
Beth Reitzel-Gordon

Beth Reitzel-Gordon is an accomplished business leader with extensive strategic and project management experience within the hospitality industry. Talented in managing sourcing, procurement and logistics teams and programs while driving efforts to meet the needs and requirements of clients and organizations.
Beth currently holds the position of Manager, FF&E – Resort Development with Universal Creative in Orlando. Prior to joining the team at Universal, Beth held the position of Vice President of Purchasing and Logistics with Westgate Resorts from 2020 to 2022, Manager of Procurement for Habitat for Humanity, consultant/contractor for process improvement and best practices, and 17 years with Wyndham Worldwide as Vice President, Procurement.

Carolina Pinheiro

Maria Carolina Pinheiro joined Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in 2018 as the leader of new business development and Design and Construction for Latin America, with the challenge of expanding the portfolio and presence of the 24 brands in the region.
Under Carolina’s leadership, her development team is responsible for implementing Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ expansion plan. She has signed over 220 contracts in the Latin America region, being responsible for significant achievements in the LATAMC region, such as the strategic alliance with Playa Hotels & Resorts and Palladium Hotel Group.
A graduate in Civil Engineering from Mackenzie University, she holds a postgraduate degree in Business Planning and Control, and an MBA from IBMEC (Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets, in collaboration with the University of California). She has been involved in the hotel industry since 1997 when she joined a Trainee Program in a hotel chain. Always working in the expansion area of hotel companies, she is responsible for negotiating new contracts. Later, she held leadership positions at RCI Brazil, contributing to the growth of the shared property market in Brazil and actively participating in the development of the Multiproperty Law (Law 13.777/2018).

Corinne Huard

After 14 years spearheading Business Development at a leading global design studio, Corinne Huard was ready to carve her own path. She envisioned a next-gen studio where designers could feel creatively unleashed yet unencumbered by the constraints of the luxury design industry and its pressures.
With the inception of MAED Collective, Corinne built a thoughtful and purposeful studio where everyone has a voice. Over time, her ambitious vision has attracted a world-class team of multidisciplinary designers and artisans, all bound by a love for the craft and an unflinching optimism for the future of design.
Together, they are pushing the boundaries of sustainable and curated design solutions, helping commercial residential, workplace and hospitality industries realize the full potential of their spaces.
To this day, the Collective continues to reflect Corinne’s own personality and philosophy: compassionate and disciplined, yet obsessively strategic and efficient.

Cristina Stefani

Cristina Stefani is a Marketing & Communication Strategist at Aquafil, where she leads the company’s marketing initiatives for circular economy projects across various industries, including aviation, hospitality, contract, and marine. Her work centers on promoting sustainable practices and driving innovation within these sectors, aligning Aquafil’s vision of a circular economy with market trends, user demand, and customer needs.
Cristina is particularly focused on the “R2R” (Regenerated to be Regenerable) project, which highlights Aquafil’s commitment to circularity. Through “R2R,” the company aims to foster a more sustainable and circular future by building a network of adopters dedicated to reducing environmental impact through eco-design practices.
With a background in economics and over 20 years of experience, Cristina brings a unique perspective to her role, blending sustainable solutions with business growth strategies. Her expertise includes crafting impactful campaigns, nurturing strong relationships with stakeholders, and identifying opportunities for sustainable development.

Cynthia Guthrie

Cynthia Guthrie is Founder and President of Guthrie & Associates, Inc. established in 1990 and currently serves as Past International President on the International Executive Board of Directors for NEWH, Inc. among other positions served on the local and international levels since 2003.
Known for her passion and commitment to the hospitality industry she has been recognised for her leadership and selected by her peers to receive the Joyce L. Johnson Recognition of Excellence Award and numerous sales awards but most important to Cindy is providing a platform to encourage students to focus their futures to hospitality.
Her company is a creative & collaborative playground for designers, architects, developers, procurement specialists, corporate brands, and construction professionals. With over 30 years of experience, she acquired skills and expertise in business development, global marketing strategies and product development.
Cindy’s philosophy.……the best way to work together is to create enthusiasm, provide impeccable service and keep the flow rolling throughout the whole process. Driven by the thought that collaborative & collective work gets the best results, we believe in partnership with our clients. Every great project needs strong ideas and clients need inspiring people who can advise them about innovative products and applications for their creative world.
The foundation for our work is a very simple idea……providing relevant products and combining a designer’s vision to achieve great projects and experiences. “If you like what you do you excel at what you create.”

Darcy Lawrence

Darcy is a Principal and Strategy and Development Director at HKS. Darcy champions the strategic vision and brand positioning to drive growth across all specialties within Hospitality design.
With nearly twenty years of experience in New York, Dubai, and now with a base in Miami – Darcy brings unique perspective and a vast, broad network both at home and abroad, having spent seven years living in the Middle East and foraging complex projects from Rabat to Riyadh, from branded hotels on the Moroccan coastline, to private resort-style estate residences.
HKS projects across the Caribbean include the renowned Four Seasons Ocean Club, St. Regis Bahia Beach, and the renovation and expansion of Belmond Cap Juluca, known to many as “the Crown Jewel of the Caribbean.” Current projects include designs for Nikki Beach Antigua, PENDRY Barbados, and the Vie L’Ven St. Maarten Hotel and Residences.

Emilie Ørgård Posniak Hansen

As an architect, researcher, and project manager at OSK Design Emilie is intent on creating captivating, functional and enduring spaces for both passengers and crew. Being a curious listener and a creative practitioner, she believes that open transparent dialogue, innovative solutions, and generous collaborations is at the heart of good conscientious design.
Over the past three years, Emilie and her team have intensified their work towards more sustainable designs for passenger vessels. Therefore, she will argue relentlessly that finding transparent, data-driven, and sustainable paths forward goes beyond trends and is the only way to secure the future of the cruise industry.
When Emilie is not dreaming and drawing up new interiors, investigating trends or engaging with clients, suppliers, passengers, and crew, you can find her cruising on a 24-foot sailing boat in and around Copenhagen.

Giacomo Villa

Giacomo Villa was born in Milan and holds a Master Of Science degree in Economics and Strategic Development of Small and Medium-sized enterprises. Giacomo gained experience on Development economics and Sustainability after spending 3 years researching and working on education, business development and access to microcredit of low-income entrepreneurs in the west suburbs of São Paulo, Brazil.
Since 2017 he joined Manifattura Testori SpA as 5th generation of the Company and Head of Sales to develop Aviation and Marine businesses promoting the transition toward Sustainability of the products range and the organization. Giacomo is also member of the Board of Directors since 2018.

Giancarlo Pietri

Giancarlo is an interior architect / designer with over 20 years of experience in the architecture & interior design field. He is Principal & Creative Director at Urban Robot Associates (UR).
Urban Robot Associates (UR) is a design collective located in Miami Beach, specializing in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and urban planning. UR’s team works collaboratively to develop a multidisciplinary approach to all projects to bring about a unique vision and create experiences that are meaningful, memorable, and functional. Whether a luxury single-family residence, dynamic restaurant, historical hotel, precious natural resource, brand identity, or city policy— UR strives to elevate the human experience from the quotidian to the cinematographic. The firm draws upon on its team’s diverse design backgrounds to bring about singular narratives that are true to concept and tailored to each project. UR endeavors to tell stories by making places.

Giovanni Medina Marenco

With over 20 years of experience in hospitality and architectural design, Giovanni seamlessly blends business acumen, creativity, and project delivery expertise to direct projects to fruition. His innovative approach embraces the extraordinary, resulting in elegant and award-winning designs. Giovanni has collaborated with leading hospitality brands such as Four Seasons, St. Regis, and Ritz-Carlton, crafting notable projects in the Caribbean, South America, the U.S., China, and the Middle East. Among his achievements are the Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Coco Cay Private Island in the Bahamas, and the Al Hamra Palace in Saudi Arabia. His commitment to excellence and passion for creating unforgettable experiences continue to define his contributions to the luxury hospitality industry.

Jennifer Peralta

Dominican architect with a Masters degree in Interior Design. Truly passionate about developing innovative proposals for the hotel industry with more than 7 years experience in the sector.
She has participated in hotel projects in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. In her native country, she has developed proposals for residential projects for hotels and has participated in new hotel openings in rural areas.
Jennifer belongs to a team of interior architects of Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, which manages hotels throughout the Caribbean region (the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Aruba) and has participated in the creation of new spaces for hotels in North and South America.
She is currently working on the final details for this year’s opening of Hotel Kimpton Las Mercedes (Santo Domingo), located in the city’s historic Colonial Zone. Also, she is developing a proposal for one of the first all-inclusive and sustainable hotels in the southern part of the island; a project that is part of the Dominican government’s plans to boost the economy through tourism.

Juan Kayser

Juan Kayser is a part-owner at Orgal SA developers of the Six Senses Galapagos Resort. For the past decade he has been dedicated to the development of the future Six Senses Galapagos located in San Cristobal, Galapagos, along with his father.
The first resort of its kind is being constructed in the region marking a true game changer to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. Part of our core objectives is not only to build the greatest resort in Latin America for the enjoyment of our guest – but to also to improve the quality of life of the local communities by providing employment and business opportunities directly and indirectly with the operation of the property.
Orgal is also active in ongoing conservation efforts with the local flora and fauna that inhabit these beautiful islands of the Pacific. Juan is also a partner of the Galapagos Rescuing Foundation which works closely with the Galapagos National Park, local authorities and other foundations to tackle some of the challenges that these enchanted islands face.

Kim Bjørge Hofslundsengen

Kim Bjørge Hofslundsengen is the VP of Hotel Operations in Hurtigruten. He joined the company in 2016.
Hurtigruten has achieved notable success through a series of refurbishments over the years. The most recent project, focusing on MS Trollfjord, garnered acclaim, winning the prestigious Best Fine Dining (small ship) award from CSI. Additionally, MS Trollfjord received a commendation in the Condé Nast Travellers Gold List as one of ‘The Best Cruise Ships in the World.
Kim Bjørge Hofslundsengen served as the project manager for the operational aspects of the MS Trollfjord refurbishment. With a keen focus on efficiency and excellence, Kim ensured the operational success of the entire undertaking. “The most rewarding aspect of my role is witnessing guests genuinely adore the product, understanding the significant effort invested by the design team, suppliers, and the operational staff. I am passionate about working in this industry, driven by the opportunity to craft unforgettable memories.

Korina Stark

Korina Stark is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in product innovation and strategy across diverse industries, ranging from startups to enterprises. She is also the co-founder of Circular Spring, a pioneering initiative that propels companies towards sustainable products and services, fostering ecosystems that support them. At Circular Spring, Korina collaborates with a collective of designers, technical and domain experts, and visionaries to shape a future where successful businesses thrive within a circular economy, harmonizing with natural ecosystems and communities.
Korina’s expertise stems from her foundation in industrial and product design, complemented by studies in Behavioral Economics at Harvard and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems at MIT. She navigates the complex interplay between human behavior, culture, technology, and ecological systems, championing positive impacts through courage, collaboration, and robust design methodologies. Her work exemplifies a commitment to driving meaningful business, environmental, and social change.

Lauren O’Neal

Lauren O’Neal is the Vice President, Premium Conversion Brands overseeing Delta Hotels, MGM Collection, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy and Marriott Executive Apartments business. In this role, Lauren has primary responsibility for guiding the evolution and growth of these exciting brands. She is developing the brand strategies and collaborating closely across the Marriott enterprise to activate Brand Strategy & Operations, Marketing, PR Strategy, and Design & Development.
Lauren brings over 20 years’ experience across Brand, Marketing and Creative roles having worked in a number of industries in both client side and marketing agency positions. During her 13 years at Marriott, Lauren has had held a number of positions across Brand Management, Homes & Villas, Loyalty Marketing and the Creative & Content Studio helping to shape the brand identity for the award winning Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program as well as developing and executing global marketing plan strategies and programs while driving top line performance for the business.

Linh Nguyen

Linh Nguyen is an accomplished interior designer in the Marine Industry. With over 9 years of experience as a Design Manager at Holland America Line, her expertise spans from cruise ship design to managing multi-million-dollar projects on prominent cruise brands such as ultra-luxury Seabourn and Premium Holland America Line. After receiving her BA in Communications from the University of Washington, she diversified her skills and pursued a degree in Interior Design at Bellevue College.
Linh started her career at Holland America, quickly moving into the role of interior designing and managing ships. Now, going on 9 years with the company her role has evolved into a leadership role focusing on design development and strategizing lifecycle replacement on all four brands. As a new career driven working mom with a 13-month-old, she is passionate about the way design impacts our daily lives and how this will affect our future.

Marisol Fisher

Marisol Fisher serves as the Vice President of Design Services for Latin America & Caribbean at Hyatt, where she holds the responsibility of overseeing new build and renovation projects for the company’s full-service brands in the LAC region. She began her career with Hyatt in 2006 as a Design Coordinator for Hyatt International Technical Services, gradually advancing through various roles to her current position. Throughout her eighteen year career at Hyatt, Marisol has had the opportunity to work in other areas of the world providing her a wide perspective of global hospitality.
Prior to her role at Hyatt, Marisol worked at Aretè 3 Ltd., a Chicago based multidisciplinary Architecture, Interior Design, Land Planning and Graphics Design firm. She received broad exposure to all stages of design in a wide variety of projects including residential, multi-use, retail, light industrial, urban planning, restaurant design and interior design. Marisol is a graduate of Los Andes University in Bogotá and a registered architect in Colombia.

Philipp Mirow

Philipp Mirow has spent the last 12+ years bringing brands to life. Starting his career at a boutique luxury advertising agency, he transitioned into brand strategy and innovation consulting, collaborating with blue-chip companies like PepsiCo, Hilton, and Marriott.
Most recently, he developed the Spark by Hilton and LivSmart Studios brands. Today, as Brand Leader for Radisson and Radisson Blu at Choice Hotels.

Rado Ivanov

In his current role as VP of Marriott Global Design US & Canada, Rado Ivanov oversees the design and construction of new-build and conversion projects for Marriott, Sheraton, Delta Hotels by Marriott, and Gaylord Hotels and Resorts, throughout North America. Most recently, Rado also became the Global Design Lead for Marriott’s newest brand – Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy (AMB).
As a licensed architect with over 25 years of experience, Rado’s expansive portfolio covers four continents and a diverse variety of project types. His passion for architectural excellence thrives when and where design and travel converge. Some of Rado’s recent work includes the new Marriott International Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as the adjacent 245-key Marriott Bethesda Downtown Hotel, which opened as Marriott’s 8,000th property.
Rado also serves on the Advisory Board of Marriott’s Serve360 Council – the company’s sustainability initiative and commitment to creating positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business, guided by Marriott’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In his free time, Rado loves traveling, skiing, playing tennis, volunteering, flying airplanes, and riding motorcycles.

Ron Swidler

With a passion for the company, its team members and the hospitality industry, Ron serves as the CEO at The Gettys Group Companies, where he was the first hire in 1988.
Ron was formerly the Chief Innovation Officer, where he led Interiors and Branding, creating brands, properties and experiences. He also created the Hotel of Tomorrow® Project, an industry-leading think tank that has brought together hundreds of companies for many years to envision the future of hospitality. His vision also led to the founding of Gettys ONE—our interior design group dedicated to prototypical interiors—and Gettys Branding— brand creation and strategic thinking projects for boutique properties, large industry events and international brands.
He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been interviewed in countless publications for his hospitality, design and branding insights and foresight. Ron received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. He has served as an adjunct professor at Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France; EM Lyon in Paris; Haaga Helia University in Helsinki, Finland; and Breda University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, and on the Advisory Boards of the Independent Lodging Congress (ILC), BDNY and Hospitality of the Future Think Tank

Sebastian Kingston

Sebastian Kingston is the Director, Brand Manager of Tempo by Hilton and New Brand Development at Hilton where he manages the day-to-day roll out and success of the Tempo by Hilton brand.
Over the last 8 years at Hilton Sebastian has led the strategy, development, and launch of two new hotel brands: Tempo by Hilton, an upscale approachable lifestyle brand with a wellness focus and Spark by Hilton, a hard-brand premium economy conversion brand.

Bruce Goff

Bruce Goff, FASID has been with IHG Hotels and Resorts for 7 years after a decades long career with Domus Design Group an architecture and design firm. Prior to IHG he was responsible for the architecture and design of Harrah’s Hotels, JDV hotels, as well as numerous other resorts and gaming properties.
Currently a Renovation Manager with responsivity for IHG’s upscale and lifestyle brands such as voco and Hotel Indigo and having worked across almost all of IHG’s 19 brands he has a depth and breadth of knowledge from the owner, franchiser, and developer.
Leaning into IHG goal of ‘True Hospitality for All’ he bridges the goals of brand and owner’s ROI with hotels that deliver true guest love.

Claudia Diaz-Gonzalez

Claudia Diaz-Gonzalez is on the Advisory Board of Hotel & Resort Design South, their full bio will be available shortly.

Gamal El Fakih Rodriguez

Gamal El Fakih Rodriguez currently serves as Vice President of Operations for Marriott’s luxury brands in the Caribbean and Latin America. Prior to joining Marriott, he lived and worked in 11 different countries gaining experience with some of the leading luxury hotel companies in the world. While his background is mainly within the operations disciplines, his passion for training and development also took him to gain two professional stints in the academic world at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of Quebec in Montreal-Canada and Les Roches International School of Hotel management in Switzerland, where he led the practical training program for these two leading hotel schools of the world.
An alumnus from the Hotel School of Venezuela, Gamal obtained his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management on 1992 followed by a master’s degree from the University of Angers (France) and post-graduate studies at The Hague Hotel School (Netherlands) and Cornell University (USA). He is also an award-winning author with his book “The Forgotten Recipes from Venezuelan Andes”, winner on the 2011’s edition of the Gourmand Awards for Best Cookbooks in the World in Paris. He also contributed with a chapter on craft-based learning in the book “Education strategies for the next generation leaders in hospitality management” published by IGI Global in 2015.

Trisha Poole

As President of Design Poole, Trisha leads a studio based in Winter Park, Florida and has recently opened a studio in Toronto, Canada. Her experience in architecture, interior design and graphic design enhance the team’s design vision for every detail of the project telling a story through thoughtful, interpretive design. With passion for excellence and extraordinary experiences she inspires the team’s award winning upscale hospitality portfolio of large resorts, hotels, vacation ownership and multi family projects. With more than 2 decades of experience Trisha brings focus to the business objectives while balancing the creation of unexpected design.
Trisha is active within the industry as a speaker and judge with regional and international trade fairs and conferences. She currently holds the position of Executive Advisor on the NEWH Inc. Executive Committee where her energy goes into the creation of programs and initiatives that support the industry and students pursuing careers in hospitality.

Wendy Kallergis

Wendy Kallergis works closely with various tourism and hospitality partners to continue to grow Miami as a top-tier worldwide travel destination. The GMBHA is a membership-based organization representing the entire hotel industry in Miami Dade County and local and national hospitality businesses. The association’s goal is to unify the travel, tourism and hospitality industry with business and government leaders locally, nationally, and internationally in order to enhance the visitor experience through education, advocacy and networking.
She received the National Immigration Forum’s Leadership award to promote New American Citizenship at the hotels and hospitality businesses workplace. She serves on many boards and committees to include the GMCVB Board of Directors, FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Miami Dade College Hospitality School Board, Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Chair Elect, NAF Track Miami and is a member of the national Coalition for the American Dream. She recently was appointed to the Miami Dade County Tourism Development Council. She is most proud of working with her growing group of women hotel general managers to mentor, provide internships and work with underserved communities to help educate young women to get jobs in the hospitality industry.
Prior to her position at the Miami Beach Chamber as President and CEO, Kallergis spent six years as the Miami City Club’s General Manager, a private Executive Club comprising of the “who’s who” of the business, arts and culture, and philanthropic business community. She began her career in catering sales and management, serving as Catering & Convention Services Manager for the Hotel Inter-Continental and as Assistant Director of Catering at the Biltmore Hotel, later becoming Director of Catering. At the Biltmore, Kallergis oversaw the production of the State Dinner for President and Mrs. Clinton during the Summit of The Americas. In addition to the Inter-Continental and Biltmore hotels, her catering career continued at high-end establishments such as Gene’s Catering (events to include 2 Super Bowls, New World Symphony and Lipton/Ericsson Tennis Tournaments. The Mayfair House, Delano ( to include Madonna’s 40th birthday) and The Grand Bay Hotel.
Kallergis was born and raised in Maine and grew up with a love for food and cooking as part of a restaurateur family. After earning a B.A. in French Language from George Washington University, she immediately set out to France. There she attended the University of Paris earning a degree in French history, language and art followed by the prestigious Cordon Bleu L’Ecole de Cuisine earning a Diplome French Cuisine. She subsequently concluded her studies at the Modern Gourmet Cooking School in Annecy, France with a Diplome Professional Chef and Diplome Professional Teacher. Upon returning to the United States, Kallergis continued her career in the culinary arts as a Chef Garde Manger in Restaurant Nora in Washington D.C. then as Executive Chef of Finesse Fine Foods, an off premise Catering & Prepared Foods Boutique, also in Washington D.C. that catered many events at the Smithsonian and pre-inaugural dinner for Ronald Reagan.
Wendy is married to Nick Kallergis and they have 2 grown children Nicholas 32 and Katherine 29.