Speakers

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THE NATIONAL HOTEL MARKETING CONFERENCE 2025

THE HILTON AT ST. GEORGE’S PARK – BURTON UPON TRENT,
THURSDAY 1st MAY 2025.

The first group of speakers at the 2025 National Hotel Marketing Conference are profiled below. Check back to this page for regular updates as more speakers are confirmed!

Josh Abbott

Director of Marketing, Foxhills

Lauren Bradley

Marketing Manager, Waldorf Hilton, London

Victoria Brown

Group Mktg Manager, Galgorm Collection

Pamela Carvell

Life President, Hotel Marketing Association

Lucy Chase-Gardener

Group Mktg Director, Ralph Trustees Ltd

Ellie Claessens

Market Manager, The Hotels Network

Petra Clayton

Creator & CEO, CUSTARD

Alexandra Delf

Managing Director/EVP, MMGY Grifco

Harry Fielder

Community Chairman, HMA

Michael Grove

Chief Executive, HotStats

Yasmine Hammadache

General Manager, Hotel Indigo, York

George Kurth

Resident Manager, The Bryant Park Hotel

Jessica Lowes

Head of Strategy, Punch Hospitality

Patryk Luszcz

Regional Director, UK, Profitroom

Jim Muir

Commercial Director, Best Western Hotels

John Mullen

Senior Territory Sales Mngr (UK), Revinate

Allan Nelson

Managing Director, For-Sight

David Ohandjanian

Founder, Up Hotel Agency

Des O’Mahony

Chairman, Bookassist

Chloe Parry

Content Marketing Executive, Carden Park

Jody Reaoch

Corporate Director, Integrated Marketing

Tara Robinson

Sales & Mktg, Eden Hotel Collection

Susan Scott-Lennon

Senior Marketing Strategist, Net Affinity

Seren Welch

Screen Tourism Specialist

Sam Weston

Marketing Director, 80 DAYS

Roddy Whiteford

Managing Director, Hotelfone

Anna Wolfram

Head of Marketing, Grantley Hall

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2018

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In partnership with:

Supporting organisations:

Principal Sponsors – NHMC 2025:

Gold Sponsors:

Tel: 0770 291 2938 | Email: conference@thetourismbusiness.com

Director of Marketing, Foxhills

Josh Abbott

Director of Marketing at Foxhills

Josh is a dedicated and ambitious hotel marketer who leads an award-winning marketing team at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey (named Hotel Marketing Association’s Best Hotel Marketing Team 2024 and Business Travel People Team of the Year 2024)

With extensive experience in both the B2B and consumer market, Josh was previously Account Director at an international PR and marketing agency – representing a number of luxury resorts, tourist boards, golf clubs and leading brands across the UK and Europe – before moving in-house nearly three years ago. His commitment to championing better marketing practices underscores his expertise and dedication to the industry.

Josh believes in holistic marketing strategies which has seen him lead successful projects and campaigns across brand, social, partnerships, email, digital, print, influencers and PR. Now a committee member of the Hotel Marketing Association and regular industry speaker, Josh is passionate about making impactful contributions to the hotel industry to improve innovation in marketing.

Marketing Manager, Waldorf Hilton, London

Lauren Bradley

Marketing Manager, The Waldorf Hilton, London

Lauren is the Marketing Manager at the iconic Waldorf Hilton hotel in London. During the 3 years in her post, Lauren has successfully led the hotel’s Marketing Department, generating revenue through a variety of campaigns, including the ‘Be Our Guest’ afternoon tea campaign, which led her to win the Rising Star in Hotel Marketing Award from the HMA. Lauren is incredibly passionate about Hospitality, and encourages her team to be creative and find new innovative ways of advertising the hotel.

Group Mktg Manager, Galgorm Collection

Victoria Brown

Group Marketing Manager, Galgorm Collection

Victoria Brown is a marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in hospitality and tourism. As Group Marketing Manager for Galgorm Collection, she oversees the strategy for 4 luxury hotels and 2 restaurants, driving brand awareness and guest engagement. Victoria has led award-winning campaigns, expanded market reach, and introduced digital innovations to enhance the customer experience. She is passionate about brand storytelling, customer engagement, and leveraging digital strategies to drive bookings and build brand loyalty. She also plays a key role in PR management, industry collaborations, and shaping long-term marketing strategies to strengthen brand positioning in competitive markets.

Life President, Hotel Marketing Association

Pamela Carvell

Life President, Hotel Marketing Association

Pamela Carvell, Life President HMA & Lifestyle Consultant.

Passionate about Marketing, healthy eating, positive thinking, football and antiques.

After gaining her degree in Marketing then working 20+ years in International Marketing Pamela qualified as a Master Practitioner of NLP and a Nutrition Adviser. She now delivers Workplace Wellness Programmes, blogs about Marketing, nutrition, NLP and upcycles & sells Antique furniture.

She has a season ticket at 3 different football grounds!

Group Mktg Director, Ralph Trustees Ltd

Lucy Chase-Gardener

Group Marketing Director, Ralph Trustees Ltd/The Grove

Lucy is a marketing director with over a decade of experience across the luxury hospitality, retail, and food & beverage sectors including at well-known brands Eataly and Gail’s Bakery. Currently Group Marketing Director at Ralph Trustees Ltd, she oversees strategic brand direction and guest engagement within the luxury hotel, spa and golf sector. Passionate about brand marketing, Lucy champions a holistic, multi-channel approach to building meaningful customer connections. She places great importance on leadership and team development, and aims to foster an environment where creativity and collaboration thrive. Under her leadership, the marketing team has won various awards for its innovative initiatives and campaigns.

Market Manager, The Hotels Network

Ellie Claessens

Market Manager, The Hotels Network

Ellie joined The Hotels Network in January 2020, bringing a wealth of experience from working on the client side in both market management and account management roles. Now, as a Market Manager, she helps hotels maximize their direct booking potential by leveraging data-driven personalization strategies. A passionate traveler and sports enthusiast, Ellie thrives on combining her love for exploration with helping hotels enhance guest experiences.

Creator & CEO, CUSTARD

Petra Clayton

Creator & CEO, CUSTARD

Petra is creator and CEO of CUSTARD, a PR agency for hotels and venues across the UK and Europe which she launched in 2007 to deliver creative, strategic, and measurable PR solutions to help businesses grow through strong brand positioning. Past chair of the Hotel Marketing Association and a board member for The Victory Services Club Petra has her finger on the pulse of the industry’s challenges and commercial pressures, as well as innovative PR strategies and the emergence of the new generation of both business and leisure consumers.
With almost 30 years in hospitality, Petra has worked with over 150 hotels and venues on their growth strategies and is a frequent commentator on relationship marketing, digital PR, issues management, influencer and brand partnerships, consumer behaviour and destination marketing.

Managing Director/EVP, MMGY Grifco

Alexandra Delf

Managing Director/EVP, MMGY Grifco

Alexandra started her career as a barrister, however with both parents as hoteliers and after spending the first 18 years of her life growing up in a hotel, you could say hospitality is in her blood.

Alexandra has been working with the MMGY Grifco team for 11 years and has a proven track record of launching and building luxury travel brands.

From supporting boutique hotels with creative planning to assisting clients with international strategy, Alexandra brings a passionate and creative approach to storytelling and communications, supported by a global network. Alexandra has been an industry voice at travel panels and conferences internationally.

Community Chairman, HMA

Harry Fielder

Community Chairman, Hotel Marketing Association & Managing Director, Umi Digital

Harry is the current Community Chairman of the Hotel Marketing Association (HMA) and the CEO of hotel marketing agency, Umi. Harry is a marketer and developer in equal measure, and works closely with hotel and travel businesses to excel online and maximise their digital capabilities. Alongside his primary roles, Harry consults hotel boards to guide a holistic tech strategy; and operates as a technical sounding board for strategic planning. As a serial experimenter, Harry frequently develops and pilots new tools via Umi Labs and fosters an entrepreneurial ethos in the businesses he works with.

Chief Executive, HotStats

Michael Grove

Chief Executive, HotStats

Michael is CEO of Hotstats. Hotstats provide monthly P&L benchmarking & market Insight for the hotel industry. Collecting monthly detailed financial data from hotels worldwide from over 100 brands and independent hotels, Hotstats provide over 550 different KPIs covering all operating revenues, payroll, expenses, cost of sales/marketing and ultimately departmental and total hotel profitability. Prior to joining Hotstats, Michael held multiple operational & financial roles at hotel and corporate level, over 16 years and is a regular conference speaker & guest lecturer at universities & hotel schools around the world.

General Manager, Hotel Indigo, York

Yasmine Hammadache

General Manager, Hotel Indigo, York

Having started her hotel career in 2015 with Hampton by Hilton, Yasemine is now the General Manager of Hotel Indigo York having been newly promoted after a number of years in the role as Operations Manager at the hotel. An ambitious graduate and now ambassador of the Junior Hospitality Board, Yasemin is a passionate hotelier who understands how strategic marketing plays a vital part in the success of her hotel.

Resident Manager, The Bryant Park Hotel

George Kurth

Resident Manager, The Bryant Park Hotel, New York City

George is the Resident Manager of The Bryant Park Hotel, which has achieved the distinction of currently being the highest-rated hotel in New York City on Tripadvisor.com, and was also been recognized as one of the top ten hotels in the whole of the United States for 2023.

With an impressive background spanning over four decades in New York City’s dynamic hotel industry, George has honed his expertise in managing and promoting independent properties. Including key positions such as Director of Sales and Marketing and General Manager at Fitzpatrick Hotels, Vice President of Revenue Management and Distribution for ten properties under the Denihan Hotel Group, and Director of Sales and Marketing for the Fortuna Group of hotels. He has also held a General Manager position with Marriott. Moreover, George has actively participated in the East Midtown Partnership and the Grand Central Partnership business improvement districts in Manhattan, serving on their boards. He is also a regular guest lecturer at New York University’s Tisch School of Hospitality.

Head of Strategy, Punch Hospitality

Jessica Lowes

Head of Strategy at Punch Hospitality

With over a decade of experience in content marketing and digital insight within the hospitality sector, Jessica’s expertise lies in crafting tailored strategies that not only increases revenue but strengthens brand loyalty with your guests, new and old. She has worked alongside brands inc. IHG brands Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn, National Trust, Hilton, and Clermont Hotel Group whilst working at Punch, Yorkshire’s only integrated hospitality marketing agency.

Regional Director, UK, Profitroom

Patryk Luszcz

Regional Director, UK, Profitroom

Patryk Luszcz is the Regional Director for the UK at Profitroom, a leading hospitality technology company. With a wealth of experience in hotel marketing and sales, Patryk plays a key role in helping hotels optimise their revenue and guest experience through advanced booking solutions. He has a strong background in digital marketing and hospitality management, enabling him to understand the unique needs of the UK market. Patryk is passionate about driving growth for hotels by implementing innovative technology solutions that enhance efficiency and profitability. His leadership is instrumental in expanding Profitroom’s presence across the region.

Commercial Director, Best Western Hotels

Jim Muir

Commercial Director, BWH/Best Western Hotels GB

Jim is Commercial Director at BWH Hotels GB, leading the sales, marketing, digital and revenue teams. Jim’s background is largely in analytical marketing roles. Prior to joining BWH Hotels – way back in 2015 – Jim worked for the East Coast Main Line (now LNER), London Underground and the research agency BMRB.

Senior Territory Sales Mngr (UK), Revinate

John Mullen

Senior Territory Sales Manager (UK), Revinate

Passionate about hospitality and travel tech, John is a self-motivated individual with experience in a range of roles covering new market openings, sales strategy and account management. John has researched and sold Hospitality Tech for a number of years, with the last four years being focused on PMS/property management systems. J ohn has worked in large global teams in industry-leading, high-growth businesses and start-ups in the hospitality and tourism sector, specialising in B2B SaaS.

John is the Senior Sales Manager at Revinate. He possesses extensive experience in the travel and hospitality industry, encompassing corporate travel management, luxury hotel operations, and hospitality technology. In John’s role at Revinate, he leverages his profound knowledge of Hospitality Tech, acquired through years of work, education, and being a self-confessed ‘failed hotelier’ to facilitate the success of Hotels looking to elevate their revenue opportunities and Guest Experience. John’s expert guidance enables him to assist hoteliers in scaling their direct revenue and constructing revenue-generating programs through innovation.

Managing Director, For-Sight

Allan Nelson

Managing Director, For-Sight

Allan, Founder, CEO, and Board Director of For-Sight, is a leading voice in transforming the hospitality industry. With a strong passion for technology, Allan advocates for the strategic use of zero and first-party data, CRM technology, and targeted marketing to drive revenue for hotels. Under his leadership, For-Sight delivers innovative solutions to support hotels in building guest engagement, growing revenue, and fostering guest loyalty.

In addition to his role at For-Sight, Allan actively contributes to industry conversations, participating in talks and discussions with peers for over 20 years now. His engagement in these conversations reflects not only his commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends but also his dedication to fostering innovation and progress in the ever-evolving worlds of hospitality & technology.

Founder, Up Hotel Agency

David Ohandjanian

Founder, Up Hotel Agency

David is a visionary entrepreneur and Founder of the award-winning Up Hotel Agency, specialising in Hotel marketing and Website design. With over 25 years of experience in Digital Marketing and Website Strategy, David has established himself as a creative digital expert in the hospitality industry. He founded Up Hotel Agency 2014 and previously held Senior Director positions at TravelCLICK and Traffic Marketing Solutions. David’s passion for blending creativity with cutting-edge technology has earned his agencies numerous awards and positioned them at the forefront of the hospitality marketing landscape.

Chairman, Bookassist

Des O’Mahony

Chairman, Bookassist

Dr Des O’Mahony is Founder & Chairman at Bookassist, the award-winning international company delivering strategy and technology to independent hotels to drive increased profitability and book-direct business growth. Having served as CEO since the company’s inception in 1999, Des now focuses on the marketing side of the business. Originally trained as a physicist, Des obtained a PhD in Physics and then transitioned into early internet technologies in the mid 1990s. He has been twice honoured, for Entrepreneurship and for Online Business, by the Irish Internet Association annual awards and has received HSMAI Europe’s “Top 10 Extraordinary Minds in Marketing” award.

Content Marketing Executive, Carden Park

Chloe Parry

Content Marketing Executive, Carden Park, Cheshire

Chloe is the Content Marketing Executive at the award winning Carden Park Hotel in Cheshire. Specialising in videography and photography, she uses her exceptional editing skills to create stunning social media content. Chloe has expert and in-depth knowledge of key social media channels, in particular Instagram and TikTok algorithms. This enables her to create successful posts that audiences engage with.

Chloe is the genius behind the Carden Park TikTok, which won the Social Media Marketing Campaign Award at the 2023 Hotel Marketing Awards. Chloe loves to share her passion and knowledge of social media with others to create stand out content.

Corporate Director, Integrated Marketing

Jody Reaoch

Corporate Director, Integrated Marketing / Cameron House/Davidson Hospitality Group

Sales & Mktg, Eden Hotel Collection

Tara Robinson

Sales and Marketing Director, Eden Hotel Collection

Tara has more than 20 years of marketing experience having joined Mallory Court Hotel in 2004 before co-creating Eden Hotel Collection, after initially starting her career on Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Fast Track Scheme’.

Alongside overseeing sales, marketing and revenue at award-winning boutique hotel chain Eden Hotel Collection, (AA Small Hotel Group of the Year 2024-25) Tara is Chair of South Warwickshire’s tourism body, Shakespeare’s England, and is also Co-Chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Visitor Enterprise Partnership (LVEP) Advisory Board. Her role with Coventry and Warwickshire LVEP involves promoting a collaborative approach to tourism for the wider area – fulfilling her passion and pride for the region.

Senior Marketing Strategist, Net Affinity

Susan Scott-Lennon

Senior Marketing Strategist, Net Affinity

Susan is the Senior Marketing Strategist at Net Affinity, with over 10 years of experience in Marketing. Specializing in digital marketing, website development, and delivering comprehensive marketing strategies, Susan has successfully driven growth and increased bookings for a wide range of hotels across Ireland and the UK. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from University College Dublin, and a Master’s in Digital Marketing from the UCD Smurfit School of Business, Susan combines academic expertise with practical industry insights to deliver results for her clients.

Screen Tourism Specialist

Seren Welch

Director, SW Consulting – Screen Tourism Specialist

Seren has over 25 years’ experience across tourism marketing and a track record in promoting destinations and tourism operators through screen tourism. Whilst at VisitBritiain, she led on all consumer product development, which included delivering global campaigns from Harry Potter to Downton Abbey and Bond. Over the last 12 years, Seren has worked closely with the US Broadcaster WGBH Masterpiece (PBS), assisting them in bringing to life the locations narrative for some of the UKs best loved dramas, such as Downton Abbey, Victoria, Mr Selfridge, Sherlock, Poldark and All Creatures Great and Small. In addition, her focus has been assisting destinations and businesses with product development and building partnerships, helping them benefit from film releases and the rise in High End TV opportunities.

Marketing Director, 80 DAYS

Sam Weston

Marketing Director, 80 DAYS

Sam is Marketing Director at 80 DAYS, a full service creative and digital marketing agency specialising in hospitality and working with some of the world’s most respected hotel and travel brands. A self-confessed, enthusiastic hotel marketing geek, Sam enjoys sharing insights and knowledge from 80 DAYS and sister company, Hotel Benchmark, with like-minded hoteliers.

Managing Director, Hotelfone

Roddy Whiteford

Managing Director, Hotelfone

Roddy has over 40 years in the industry, with a wealth of experience across the luxury hotel and resort markets, currently a non-executive Director at The Feversham Arms & Verbena Spa in North Yorkshire. During his time in the corporate world roles he undertook were a Regional Manager with Hand Picked Hotels, and General Manager at the 5-star Cameron House on Loch Lomond.

Roddy is passionate about quality and the total customer experience. He has spent much of the last 15 years delivering numerous highly successful business improvement programmes through creative thinking, independent evaluation and a personal approach. After discovering a niche in the marketplace, he founded Hotelfone in 2011 to support telephone demand for hotels, restaurants and spas. Now his sole focus is “How to improve your business through demand management”.

Head of Marketing, Grantley Hall

Anna Wolfram

Head of Marketing, Grantley Hall

With 10 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industries, Anna is the Head of Marketing at luxury hotel Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire, one of the north of England’s leading hotels. Specialising in brand positioning, storytelling and strategic marketing, her passions are crafting compelling brand narratives and executing innovative campaigns, with a strong track record in elevating brands to drive growth.

Anna’s background is in both B2B and consumer marketing and PR, working with numerous hotels, associations, consortia and industry trade shows across the UK to reach their business objectives through clever and targeted strategies. Anna believes that exceptional attention to detail is an essential skill for successfully marketing luxury brands.