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The countdown is officially on for the Hotel Owner Conference 2026 this November in London. As the hospitality landscape faces a unique mix of rising operational pressures and massive technological shifts, this year’s forum is all about actionable strategies, resilience, and forward-thinking leadership.
To give you a sneak peek into the high-caliber insights coming to the stage, we’re launching a series of quick-fire “get to know” chats with our expert speakers.
First up is Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media. With decades of industry-shaping experience, Simon oversees the UK’s most trusted hospitality assessment schemes. We sat down with him to talk about career milestones, the AA’s exciting 2026 innovations (including new sustainability marks), the exact challenges hotel owners need to prepare for, and why culture will always trump tech.
Q) What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
I have been fortunate to experience many memorable moments throughout my career, most of which centre around recognising the achievements of exceptional people, hotels and teams. Seeing individuals and businesses receive recognition for their hard work and dedication is always incredibly rewarding. I feel privileged to lead and represent the AA within the hospitality industry and am particularly proud of the role we have played in evolving our schemes, maintaining their relevance and continuing to support businesses across the sector in an ever-changing environment.
Q) What has been your main focus in your career during 2026 so far?
Much of my attention has been focused on our people and culture, ensuring our teams feel empowered to deliver great service to our customers while continuing to develop and grow professionally. At the same time, innovation remains a key priority. This year we have introduced new red star signage, added sustainability accreditation credentials and accessibility information to our digital offering, as well as launching a new sustainability mark for restaurants. Relaunching our AA schemes in the Republic of Ireland has also been a major focus and an exciting opportunity to expand our support for hospitality businesses.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received throughout your career?
The importance of treating others how you would like and expect to be treated yourself has stayed with me throughout my career. I firmly believe that relationships are at the heart of every successful business. Internally, if you look after your people, they will look after the business. Externally, genuine human connection is essential for building lasting customer relationships and successful partnerships. It is a simple principle, but one that remains as relevant today as ever.
Q) What do you see as the three biggest challenges facing the hotel industry right now?
The first is attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly competitive labour market and a diminishing talent pool. The second is managing rising operational costs while maintaining profitability and delivering the level of service guests expect. The third is meeting rapidly evolving guest expectations, particularly around personalisation, sustainability and digital experiences. Hotels must continue to adapt and innovate while remaining true to the fundamentals of great hospitality.
Q) Looking into 2027 and beyond, what trends in hospitality are you most excited to see develop?
I am excited by the opportunities technology and AI present in helping hotels deliver more personalised guest experiences. The opportunity is not to replace human interaction, but to enhance it, freeing teams to focus on the moments that create genuine connections with guests.
I am also encouraged by the growing focus on creating stronger and more authentic hotel narratives. The most successful hotels of the future will be those that place their people, location, heritage and sustainability commitments at the heart of the guest experience in a way that feels genuine and meaningful.
Finally, innovation continues to be one of the most exciting aspects of our industry. Hospitality is incredibly creative, and I enjoy seeing the continual evolution of products, services, food and guest experiences. It is often the smallest touches and attention to detail that leave the most lasting impressions.
Q) What’s one key takeaway you hope attendees will leave this year’s conference with?
I hope attendees leave feeling optimistic about the future of our industry. Hospitality continues to face challenges, but it is also one of the most resilient, innovative and people-focused sectors in the economy. If there is one key takeaway, it is that investing in people, embracing change and remaining true to the principles of great hospitality will continue to be the foundation for long-term success.
Spaces are filling up fast for London’s premier gathering of hotel owners, operators, and investors. Click here to secure your tickets today!
The countdown is officially on for the Hotel Owner Conference 2026 this November in London. As the hospitality landscape faces a unique mix of rising operational pressures and massive technological shifts, this year’s forum is all about actionable strategies, resilience, and forward-thinking leadership.
To give you a sneak peek into the high-caliber insights coming to the stage, we’re launching a series of quick-fire “get to know” chats with our expert speakers.
First up is Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media. With decades of industry-shaping experience, Simon oversees the UK’s most trusted hospitality assessment schemes. We sat down with him to talk about career milestones, the AA’s exciting 2026 innovations (including new sustainability marks), the exact challenges hotel owners need to prepare for, and why culture will always trump tech.
Q) What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
I have been fortunate to experience many memorable moments throughout my career, most of which centre around recognising the achievements of exceptional people, hotels and teams. Seeing individuals and businesses receive recognition for their hard work and dedication is always incredibly rewarding. I feel privileged to lead and represent the AA within the hospitality industry and am particularly proud of the role we have played in evolving our schemes, maintaining their relevance and continuing to support businesses across the sector in an ever-changing environment.
Q) What has been your main focus in your career during 2026 so far?
Much of my attention has been focused on our people and culture, ensuring our teams feel empowered to deliver great service to our customers while continuing to develop and grow professionally. At the same time, innovation remains a key priority. This year we have introduced new red star signage, added sustainability accreditation credentials and accessibility information to our digital offering, as well as launching a new sustainability mark for restaurants. Relaunching our AA schemes in the Republic of Ireland has also been a major focus and an exciting opportunity to expand our support for hospitality businesses.
Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received throughout your career?
The importance of treating others how you would like and expect to be treated yourself has stayed with me throughout my career. I firmly believe that relationships are at the heart of every successful business. Internally, if you look after your people, they will look after the business. Externally, genuine human connection is essential for building lasting customer relationships and successful partnerships. It is a simple principle, but one that remains as relevant today as ever.
Q) What do you see as the three biggest challenges facing the hotel industry right now?
The first is attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly competitive labour market and a diminishing talent pool. The second is managing rising operational costs while maintaining profitability and delivering the level of service guests expect. The third is meeting rapidly evolving guest expectations, particularly around personalisation, sustainability and digital experiences. Hotels must continue to adapt and innovate while remaining true to the fundamentals of great hospitality.
Q) Looking into 2027 and beyond, what trends in hospitality are you most excited to see develop?
I am excited by the opportunities technology and AI present in helping hotels deliver more personalised guest experiences. The opportunity is not to replace human interaction, but to enhance it, freeing teams to focus on the moments that create genuine connections with guests.
I am also encouraged by the growing focus on creating stronger and more authentic hotel narratives. The most successful hotels of the future will be those that place their people, location, heritage and sustainability commitments at the heart of the guest experience in a way that feels genuine and meaningful.
Finally, innovation continues to be one of the most exciting aspects of our industry. Hospitality is incredibly creative, and I enjoy seeing the continual evolution of products, services, food and guest experiences. It is often the smallest touches and attention to detail that leave the most lasting impressions.
Q) What’s one key takeaway you hope attendees will leave this year’s conference with?
I hope attendees leave feeling optimistic about the future of our industry. Hospitality continues to face challenges, but it is also one of the most resilient, innovative and people-focused sectors in the economy. If there is one key takeaway, it is that investing in people, embracing change and remaining true to the principles of great hospitality will continue to be the foundation for long-term success.
Spaces are filling up fast for London’s premier gathering of hotel owners, operators, and investors. Click here to secure your tickets today!
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The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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