Registration, Housing Help, Mobile App Help Desk Open

Attendees and exhibitors can pick up their badge during this time. Pre-registered attendees/exhibitors be sure to bring your QR code with you either on your smart-phone or a printed copy. Also, please bring a form of identification to retrieve your registration. For those that wish to register on-site, you will also be able to do so during this time.  The HITEC Housing and HITEC Mobile App Help Desk will also be open during this time.

Digital Den Open

Take a break to relax, check email, print your boarding pass, charge your device, or watch the live streaming of the Keynotes and General Session, in the Digital Den.

Sponsored by CNN

About HFTP Information Desk

Attendees are invited to stop by and learn more about HFTP, the association that produces HITEC.

HFTP Booth and Member Lounge

Located inside the Exhibit Hall, HFTP Members are invited to take a break, network and visit with friends and colleagues, in the HFTP Member Lounge. Enjoy refreshments, delicious snacks, discover HFTP resources, take certification practice exams, renew your HFTP membership, and much more. (8:00 AM - 10:00 AM RSVP only)

Beverage Service

Enjoy a refreshing beverage before you settle in for the education sessions.

Super Session: Is More a Perfect Hotel Room?​

What makes a hotel room great? The perfect mix of tech-savvy yet functional apps and features, superlative amenities and amazing aesthetics help some suites outshine the rest. While one person's idea of the perfect hotel room may differ from the next, there is certain criteria that a hotel room requires in order to be perceived as great. From a comfortable bed to superior amenities and service, discover the formula for a perfect hotel room.

Moderator: Rich Siegel is is President & Publisher for Hospitality Upgrade and a member of the HITEC Houston Advisory Council and an inductee to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.
Ken Barnes is CIO for Omni Hotels and Resorts.               
Gustaf Burman is CIO for Montage Hotels and Resorts.
Nick Price is CIO for citizenM Hotels, a director on the HFTP Global board and an inductee to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame.
Carlos Flores is President and CEO for Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Super Session: Fireside Chat — View from the Top Day-to-Day Challenges

From an increase in competition, to the costs of operating, there are issues impacting the success of hospitality businesses. Discover the daily challenges faced by hospitality professionals and businesses coming straight from the top. Learn how to improve share holders value, manage board and investors, mitigate risk and much more.

Moderator: Chip Rogers is CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.
Matthew Hostetler is senior vice president of Red Roof Inn.
BJ Patel is vice president of finance and development for Baywood Hotels.
Hitesh Patel, CHO, CHA, is chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

Super Session: Blockchain

In the past year, blockchain has become the big buzzword in hotel technology. This is just the beginning for blockchain technology, but it is clear that it will change many industries in radical ways. This technology has the potential to disrupt nearly every aspect of every industry imaginable. Understand what blockchain technology is and what industry applications will be impacted.

Moderator: Mark Haley, CHTP+, ISHC managing partner at The Prism Partnership, LLC
Adnan Saulat is general manager, travel, transportation and hospitality business at Mindtree. 
Douglas Rice, is Managing Director at Hospitality Technology Network.
Thom Kozik is Chief Commericial Officer at Loyyal.

Technology Showcase: Your Guests are Changing, So Should Your PMS

Hear first-hand about the impact mobile PMS has had on hotel operations, revenue generation and guest satisfaction. Learn why it is essential hotels arm their staff and property with a modern PMS that will future-proof their hotel to respond to today's digitally driven consumer. A new guest engagement reality is here and those who stay ahead of technology trends will come out the winners.

Jos Schaap is founder and CEO with StayNTouch.

Exhibit Hall Open

Join us for the largest tradeshow in the world dedicated strictly to hospitality technology. See hundreds of booths and companies all catering to the hospitality industry, and look out for the emerging technologies that are being introduced to the marketplace. This is THE place to see the new "toys in the store."

HITEC Helps

Help local nonprofit Compudopt provide technology access and education to underserved youth on the HITEC Helps putting green. Tickets are required and may be purchased at the HITEC Registration desk or HFTP Booth. All proceeds collected will be donated to Compudopt.

Exhibitor Tutorial: The Evolution of Hotel WiFI: Not Just an IT Program Anymore

Being the number one most demanded amenity, WiFi has an undeniable effect on brand loyalty. If brands fail to deliver a fast and consistent connection, guests will go looking for it somewhere else.

This session explores the history of WiFi in hospitality and how we have arrived where we are today with a focus on frictionless, homelike and secure connectivity. Learn how hotel brands can offer global lifetime access to WiFi with Passpoint/Hotspot 2.0 and centrally manage connectivity via the cloud to ensure a seamless brand-wide experience. Look to the future with a focus on smart rooms, Internet of Things (IoT) and smart network diagnostics.

Peri Pierone is CEO of Eleven Software.

Tech Talks

Chute: Traveler Social Media Preferences and Habits
Jody Farrar is VP of Marketing with Chute

Site 1001: There are No Empty Rooms in a Happy Building
Lauren Long is Director of Marketing with Site 1001

TravelClick, Inc: Power Your Marketing with Artificial Intelligence Shayne Paddock is VP, GMS Product Development & Innovation with TravelClick, Inc

GX2 Technology: Avoiding Guest Wi-Fi Disasters at your Hotel
Vijay Patil is Senior Engineer with GX2 Technology

Exhibitor Tutorial: Transforming HSIA for Your Next Generation Guests

Next Geeneration guest expectations are creating new challenges for hoteliers.  Their voracious appetite for bandwidth and desire for a differentiated experience means hoteliers need to do more within the same budget.  This session will share how hoteliers can create more value-added service online to drive greater guest loyalty .

Don West is national channel manager with MTS Inc.

Exhibitor Tutorial: Mobile and In-Room Technologies

Technology allows hotels to have immediate communication with guests via their mobile phone or an in-room device. Through innovation and guest feedback, Intelity can make communication easy and efficient, resulting in more effective service. And, more effective service enables hotels to create more memorable guest experiences.

Gregg Hopkins is chief sales and marketing officer at Intelity.

Exhibitor Tutorial: Grow Your Direct Bookings through Revolutionary Technology

In this informative workshop, direct bookings expert Rich Tuckwell demonstrates how to incorporate revolutionary technology to enhance the booking pathway for your guests — and grow your direct bookings in the process.

Rich Tuckwell is chief commercial officer at Avvio.

Exhibitor Tutorial: The Future of Technology: Is AI Coming to Hospitality?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hottest of hot topics right now. From retail to manufacturing, in the enterprise or at home, it is everywhere. Hoteliers are starting to shift their thinking from “if” to “when” regarding AI and the potential effects that could be felt in the industry. During this session, attendees will hear predictions at a high level for how this new technology might one day become a reality in the hospitality industry — along with the benefits, potential concerns, and how to embrace AI to continually enhance the guest experience.

Michael Schubach is strategic deployments and program management director for Infor Hospitality.

Tech Talks

Ruckus Networks: Beyond Wi-Fi: How Will You Up Your Game?
Scott Heinlein is Marketing Director of Hospitality with Ruckus Networks

dailypoint™ - Software by Toedt, Dr. Selk & Coll. GmbH: GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
Dr. Michael Toedt is Founder & CEO dailypoint™ - Software by Toedt

Angie Hospitality: Purpose-Built vs. Off-the-Shelf Technology for Hotels
Ted Helvey is CEO with Angie Hospitality

Thinix: How Hotels can Implement 4G Internet Failover & How 5G Will Change the Future
Anthony Clark is Vice President, Business Development with Thinix

HFTP Chapter Leader Meetup

Visit with HFTP Chapter Leaders and learn more about the HFTP Chapters.

Exhibitor Tutorial: Perfecting Purchasing: Ensure the Right Price, Right Product, Right Vendor

Ensuring you have the right suppliers providing the right products at the right price requires a strong procurement process. It is also vital to both commercial success and brand standards. So, how do you make sure your procurement process is robust? Join this session to explore the best-in-class steps that leading operators are putting into place to ensure the purchasing process is streamlined to ultimately drive profitability.

Angela Hart is solutions architect at Fourth.

James England is Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships at Fourth.

Beverage Service

Enjoy a refreshing beverage before you settle in for the education sessions.

About HFTP Information Desk

Attendees are invited to stop by and learn more about HFTP, the association that produces HITEC.

Concurrent Session: Trends in Payment Systems Around the World

Today the number of payment options has grown; but can you name them? Learn what the emerging payment technologies are, including contactless payments using mobile wallets, biometric authentication  using fingerprint or face scans, and cryptocurrencies. The panelists will discuss how regulations like PCI DSS and GDPR affect how these are implemented, and the devices and architecture required to make these a reality.

Moderator: Mike Carlo is CEO and founder of XanderPay LLC.
Jacob Buckstead is vice president of sales, hotels,travel and leisure for First Data Corporation.
Matt Donnelly is vice president at FreedomPay.
Ahtesham Ahmed is vice president international sales at CardinalCommerce Corporation.

Concurrent Session: Millennials Reshaping the Industry

Who are millennial travelers and what do they like? The millennial traveler, born between 1980 and 2000, already makes up over one third of the world's hotel guests, with predictions that they will reach over 50 percent by 2020. Active in social media and Internet technology, empowered with mobile devices, this savvy group wants better value when they travel and expect premium services, as well as individualized experiences. Strategies for catering to hotel guests (millennials) will be revealed – if you are buying technology today, it needs to be relevant for at least five to seven years before replacing it. Understand millennials' point-of-view on hospitality technology and what they want to see. Learn how the industry is evolving to meet the demands of this up-and-coming group. 

This session is sponsored by Amadeus.

Moderator: Neal Patel is managing partner at Blue Chip Hotels and a member of the HITEC Houston Advisory Council.
Miraj Patel is president and CEO for Mirage Hospitality.
Neil Foster, CHTP, is IT Consultant at Tech-Tonic Hospitality Services.

Concurrent Session: GDPR Update

As hospitality companies conducting business in Europe prepare to make operational changes to conform with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that took effect on May 25, 2018, HFTP has put together the HFTP HDPO/GDPR Task Force to prepare resources for the hospitality industry.This session will provide an update on the resources developed by the task force, as well as the history of GDPR.

Daniel Johnson Partner/Co-Founder with VENZA and member of the HFTP HDPO/GDPR task force.

Concurrent Session: Check-In Utopia — The Perfect Arrival Experience

What makes up the perfect check-in experience, does it really exist? We have moved from long check-in lines, registration cards, swiping credit cards and Ving cards (remember those?) to a “straight-to-room” experience in less than five years. With the mobile device quickly becoming the center of the book/check-in/consume/check-out stream, we seem to be forgetting the “service” component of a hotel stay. This session will cover strategies to help hotels reach check-in utopia.

This session is sponsored by Onity.

Moderator: Larry Mogelonsky is managing partner with Hotel Mogel Consulting Ltd.
John Prusnick is global director — property solutions and owner relations with Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Jeff Wielgopolan is vice president of learning and development at Forbes Travel Guide.
Michael Zetterlund is product and marketing director at ARIANE.

Technology Showcase: Serving Up Satisfaction — Technology Solutions for Improving Guest Dining Experiences

As a celebrity chef and owner of several successful companies and restaurants, Robert Irvine understands the challenges of operating global dining outlets, while maintaining the highest brand standards. With a travel schedule that demands Chef Irvine spend more than 300 days on the road annually, Robert relies on state-of-the-art technology to stay informed of his business operations, to manage his empire remotely, and to stay connected with his restaurant managers around the world. In addition, Robert’s expertise as the current owner/operator of a Las Vegas casino hotel restaurant has taught him to leverage technology to optimize kitchen and order management, reduce overhead, and provide superior dining experiences. Join this session to learn how to improve operations across dining outlets and properties, while delivering superior guest dining experiences that will encourage guests to stay with you again.

Robert Irvine is a celebrity chef representing Comcast Business.