HITT 2026
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HITT 2026

Thank you for being part of the HITT 2026 in Brussels! We look forward to seeing you next year!

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Rebuild the approach around revenue

HI+Rebuild the approach around revenue

The AI session at this year's HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT) in May did not feel like a technology showcase. It felt like a reckoning. Operators, startup founders, a global distribution giant and a representative from the European AI Office sat in the same room and tried, not always successfully, to agree on what AI actually means for this industry right now.

Better results than projected

HI+Better results than projected

Sven Wiltink came to HITT in Brussels with something rare: an actual case study. Two renovated hotels, verified to a net zero standard, with a year of operational data behind them. The session that followed was one of the most engaged of the day.

Nature dictates the style

HI+Nature dictates the style

Wind patterns determine the layout of the terraces, and diagrams illustrate thermal comfort. And ideally, the stone used for building should be local. At the 9th HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT), the renowned Japanese architectural firm Kengo Kuma & Associates showed just how to plan for a smaller footprint.

How cameras and AI help reduce food waste

HI+How cameras and AI help reduce food waste

Cameras and AI are now making their way into the bins of professional kitchens: Together, they help to identify food waste in the bin in real time. Anyone aiming to save half of this earns $25,000 a year. The technology behind this comes from Winnow in Chicago. At the HITT Think Tank founder and CEO Marc Zornes set the pulse regarding food waste

The EU came to HITT

The EU came to HITT

Something shifted at the HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT) 2026. For the first time in HITT's nine-year history, the European Commission sent not one but two representatives to the meeting in Brussels, willing to sit with the industry and take questions. What followed over the next two days was, at times, a very frank and heated exchange between participants from the hospitality industry and the EU institutions.

HITT 2026 - The Program

HITT 2026 - The Program

The title: "DRIVING PERFORMANCE IN A DISTRUPTED WORLD. Redesigning Sustainability & Intelligent Innovations"

The HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT) 2026, taking place on 11–12 May in Brussels, will focus intensively on the interplay between artificial intelligence, sustainable supply chains and human management. As an exclusive “off-the-record” forum, the event at The Hoxton Hotel provides an interactive setting for dialogue between industry leaders and experts.


Until the deadlock is broken

Until the deadlock is broken

Just 10 days to go until the HITT Think Tank in Brussels! The briefings are complete, the speakers are ready to showcase best practice, explain the backgrounds and future plans. Naturally, they're only revealing snippets for now, but by the end, all clicks into place. Join us: a lot of Food for Thought and fun in a pragmatic circle of sustainability-driven entrepreneurs, executives and EU experts.

News from the HospitalityInside Think Tank

News from the HospitalityInside Think Tank

There's news from the HospitalityInside Think Tank in Brussels! HITT is moving to a new lifestyle venue at short notice – the Hoxton Brussels. Experience AI LIVE with us: the AI agents working behind the scenes will connect participants in a unique way. The program is set; 14 international experts are ready to answer your questions. HITT speaks plain text. Register now!

Experience AI for yourself – live at HITT

Experience AI for yourself – live at HITT

Who does what, and where do synergies arise? Who should you speak to at the HospitalityInside Think Tank? The AI will answer these questions. HITT participants will experience LIVE how their own basic and contextual data can generate new contacts and greater insights in no time at all. AI expert Tigran Manvelyan will highlight the most exciting findings during the event.

Sustainability and technology hand in hand

Sustainability and technology hand in hand

With so much hostile noise about sustainability and extraordinary claims about technology the 2026 HospitalityInside Think Tank is a perfect opportunity to check the temperature in the market. A rarity indeed in our increasingly polarised world. The HITT program is here! Register, join us and boost performance in your company. On 11/12 May in Brussels.

"Driving Performance in a Disrupted World"

"Driving Performance in a Disrupted World"

The 9th HospitalityInside Think Tank will take place on May 11/12, for the second time in Brussels. Delve deeper into the chances of success for sustainable resources in these difficult times! This drives performance. Best practice proves it. Top-class experts will analyse supply, architecture & design, food waste, robots & managers with you. And experience live in the group what your AI profile looks like and how AI guides you to an early warning system. The registration form is ready.

Understanding resources, linking them to innovation

Understanding resources, linking them to innovation

Gut feeling is no longer a resilience strategy; numbers count – networked data. And experience, best practices. The HospitalityInside Think Tank 2026 examines how technology and innovation are fundamentally recalibrating the operational performance of hotels and reducing real estate risks. The first three catalysts are here: Misa Labarile from the EU Commission, Nicolas Guichard from the Japanese architecture firm KKAA and Marc Zornes from Winnow in the USA.

Plenty of room for creativity and explosive ideas

Plenty of room for creativity and explosive ideas

Sustainability is when trekking tourists install solar panels in the mountains. Innovation is when a tool is intelligently combined with the human factor. A new team of moderators will shape the 8th HospitalityInside Think Tank: Prof. Graham Miller and Prof. Alexander Schmidt. In May in Brussels.

The recipe for tackling food waste

The recipe for tackling food waste

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN World Tourism Organisation have launched the "Recipe of Change" initiative to tackle a global sustainability challenge: food waste.

Speakers 2026

Mithlesh Kumar, Amadeus

Mithlesh Kumar, Amadeus

HEAD OF PRODUCTS, HOTEL DISTRIBUTION

Will Browning, The Sustainable Restaurant Association

Will Browning, The Sustainable Restaurant Association

DIRECTOR OF GROWTH

JoAnna Abrams, MindClick

JoAnna Abrams, MindClick

FOUNDER & CHIEF EXCECUTIVE OFFICER

Beatriz Morgado, Pestana Hotel Group

Beatriz Morgado, Pestana Hotel Group

TRANSFORMATION OFFICE MANAGER

Sven Wiltink, Radisson Hotel Group

Sven Wiltink, Radisson Hotel Group

GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR SUSTAINABILITY

Tigran Manvelyan, Mice Desk

Tigran Manvelyan, Mice Desk

CHIEF TRANSFORMATION OFFICER

Dimitris Manikis, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Dimitris Manikis, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

PRESIDENT EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, EURASIA AND AFRICA (EMEA)

Mihaela Lafont, European Artificial intelligence Office

Mihaela Lafont, European Artificial intelligence Office

PROGRAMME OFFICER, Artificial intelligence Innovation and Policy Coordination - A4

Nicolas Guichard, Kengo Kuma & Associates

Nicolas Guichard, Kengo Kuma & Associates

Architect & Project Manager

Marc Zornes, Winnow

Marc Zornes, Winnow

Founder & CEO

Dr. Misa Labarile, European Commission

Dr. Misa Labarile, European Commission

POLICY OFFICER, Directorate-General Mobility and Transport, Unit 001 Tourism

Wolfgang M. Neumann, Neumann Hospitality

Wolfgang M. Neumann, Neumann Hospitality

CHAIRMAN, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC ADVISOR; FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Advisory Committee

Wolfgang M. Neumann, Neumann Hospitality

Wolfgang M. Neumann, Neumann Hospitality

CHAIRMAN, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC ADVISOR; FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Anthony Williams, Destination 360

Anthony Williams, Destination 360

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand

Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand

PROFESSOR, AUTHOR, RESEARCHER & SPEAKER 

Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Schmidt, Hotelschool The Hague

Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Schmidt, Hotelschool The Hague

PROFESSOR OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

HITT Brussels information (PDF)

Aerial View of the Tour & Taxis areal where the HITT takes place.

Aerial View of the Tour & Taxis areal where the HITT takes place.Tour et Taxis

Download here the analysis of HITT Brussels





International, innovative, always ahead. Become a part of the HITT Community.


HITT is an unconventional, English-speaking event launched in 2018.

  • Casual, but with high-calibre experts from inside and outside the industry.
  • Limited in number, not in quality.
  • Inspiring deep thoughts instead of shallow PR talk.
  • Personal, direct, interactive and off-the-record.

The forum is a place to share knowledge, exchange ideas and develop solutions for the industry’s most pressing issues: digitalisation, sustainability and human resources.

Senior executives and experts from hotel operation, hotel real estate, finance, sustainability, digital transformation, legal and HR are most welcome.

Let’s take this journey to find answers together!

Contact:
Anne Greisel
Executive Assistant
Event Manager

+49 821 885880 20 anne@hospitalityinside.com

Information on the previous events can be found here:

  • HITT 2025 
  • HITT 2024 
  • HITT 2023

HITT 2026 locations

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Welcome to The Hoxton Brussels

In the heart of Brussels is the Hoxton Hotel Tower, with 198 rooms spread over 21 floors, offering magnificent views of the bustling EU capital from a large rooftop terrace, as well as a stylish new event space called The Loft.

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Hotel Indigo Brussels - HITT Hotel 2026

This modern boutique hotel is in the heart of the Belgian capital and offers stylish and comfortable rooms. Owned by Pandox and operated by IHG, the hotel impresses with its trendy design, friendly atmosphere and central location, making it easy to explore the main sights of Brussels on foot or by public transport. It is located directly on Place Charles Rogier, only a few steps apart from the event Venue, The Hoxton Hotel. 

HITT 2026

A Series of Events

HITT edition 8, 2025 Nature's Appeal: Can hospitality be regenerative? Risk, Resilience & Innovation
Programme / Summary 1 / Summary 2 / Impressions / Archive

HITT edition 7, 2024 Adapt and Transform: Mastering Hospitality ESG and Innovate with Hospitality Tech Labs Programme / Summary 1 / Summary 2 / Impressions / Video / Archive

HITT edition 6, 2023 Next Level: Measure. Benchmark. Drive. Lifting Sustainability from intention to traction. Programme / Summary 1: Tourism and hotel industry in the crossfire / Summary 2: ... or our industry will disappear / Archive

HITT edition 5, 2022 Embrace ESG for people, planet and prosperity. Programme / Summary / Impressions

HITT edition 4, 2021 Sustainability & Digitalisation: The Change Drivers. Programme / Summary / Video 

HITT edition 3, 2020 Boost your Service Delivery. Programme / Summary

HITT edition 2, 2019 Digitalisation. The New Value Creator. Programme / Video / Summary

HITT Premiere 2018 Emerging Technologies. Friend or foe? Programme / Video / Summary

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