ALIS DESIGN+ 2026 Pr0gram

The ALIS DESIGN+ program is updated as of August 3, 2025. Please check back as programming is underway and we are regularly making updates.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2026

8:30am-6:30pm

REGISTRATION + INFORMATION

10:30am-12:00pm

RAPID RENDEZVOUS

12:00pm-6:30pm

TRADE FAIR EXHIBIT HALL

12:00pm-6:30pm

ALIS DESIGN+ KICK-OFF + NETWORKING LUNCH IN THE TRADE FAIR EXHIBIT HALL

12:00pm-6:30pm

  • Join the conversation as these industry visionaries discuss how the current outlook is redefining their expansion plans, portfolio analysis, and potential collaborators. Get guidance on the trends they love and hate, and what designers need to get on their radar.

    Leader: 

    David McCaslin, Partner, CapStar Advisors

    Speakers:

    Amy Hulbert, Vice President, Boutique and Lifestyle Brands, BWH Hotels

    David Kuperberg, Managing Director, Real Estate, Majestic Hospitality

    Steen Petri, Managing Director, Investments, HEI Hotels & Resorts

    Vicki Poulos, VP of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, IHG Hotels & Resorts

    Will Woodworth, Senior Vice President, Investments, Peachtree Group

1:30pm-3:15pm

GENERAL SESSION

  • Hosts:

    Jeff Higley, President, The BHN Group by Northstar

    Michelle Finn, Vice President Design & Construction Products and Services, The BHN Group by Northstar

  • Leading hotel executives go behind the forecast numbers to identify this year’s opportunity zones, danger zones and how hotel owners can successfully navigate a market in flux. Learn how they plan to make the numbers work to grow their portfolios and their bottom lines and how data and design will help make that happen.

    Moderator:

    Kevin Carey, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Executive Vice President, AHLA

    Panelists:

    Jason Brown, Co-founder & CEO, Blue Flag Capital

    Daniel del Olmo, CEO, Sage Hospitality

    Greg Friedman, Managing Principal, CEO, Peachtree Group

    Ben Rowe, Managing Partner, KHP Capital Partners

  • Development experts from hotel investment and ownership giants share their strategies for taking full advantage of the trends that will deliver top IR R in 2025 and beyond. They go behind the raw data to detail where and how to look for and execute on projects that will move the needle for ROI.

    Moderator:

    John Fareed, Global Chairman, Horwath HTL

    Panelists:

    Eric Jacobs, Chief Growth Officer, Aimbridge Hospitality

    Dan Hansen, Head of Americas Development, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

    David Kellam, Vice President, Design, Architecture and Construction, Wyndham

    Bobby Molinary, Chief Development Officer, Select Brands, Marriott

    Edouard Schwob, Global SVP Raffles, OE & Fairmont and Luxury Americasl, Accor

    Matt Wehling, SVP Development US and Canada, Hilton

3:30pm-4:15pm

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLES

  • Get expert advice on how strategic planning for the lifecycle of hotel project budgets can keep stakeholders aligned and moving toward their goals — from pre-planning to opening day.

    Moderator:    

    Lan Elliott, Principal & Co-Founder, Acacia Hospitality LLC

    Panelists:

    Raj Contractor, Senior Vice President, Head of Investments, Host Hotels & Resorts

    Greg Dickhens, Managing Partner, Trinity Investments

    Craig Lovett, Managing Director, Development, Trinity Investments

    Michael Rock, Senior Vice President, Head of Asset Management, Host Hotels and Resorts

  • Gain actionable insights on how construction industry executives are getting out in front of a shifting business landscape and cushioning other project team members against the impact of eventualities from new code requirements to wars and wildfire.

    Panelists:

    Renee Bagshaw, Chief Operating Officer, Continental Contractors

    Vebhi Inan, Project Executive, Suffolk Construction

    James Marthinsen, Vice President, Capital Expenditures, Host Hotels & Resorts  

  • See a new shade of green as pioneers in future-forward sustainability from inside and outside the hotel industry show how to bring the cutting edge of eco and biophilic design to real-time, real-budget projects.

3:30pm-4:15pm

  • Understanding client priorities from debt service to labor-saving layouts and secret incremental revenue drivers provides a new kind of inspiration for hotel design that works as beautifully as it looks.

    Leader:

    Fred Brandstrader, Vice President of Construction, Hyatt Corporation

    Speakers: 

    Kevin Filer, Senior Vice President of Design & Construction, David Hospitality  

    Chelsea Hershelman, Vice President of Design and Development Services, CoralTree Hospitality

    Mabry Lulli, Senior Vice President – Central US Lead, JLL

     Bryan Thrush, 1st Vice President, Development, Design & Construction, Host Hotels & Resorts

    Kenzie Vath, VP of Strategic Innovation, PACIFIC HOSPITALITY GROUP

4:25pm-5:00pm

  • Leader:

    Tracey Sawyer, Founder/ CEO, Sawyer and Company Design

    Speakers:

    Zeke C. Cooper, President & CEO, DreamCatcher Hotel

    Eric Frisbie, Director | Premium & Endorsed, Marriott

    Victor Roberts Garcia, Senior Interior Design Manager, Collections Brands | Global Design US & Canada, Marriott

    Chris Williams, Co-Founder, Wolves Not Sheep

5:00pm-6:30pm

NETWORKING RECEPTION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026

8:00am-5:00pm

REGISTRATION + INFORMATION

9:00am-11:15am

GENERAL SESSION

  • Host:

    Mary Scoviak, Custom & Design Content Director, Hotel Investment Today by Northstar

  • Join us as we kick off the ALIS DESIGN+ general session honoring the industry’s agents of change with the presentation of this year’s NEWH Structures of Hospitality Excellence (SOHE) Award winner and scholarship recipients. Now in its second year, the SOHE award honors a construction firm that goes above and beyond in their approach to project execution and process excellence. Judges evaluated submissions based on the quality and scope of the project, the firm’s collaboration and leadership style, and its broader contributions to the industry, including mentorship, corporate values, and engagement with the architecture community. Particular attention was given to firms that demonstrate a deep understanding of how thoughtful construction impacts the guest experience and drives innovation to bring the project vision to life.

    In conjunction with the SOHE Award, NEWH will also present three scholarships totaling up to $20,000 to students pursuing a certificate, technical diploma, or associate degree in fields such as construction, construction management, electrical technology, pipe fitting, plumbing and heating technology, and related disciplines at a construction trade school. SOHE Scholarships are sponsored by leading industry partners: Continental Contractors ($10,000), Architectural Concepts ($5,000), and Delta Faucet ($5,000), with scholars’ travel sponsored by ALIS DESIGN+ ($5,000). 

    Hosts:

    Renee Bagshaw, COO, Continental Contractors

    Michelle Finn, Vice President Design & Construction Products and Services, The BHN Group by Northstar

    Chris Tucker, CEO, NEWH, Inc.

  • Gain insights on what’s ahead for the hotel investment, design, architecture and construction worlds from the leaders who are shaping the future of this industry. Get a sneak peek at the next cultural signposts and share their innovative approach on the best tactics to capitalize on the changes for 2026 and beyond. Visionaries from investment and management to design, purchasing and construction explore actionable opportunities in this special session presented by ALIS DESIGN+ along with AHLA and NEWH.

    Moderator:

    Mary Scoviak, Custom & Design Content Director, Hotel Investment Today by Northstar

    Panelists:

    Adriana Cisneros, CEO, Cisneros Group

    Kristen Conry, Senior Vice President of Global Design, Marriott

    Lori Horvath, Managing Director, Project Management, JLL

    Kavitha Iyer, Vice President of Architecture and Design, Choice Hotels International

    S. Lovey Parker, Founder, BH&IA  

    Jessica Werner, Chief Creative Officer, Sage Hospitality Group  

10:30am-6:00pm

TRADE FAIR EXHIBIT HALL

11:30am-12:20pm

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLES

  • Delve into investors’ new formulas for evaluating how to optimize their assets. Drill down as hoteliers and brands discuss PIP requirements, timing and costs versus the enticements to reflag. Take note of then expanded role design can play in tipping the balance.

    Panelists:

    Luisa Gonzalez, Director – Design, Full Service and Collections, Hilton

    Jackson Thilenius, Senior Principal, DyeLot Interiors

  • Thought leaders assess how a changing business climate may affect where and what you’re buying, and how both costs and transportation schedules could test your bottom line. But proactive work done on contingency planning throughout the fluctuations of 2025 could cushion stakeholders from the worst outcomes and extend your process flow and product list to encompass promising new solutions.

    Panelists:

    Alan Benjamin, President, Benjamin West

1:00pm-2:00pm

NETWORKING LUNCH

2:00pm-2:30pm

  • Meet the winner of NEWH’s second annual Structures of Hospitality Excellence (SOHE) award as they discuss the technical advances and collaborative engagement that inspire construction firms to help shape the guest experience long before project completion. The SOHE winner and the distinguished judging panel offer owners and designers a walk-through of the evolving scope of skills that bring hospitality visions to life.

    Leader:

    Renee Bagshaw, COO, Continental Contractors

    Speakers:

    Fred Brandstrader, Vice President of Construction, Hyatt Corporation

    Suzanne Saunders, Senior Vice President Design & Construction & Chief Elevation Officer, Elevate Renovations + Development By HVMG   

    David Tracz, Partner //3877

    Bryan Thrush, 1st Vice President Development, Design and Construction at Host Hotels & Resorts

2:45pm-3:35pm

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLES

  • Get advice from industry experts on how they are managing workflows, budgets and timelines in a business climate that can change weekly or even daily. Discover their go-to strategies for determining right-sized contingencies and flexible back-up plans to cover disruptions from natural disasters and labor shortages to trade tensions that stall supply chains. Learn how collaborations can help all stakeholders outsmart today’s challenges.

    Moderator:

    Christine Shanahan, Principal, HVS Design

    Panelists:

    Brian Belcher, Senior Associate | Architect, Looney & Associates

    Kenya Jones-Lowell, Interior Designer, Rice Fergus Miller

    Darrin Phillips, CEO, Top Shelf Project Management                

    Jared Walker, Executive Vice President, InterMountain Renovations

  • Moderator:

    Chad Sorensen, Managing Director and CEO, CHMWarnick

    Panelists:

    Keith Oltchick, Chief Development Officer, Remington

    Trisha Poole, Founder and President, Design Poole

    Gary Womack, Cofounder, Principal, Acumen Development Partners

2:30pm-2:50pm

  • Step up your strategy to accelerate the upside of the developer-design collaboration as these industry veterans provide action steps to translate aligned, data-based decisions into a maximized value-add for hotels.     

    Leader:

    David Tracz, Partner, //3877

    Speaker:

    Jack Shay, Executive Vice President of Design and Construction, Clearview Capital

3:00pm-3:45pm

4:00pm-5:00pm

NETWORKING RECEPTION + CLOSING REMARKS