Nominations

📈 Gilda Pérez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express and Chief Strategy Officer at Accor, will share insights on hotel investment and asset management. With a degree from Cornell University, she boasts over 20 years of global experience. Before joining Accor in 2023, she was CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality, leading 350 professionals in 20 countries. At Accor, she focuses on growth and asset-light strategies, and revitalizes the luxury Orient Express brand.

💼 Chad Fletcher, récemment nommé, dirigera les ventes mondiales de BWH Hotels, rapportant directement à Larry Cuculic, PDG. Son rôle couvre les segments affaires, loisirs et groupes, soutenant les réseaux WorldHotels, Best Western Hotels & Resorts et SureStay Hotels. Avec 20 ans d'expérience, Fletcher, ex-VP Global Sales chez Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy, est reconnu pour sa transformation d'organisations internationales. Son objectif : faire évoluer l'expérience client et l'expansion mondiale de BWH.

🏨 Maximilian Von Reden appointed General Manager of Hotel Amigo in Brussels, effective November 3, 2025. Located between Grand-Place and Manneken Pis, the hotel is a Rocco Forte Hotels icon, known for its refined hospitality, Ristorante Bocconi, and Bar Magritte. Von Reden brings over 20 years of luxury hospitality experience, previously leading Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa since 2019. Black Friday boosts hotel bookings by 63.8%, conversion rates by 36%, and revenues by 97.5%.

📣 Kempinski Hotels appoints Barbara Biffi as Chief Brand Officer to enhance brand identity in luxury hospitality. With 20+ years of experience, Biffi previously held senior roles at Silversea Cruises and MSC Cruises. She holds an economics degree from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and a digital strategy certification from Columbia Business School. Biffi will oversee global brand strategy, marketing, and customer experience, ensuring brand expression consistency and digital initiative enhancement.

📈 Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, fondateur d'APO Group, a été nommé au conseil consultatif de Future Hospitality Summit Africa 2026 à Dubaï le 20 octobre 2025. Depuis 2019, il participe à cet événement, anciennement connu sous le nom d'Africa Hotel Investment Forum. Reconnu parmi les 100 Africains les plus influents, il soutient le développement hôtelier en Afrique. APO Group, fondé en 2007, a reçu plusieurs récompenses pour son excellence en communication.

🏨 Jens, 29, and his husband took over the Boutique Hotel Hubertus in Filzmoos, Austria, in January 2025. The hotel improved its Booking rating from 8.9 to 9.3, occupancy rates increased by 20%, and revenue grew by 24% within a year. They revamped room categorization, pricing strategy, and shifted to a bed & breakfast model, drawing a younger clientele. Booking.com accounts for 60-70% of summer reservations, aiding visibility while encouraging direct bookings.

📈 Damien Touboulic will become the new director general of Terra Botanica in early November, succeeding Pierre Watrelot, who held the position since 2020. Touboulic, a native of Mauges (49), has been with the park since 2012. His objective is to maintain the park's recent success and preserve its unique focus on plant and biodiversity immersion. Watrelot will join a private group managing six tourist sites near Poitiers.

📰 Xiamen Air sets the record for the longest non-stop flight, covering 19 hours 20 minutes between New York-JFK and Fuzhou, surpassing the previous record by Singapore Airlines. Airalo updates its app, now serving over 20 million users with unlimited data plans across 84 destinations, aiming for 130 by the end of 2025. Qatar Airways partners with Klarna for flexible payments in 17 European countries. Interhome appoints Carina Grühser as CTO to lead tech-based operations.

📈 Adrien Olivereau joins Transaxio Hôtel as Chargé de Mission Hôtellerie for Paris and Île-de-France. With a background from EDHEC Business School and ESAN Graduate School, and 4+ years in M&A at Natixis Partners, he brings expertise in financial analysis and strategy. His role focuses on supporting institutional clients with financial strategies. This addition aims to enhance Transaxio Hôtel’s personalized service and market presence.

💻 Carina Grühser has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Interhome, a European vacation rental specialist with the largest network of local agencies. Previously, Grühser was the interim CTO at Solaris SE, leading over 130 engineers. She aims to advance Interhome's transformation into a technology-driven rental management company by enhancing local service quality with modern technology for improved solutions and enriched traveler experiences. CEO Jörg Hermann welcomed her leadership and expertise.