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-calibre insights coming to the stage, we’re launching a series of quick-fire ‘get to know’ chats with our expert speakers.

Next up is Mark Lewis. As Chief Executive of Hospitality Action—the UK industry’s benevolent charity—Mark leads the team providing a vital financial safety net to hospitality workers in crisis. We sat down with him to discuss unforgettable early-career moments, his single-minded mission in 2026, the stark economic realities of operator survival, and why uncompromising quality remains the ultimate buffer in tough times.

Q) What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?

I’ll always remember fondly the day I opened my box of advance copies of the Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, which I co-wrote in the early Nineties. I was having a pint in the much-missed King’s Head on Gerrard Street, and a full-scale brawl between two rival Chinatown gangs broke out while I nursed my precious books in the corner. And the night my microphone started to give out intermittently when I was presenting the Cateys was certainly memorable – think Norman Collier in a dinner jacket. But the moments that stay with me more than any others are the ones when someone tells me Hospitality Action literally saved their life and asks me to pass on their thanks to the team.

Q) What has been your main focus in your career during 2026 so far?

Hospitality Action is a sausage machine: we feed money in at one end and grants for people in crisis come out of the other. We all remain laser-focussed on driving awareness and raising funds, so as to maximise our financial impact.

Q) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received throughout your career?

My former boss Paul Mason, who went on to present Newsnight, once told me that sometimes there’s no such thing as a right or wrong decision, and that the most important thing is to make a decision either way so everyone can move on.

Q) What do you see as the three biggest challenges facing the hotel industry right now?

Survival, survival, and survival. Hospitality Action is a bellwether for the industry it serves. When times are challenging, we receive more requests for support. When Cyd’s Café closes, we get calls from Cyd’s former employees. You won’t be surprised to learn that, currently, the phones are ringing off the hook.

Q) Looking into 2027 and beyond, what trends in hospitality are you most excited to see develop?

I’m a simple man with a simple palate, so I’ll leave culinary trends to the bloggers and reviewers. AI looms large over all our lives, though our need for human interaction will never diminish. Like all of us, I’m hoping an Andy Burnham government will look more favourably on hospitality than recent administrations – though I’d be surprised if there was a magic wand packed in his suitcase. I’m most excited to see how hospitality operators continue to evolve their sustainability credentials.

Q) What’s one key takeaway you hope attendees will leave this year’s conference with?

Quality will always win out. In difficult times, the operators that hold their nerves, don’t compromise their customer care, and have a differentiated offer, will survive. The ‘meh’ operators will go to the wall.