Events

Dubai, UAE, 24 August 2026. Future Hospitality Summit organiser, The Bench, today announced that Branded Residences Forum (BRF) is being rebranded to ‘FHS Living’, effective with the edition running alongside FHS World in Dubai this October. The change folds branded residences into a wider, investment-led platform covering the full spectrum of living asset classes: Branded Residences, Student Accommodation, Senior Living, Serviced Living, Co-Living, Club Concepts, Shared Ownership, and Mixed-Use Developments The new name takes effect at FHS World in Dubai on 1 October 2026 and rolls out across every market where BRF previously ran: FHS Living at FHS World, Dubai: 1 October 2026 FHS Living at FHS Egypt, Cairo: 11 November 2026 FHS Living, founding standalone edition, Paris: 23-24 February 2027 FHS Living at FHS Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: 23 March 2027 Branded Residences Forum was created to serve the branded residences market and that market has outgrown a single category. The capital and developers behind those projects are now increasingly moving into student housing, senior living and co-living. FHS Living gives them one platform for all of it. The founding edition of ‘FHS Living’ in Paris extends the platform to Europe, where living has become the largest real estate investment sector: €46.9 billion was invested in 2025 (JLL), a further €50 billion is planned over the next three years (Savills), and the continent faces a shortfall of 9.6 million homes. Middle Eastern capital is part of that story too. Net acquisitions by Middle Eastern buyers in European hotel real estate reached €540 million in 2025, up 254 percent on 2024. FHS Living draws on The Bench's twenty years of relationships across that capital base to connect the two regions. Each edition operates as a curated investment marketplace, anchored around pre-scheduled 1:1 meetings between capital, developers and operators, a dedicated Deal Room, a Leadership Stage, investor site tours and structured roundtables. FHS Living inherits the track record of the Future Hospitality Summit series. In 2025 the forum brought together more than 3,000 C-level decision-makers, including 621 investors representing over $11 trillion in assets under management, and facilitated $3 billion in business opportunities. For more information, please visit: futurehospitality.com/living

🖨 2026, Los Angeles, CA: The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) labels 2026 as the "Age of Wonder," host to the 17th Boutique Hotel Owners Conference (BHOC) on October 19–20, at Westlake Village Inn. Sessions include topics like “The Lost Art of Innkeeping” and “The Budget Is a Love Language”. Notable speakers include Ed Scheetz and Daniel André Langer. Sponsors include Capital One Travel and Nespresso. Registration is open for this pivotal event in boutique hospitality.

📅 September 28-29, 2026, Orlando, Florida: The Digital Travel Summit will feature industry leaders discussing how social media, AI, and technology can enhance the traveler journey. Emma Shaybani of HEI Hotels & Resorts will attend, focusing on digital marketing and event-driven travel, reflecting trends like the Taylor Swift effect. HEI, now with over 100 hotels, emphasizes AI in marketing, balancing automation with human creativity for guest experience. 📍 Stay tuned for insights on AI's role in hospitality.

📰 August 18, 2026, Europe: OpenAI launches ChatGPT Ads in 31 countries next week for free-tier travelers, including Germany, France, and Spain. Initially, ads are sold through OpenAI's own sales team and partners, with self-service options coming later this summer. In the U.S., the self-serve Ads Manager launched on May 5, running cost-per-click campaigns. Click-through rates range from 1.6% to 1.9%, costing $3-$3.50 per click. European cost data is yet unavailable.

📅 On November 9th, 2026, the BDNY Power Players: Women Leaders in Hospitality Breakfast will be held at River Pavilion, Javits Center, New York. The event features eight industry leaders, including Alison Bowman Sobeck from Marriott and Sarah Dusek from Few & Far. Running from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., attendees will enjoy breakfast, a NEWH presentation, and a panel discussion moderated by Alissa Ponchione, BD's editor in chief.

This post was originally published on this site. With just a little over a month away from the 2026 Independent Hotel Show Miami taking place, special guest and President of…

🏨 The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) in McLean, VA, begins nominations for the Robert A. "Bob" Gilbert Award and 2027 Top 25 Extraordinary Minds on August 10, 2026, closing on September 30. Winners will be honored at events in Orlando and Las Vegas in 2027. HSMAI, with over 5,000 members globally, supports hotel industry growth through programs like the Adrian Awards.

🏨 June 3, New York: The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) hosted its investment conference, themed "The Third Space Renaissance." Led by Ariela Goharik Kiradjian, the event emphasized authenticity and a move away from hustle culture. Panels included Shane Davis's Public Records highlighting cultural authorship, and discussions on wellness misconceptions by industry leaders. Predictions suggest the "third space" concept could become mainstream by 2028, challenging Kiradjian to adapt.