The Guest in 2026: Translating Experience Expectations into Long-Term Value

In many luxury hotels today, the hardest decisions aren’t about design or technology. They’re about restraint.

What genuinely improves the guest experience?
What quietly complicates operations?
And what, over time, actually supports rate, loyalty, and asset value?

These are the questions shaping day-to-day decisions across ownership, operations, and brand teams; often without clear answers.

The Guest in 2026 brings together owners, operators, designers, and brand executives to talk plainly about what guests respond to today, and how those expectations are influencing long-term value.

The session is moderated by Sharon Hirschowitz, Global Head of Communications at ILHA, and features:
• Michelle Russo, Founder & CEO, Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE)
• Samantha Sugarman, SVP Strategic Operations, Trinity Investments
• Will Gilbert, Co-founder, Bodhi
• Jill M. Hunt, VP, Customer Experience, Encore
• Rachael Palumbo, SVP Global Hotel Brand Marketing, Nobu Hospitality
• Alessia Genova, Principal, Tihany Design

The discussion will cover where experience investments are paying off and where they’re not. From sleep and restoration to personalization limits, operational flow, and simplification, the focus stays on outcomes rather than ideas.