, she shares the five forces redefining service: from AI-powered personalization to reimagined business models. Attendees will leave understanding how to leverage technology strategically, not tactically, to create exceptional, profitable, human-centered hospitality.
Hotel booking trends: insights from 130 million reservations
Generating over 130 million hotel bookings a year, SiteMinder’s distribution and revenue platform is home to the most comprehensive hotel booking data set in the world.With this, we bring you SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends – the authority on hotel bookings across 20 of the world’s most established destinations.
Are independent hotels being squeezed out of the market?
In a market dominated by giants, independents face tough challenges but also unique opportunities. This discussion focuses on survival strategies through collaboration, innovation, and branding.
- Debate the challenges and opportunities facing independent hotels today
- Learn about collaboration and innovation as survival strategies
- Discover how to turn “independent” into a powerful brand identity
Crafting modern luxury: the story behind Montcalm Mayfair and Lilli by Akira Back
How can hotel leaders balance profitability with social responsibility?
Profit and purpose don’t have to be at odds. This session will explore how sustainability and ethics can drive financial success and brand loyalty.
- Debate the real costs and benefits of sustainability initiatives
- Find out how to get buy-in from stakeholders for ethical investments
- Learn practical ways to align profit goals with purpose
Unlocking the power of diversity and inclusion in hospitality
Diversity is just the start - true inclusion transforms teams and guest experiences. This panel explores how hospitality can build cultures where everyone feels valued and empowered.
- Discover the business and cultural benefits of true inclusion
- Debate how to create welcoming, equitable environments
- Learn ways to overcome barriers and foster diverse leadership
The new rules of revenue: selling in uncertain times
In partnership with HSMAI Europe.
Key takeaways:
- How sales and revenue teams must collaborate to maximise total revenue in 2026 and beyond
- Strategies for dynamic pricing and responding to unpredictable demand
- Success stories: innovative approaches to drive top line growth in an uncertain economy.
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