2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference
October 11-16, 2026
Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection
Monday, October 12, 2026
Sunday, October 11, Monday, October 12, Tuesday, October 13 – Discover, Explore, Taste, and Experience (All Day)
If you have booked and are staying at Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection, you are eligible to receive a pre-conference 3-day America’s Historic Triangle Ticket to visit historic Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg (complimentary for all attendees booked at Williamsburg Lodge through conference booking link). Important, the 3-day ticket expires 3 days following the first usage at Jamestown, Yorktown, or Williamsburg. You may select from one of three scheduled custom guided tours (shown below) of Jamestown and Yorktown with bus transportation provided by Visit Williamsburg, or select from Colonial Williamsburg activities and scheduled tours (see the daily calendar of what is scheduled within Colonial Williamsburg). Most activities and attractions within the Colonial Williamsburg historic area are walking from the Williamsburg Lodge or complimentary shuttle transportation provided within the Colonial Williamsburg historic area) also, enjoy golf and spa – both golf and spa are user paid.
Pre-Conference Historic Triangle Optional Transportation Tour hosted by Visit Williamsburg
Monday, October 12 & Tuesday, October 13
Explore the history of America's beginnings prior to the start of the 2026 Historic Hotels Conference. Visit Williamsburg is pleased to provide these three options for complimentary bus transportation to and from Jamestown and Yorktown for conference attendees interested in visiting these iconic historic attractions. REQUIRES Advance sign-up via the Visit Williamsburg link and seats on each bus are subject to availability.
Departure Information for Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13.
- Bus Boarding: 8:30 a.m. from Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center
- Departure Location: Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center
To provide the best guest experience, two transportation routes will be offered each day.
Route 1 -Offered on Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13)
- 9:30–11:30 a.m. – American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
- 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. – Lunch on your own at the Museum Café
- 1:00–3:00 p.m. – Historic Jamestowne
- Following the tour – Return transportation to the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center
Route 2 - Offered only on Tuesday, October 13
- 9:30–11:30 a.m. – Historic Jamestowne
- 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. – Lunch on your own
- 1:00–3:00 p.m. – American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
- Following the tour – Return transportation to the Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center
Both routes include visits to the same two attractions—the only difference is the order in which they are visited.
The bus transportation schedule is designed to allow attendees to experience both historic Jamestown and Yorktown in one day. Guests wishing to spend additional time at either museum are welcome to do so and may return to the hotel independently via public transportation or a rideshare service such as Uber or Lyft (at attendee’s own expense)
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Roundtables – Hoteliers are invited to join a series of five (5) optional educational roundtables hosted by the Historic Hotels team. These sessions offer a chance to dive into key topics relevant to historic hotels, such as storytelling in guest experience, sustainability, public relations, and member benefits. Designed to foster learning and peer exchange, each roundtable provides practical insights and actionable strategies tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of operating a historic property. Attendance is flexible–drop in for the discussions that matter most to your team.
8:30 – 8:50 a.m. Reviewing Your Hotel’s History Content, Hosted by Matt Coletti, Member Services and Support
Join Matt for an interactive discussion focused on strengthening and elevating your property's historical storytelling on HistoricHotels.org and HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com. With an extensive background in public history and as the author of much of the historical content featured throughout our member websites, Matt will provide expert guidance on how to refine your hotel's history narrative, better showcase its unique heritage, and create content that is both engaging and historically accurate. During this session, attendees will learn best practices for presenting their property's legacy online, discover opportunities to enhance the quality and impact of their history copy, and receive personalized insights on how to make their stories more compelling for today's heritage-minded travelers. Whether you're updating an existing history page or looking for ways to further distinguish your hotel through authentic storytelling, this session will offer practical recommendations to help bring your property's history to life.
9:05 – 9:25 a.m. A Tour of the New Historic Hotels Websites & 2027 Marketing Opportunities, Hosted by Steph Price, Digital Marketing and Partnerships
Explore the newly relaunched HistoricHotels.org and HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com websites and discover how your hotel can make the most of these enhanced tools, storytelling capabilities, SEO & AEO driven content architecture, media galleries, and improved member resources now available. During this interactive roundtable, attendees will receive a guided tour of the new website features, learn best practices for optimizing their hotel profiles, and get an exclusive first look at the 2027 Digital Marketing Visibility Packages designed to increase heritage cultural traveler engagement. Hotels attending this session will also gain access to special pricing opportunities available through the remainder of 2026 and receive priority access to reserve 2027 inventory before these new opportunities are offered more broadly. Whether you're looking to strengthen your digital presence, or maximize your digital marketing budget, this session will provide practical insights and exclusive opportunities to help your hotel stand out.
9:40 – 10:00 a.m. From Timeless Storytelling to Newsworthiness: How Historic Hotels Can Earn Media Attention in 2027, Hosted by Katherine Orr, Marketing Strategy and Communications
This interactive roundtable will bring Historic Hotels of America hoteliers together to discuss upcoming public relations opportunities, share ideas for attracting travelers, and explore how hotels are planning to "make the news" in the year ahead. The discussion will focus on Historic Hotels of America's 2027 public relations and traditional marketing initiatives—including the 2027 Top 25 Historic Hotels lists calendar— and upcoming thematic opportunities, and ways members can leverage these programs to increase media and consumer visibility. Participants will also explore how Historic Hotels of America can support hotels celebrating milestone anniversaries and other significant historical commemorations in 2027. Through peer-to-peer conversation, members will exchange best practices for "making news," identify collaborative opportunities with Historic Hotels of America, and provide input on promotional initiatives that will best serve historic hotels in the coming year.
10:15 – 10:35 a.m. History is the One Luxury Hotels Cannot Buy: Elevating Social Media for Historic Hotels, Hosted by Nikki Hamidi, Communications and Social Media
Discover how your hotel's history can become its most powerful social media advantage in this engaging discussion focused on storytelling, audience engagement, and authentic digital content. Based on the premise that history is the one luxury asset competitors cannot replicate, this session will explore how historic hotels can leverage their heritage, local culture, and unique stories to create meaningful connections with travelers and local communities alike. Attendees will learn how to transform historical facts into compelling narratives, develop content that highlights both the property and its destination, and build emotional connections through people, traditions, and place. The discussion will also examine strategies for showcasing lifestyle experiences, identifying niche audiences, increasing engagement through authentic storytelling, and creating a distinctive social media presence that stands out in a crowded marketplace. Whether you're looking to strengthen your brand, grow your audience, or bring your property's history to life in new ways, this session will provide practical ideas and creative inspiration to elevate your social media strategy.
10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Turn Preservation into Production, Hosted by Will Steele, Revenue and Distribution
Discover how Historic Hotels of America member hotels are using the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NHP) Rate to drive qualified demand, protect rate integrity, and generate measurable revenue growth. This session will explore the results of the 2026 May Preservation Month campaign, which produced $35,326 in revenue, 108 room nights, 50 reservations, and a 36.5% year-over-year increase in revenue (“consumed” May 1-31, 2026), while reaching preservation-minded travelers through a targeted audience of more than 28 million people across over 20 nonprofit partner organizations. Attendees will learn best practices for rate loading, yield management, campaign participation, storytelling, and hotel marketing activation, along with practical strategies to convert preservation-focused travelers into profitable guests year-round. The session will conclude with a hotel action plan and performance scorecard that sales, marketing, and revenue teams can immediately implement to maximize future Preservation Month and NHP Rate opportunities.
1:00 – 7:00 p.m. Historic Hotels Annual Conference Hospitality Desk – Conference Registration
2026 HISTORIC HOTELS ANNUAL CONFERENCE BEGINS
– Welcome –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Welcome Reception, A Taste of Williamsburg – Including full bar, dinner-style appetizers, and special entertainment – Hosted by Visit Williamsburg – Williamsburg Inn Social Terrace
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
7:00 – 8:05 a.m. Breakfast & Tradeshow, Sponsored by Jonas Hospitality
Location: Williamsburg Lodge – Conference Center
8:10 a.m. General Session, Sponsored by GCommerce
Location: Williamsburg Lodge – Grand Ballroom
Welcome – Larry Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide
Board of Advisors Greeting – Joseph J. Vezzoso, Chair, Board of Advisors; Vice President Resort Operations and Sales at French Lick Resort/ French Lick & West Baden Springs Hotels
Opening Remarks and Welcome – Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Preferred Travel Group
Opening Remarks and Welcome – Ed Harris, President & CEO, Visit Williamsburg
Opening Remarks and Welcome – Rhonda Khabiri, Chair of the 2024 Host Committee, Vice President, Hospitality, Colonial Williamsburg
Keynote Speaker – Urgency for the AHLA to Win More Federal, State, and Local Tax Support for Hotels, Rosanna Maietta, President and CEO, American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)
Sponsors and Exhibitors Introductions – Greg Leinweber, Vice President, Development & Sales, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide
9:55 a.m. Networking Coffee Break & Tradeshow – Sponsored by Toast
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10:25 a.m. General Session – Sponsored by Milestone
Hosted by Stephanie Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Operations Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide
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Keynote Speaker – Chief Stephen R. Adkins, Principal Chief, Chickahominy Indian Tribe
Keynote Speaker – Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Keynote Speaker – The Historic Hotels of America – STR Forecast 2026-2028 – Brandon Gill, Sales Executive, STR (CoStar Group)
12:30 p.m. Welcome and Celebration of New Members Lunch – Sponsored by Coca-Cola®
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1:45 – 2:25 p.m. Academies – Select one from Session 1 Academies #1, #2, #3 or #4 Sponsored by Steelite International
Academy 1: Is Marketing Failing Your Sales Team?
Subject Matter Expert: Thomas McDermott, Chief Marketing Officer, Tambourine
When it comes to your leisure segment, your marketing teams build multi-layered media plans and elaborate websites. They deploy advanced email marketing strategies, remarketing campaigns, and personalization. But where are these advanced marketing tactics when it comes to group? In this session, we’ll unpack what it looks like when marketing takes an active role in supporting the group sales team.
What You Will Learn:
- How to build a direct booking ecosystem that drives group business
- How to reach more meeting planners and generate more direct group leads
- How to turn more group leads into wins
- How to align sales, marketing, and catering across the group buying journey
- How to make group marketing a measurable driver of sales and demand
Academy 2: Beyond the Museum Walls: Using Strategic Licensing and Partnerships to Expand Your Brand
Subject Matter Expert: Kiri Franco, Director of Brand & Licensing, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Licensing and brand partnerships create opportunities to extend an organization’s mission beyond its walls by leveraging intellectual property, scholarship, and established brand equity through strategic collaboration and thoughtfully developed product storytelling. In 2025, it was reported that global sales of licensed merchandise and services reached a groundbreaking $369.9 billion in the prior year. This session explores how to tap into this growing market, build successful licensing programs that preserve authenticity, generate earned revenue, and expand audience reach. The process for partner selection, program development, and marketing will be highlighted, with practical examples on how Colonial Williamsburg engages new audiences, strengthens brand visibility, and creates lasting value.
What You Will Learn:
- Develop a licensing strategy that aligns with your mission, intellectual property, and brand values.
- Identify and cultivate distinctive partnerships that expand audience reach and reinforce shared missions
- Evaluate the most important criteria when considering collaborations, both qualitative and quantitative
- Collaborate with retail, marketing, and legal teams to develop noteworthy products and experiences
- Understand different tiers of opportunity- niche, micro, macro, mega - and how each benefit your hotel
- Leverage PR, social media, and partnerships for visibility
- Create lasting relationships that continue to generate brand amplification even after formal agreements may have ended
Academy 3: Preserving Tradition, Inspiring Innovation: The Williamsburg Inn Culinary Legacy
Subject Matter Expert: Travis Brust, Executive Director, Food & Beverage, Colonial Williamsburg Company
Join us for a fascinating journey through nearly a century of culinary excellence, where history, hospitality, and innovation come together at America's iconic Williamsburg Inn. Moving from the initial hospitality vision of Abby and John D. Rockefeller Jr. to the legacy of modern culinary trends, attendees will trace ninety years of dining evolution, influential chefs, and historic royal visits.
What You Will Learn:
- The Inn’s Origins: The history behind Abby and John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s foundational vision for the Williamsburg Inn and its role in establishing hospitality standards.
- Culinary Evolution: How menus, flavor profiles, and dining experiences have transformed over the last ninety years, alongside the stories of influential chefs who led the way.
- American Culinary Heritage: The history and diversity of American cuisine, and how Colonial Williamsburg works to preserve and elevate that national food legacy.
- Historic Milestones: The behind-the-scenes stories of signature menus, state dinners, and hosting distinguished royal guests.
- Future Trends: How the Inn navigates emerging culinary trends and evolving guest expectations while still honoring its historic legacy.
Academy 4: The Dog in the Lobby
Subject Matter Expert: William P. Perry, Jr., Founder and Group CEO, Spark Hudson
Ninety-five million American households own a pet, and the industry that serves them reached $158 billion in 2024, with $165 billion projected for 2026 (American Pet Products Association, 2025). Those households travel, and they book the hotel that will take the dog. For a historic property the question is not whether to accept pets. It is whether the program has been designed, cleaned, priced, and accounted for, or simply allowed to happen.
This session treats a pet program as an operating discipline with six moving parts. It is built for owners, general managers, directors of finance, and the people who actually clean the rooms and maintain the grounds.
What You Will Learn:
- The pet experience. Arrival ritual, in-room amenity kits, and public-space etiquette. Which amenities guests use, which ones only photograph well, and how to build a program that reads as hospitality rather than tolerance.
- Cleanliness and turnover. Room designation strategy, deep-clean protocol, allergen and dander control in historic textiles, soft goods, and original flooring, and the point at which ordinary turnover becomes an extraordinary cleaning event.
- Revenue and accounting treatment. Fee, deposit, and damage recovery as three different instruments. Where each belongs under the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, 12th Revised Edition, effective January 1, 2026, including the new Extraordinary Cleaning Fees account that names pet damage as a triggering example (Mandelbaum & Miller, 2024).
- Social media. Guest pets are among the highest-engagement content a historic property can publish. Consent, staffing, cadence, and a posting rhythm a small team can sustain without an agency.
- Landscaping and grounds. Relief areas, turf and plant selection with attention to toxicity (specifically plants), waste stations, drainage, and lighting, all weighed against the preservation obligations that come with historic gardens and hardscape.
- Artificial intelligence in the pet experience. Pre-arrival guest and pet profiling, personalized welcome, matching pet inventory to the right rooms, and faster service recovery when something goes wrong.
2:25 – 2:30 p.m. Switch Academies – Transition from Session 1 to Session 2
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Academies – Select one from Session 2 Academies #5, #6, #7, or #8, Sponsored by AHLA
Academy 5: Bridging Museums and Hospitality: Historically Relevant Interiors for the 21st Century Historic Hotel
Subject Matter Expert: Cheryl Griggs, Director of Interior Design, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The interior of a historic hotel can significantly influence the guest's experience, property reputation, and income potential. Historic hotel interiors have the potential to create a strong sense of place, reflecting the unique history of the property while balancing authenticity with modern guest comfort. Collaboration with preservation, curators, and branding experts foster design decisions that honor a property's heritage while effectively communicating its history to guests. By developing and maintaining timeless interiors, properties can preserve their character and brand identity for generations to come. In this session we explore how a thoughtfully designed historic property cultivates storytelling and serves as the backdrop for memorable guest experiences. Attendees will explore how Colonial Williamsburg hotels combine carefully curated interiors, distinctive programming, and enduring traditions to enhance brand identity, and inspire multi-generation guest loyalty.
What You Will Learn:
- Create environments that provide a sense of place through interiors that reflect the historical significance of your property.
- Balance authentic décor with modern amenities and guest comfort to achieve the best of both worlds.
- Tell your story and reinforce branding through strategic furnishing solutions that provide a backdrop for transformative guest experiences.
- Develop interiors that stand the test of time and preserve valuable resources.
- Partner with historians, curators, preservationists, craftsmen, product development and branding experts in achieving interior design goals, inform the guests about the history of your property and strengthen historical and brand significance.
- Build guest loyalty through memorable, time-honored traditions in distinctive programming and historically relevant interior decor.
Academy 6: The New Power of Guest Data: Using Data to Enhance Guest Experience and Drive Profits
Subject Matter Expert: Rick Sousa, Sales Director, FuelTravel
Your guests are already telling you what they want. Today's travelers expect personalized, meaningful experiences—86% actively seek them, and personalization can drive up to a 306% increase in lifetime customer value. Yet only 23% of hotel guests feel they receive that level of service. That gap is your opportunity.
What You Will Learn:
Close the personalization gap at every stage of the guest journey; deliver the right offer at the right moment to boost ancillary revenue; unify siloed information across multiple systems; reduce manual work while empowering every department to act. This session will show hotels how guest preferences, behaviors, and booking patterns can improve experience, increase revenue, and build loyalty.Through real-world stories and practical strategies, you'll learn how smarter data turns single stays into repeat business—and happy guests into loyal fans.
Reserve your seat and start putting your guest data to work.
- Turn existing guest data into profitable action across every stage of the journey.
- Deliver the right offer at the right moment to boost ancillary revenue.
- Reduce manual work so teams focus on service, not systems.
- Transform single stays into repeat business and loyalty.
Academy 7: How data benchmarks create the best business strategy - your CoStar + STR enhancement
Subject Matter Expert: Brandon Gill, Sales Executive – STR (CoStar Group)
STR's data and reports are now seamlessly integrated into CoStar, with clients receiving full access to this world-leading platform of commercial real estate information, analytics, and news. This expanded product experience is empowering STR clients with an unprecedented level of market intelligence, empowering users to fine-tune their commercial strategies and elevate their lead generation efforts.
What You Will Learn:
- Understanding the features that come with a CoStar + Benchmark subscription
- How to action data in a more efficient way to take advantage of every opportunity
- Why this expanded benchmarking solution is especially valuable to Historic Hotel members
- Understand how enhanced data and analytics as well as a view of the complete CRE market will help your overall business strategy
Academy 8: Building a Hotel Memory: Using AI to Preserve and Activate Your Property’s History
Subject Matter Expert: Gina Petrone, Heritage Manager at Hotel del Coronado
A historic hotel’s story is often scattered across archives, newspapers, photographs, property files, and the memories of longtime team members. AI can help bring that sourced research together into an organized, searchable body of knowledge that grows over time. We’ll explore how to build a reliable “hotel memory” and put it to work. Through real-world examples and live demonstrations, you’ll see how good research can uncover overlooked stories—and how AI can help organize those discoveries, reveal connections, and transform verified history into tours, talking points, guest experiences, training, and other practical uses throughout the hotel.
What You Will Learn:
- Explore a practical process to collect, research, verify, source, organize, preserve, and access your hotel’s historical knowledge
- Learn how to structure archival materials and sourced research as a searchable, continually growing ‘hotel memory’
- Discover how AI can uncover connections, identify overlooked stories, and distinguish compelling narratives from claims requiring further research
- See through real-world examples and live demonstrations how verified research can become tours, talking points, historical overviews, guest experiences, marketing content, and team member training
- Understand the limitations of AI—including inaccurate information and repeated hotel lore—and why human expertise and reliable sources remain essential
3:15 – 4:15 p.m. Networking Break & Tradeshow, Sponsored by STR (CoStar Group)
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5:45- 6:30 p.m. Reception
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6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Shields Tavern Dinner – Shields Pavilion
Location: Meet in lobby of Williamsburg Lodge
Join us for a Fife & Drum Escort to reception and dinner, Colonial dancers and musicians at dinner, Special Ghost Tour following Tavern dinner.
Thursday, October 15
7:00 – 8:15 a.m. Breakfast & Tradeshow, Sponsored by Tambourine
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8:15 a.m. General Session, Sponsored by Aven Hospitality
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Welcome – Larry Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide
Guest Speaker – Hidden Hospitality: Timeless Lessons in Belonging, Experience and Legacy – Calvin Stovall, Chief Experience Officer, ICONIC Presentations, LLC.; author; and internationally recognized keynote speaker
Rediscover Black-Owned Hotels, Motels, and Resorts — and the History Behind Them
Throughout America’s history of slavery and segregation, Black travelers faced not just unwelcoming environments but the challenge of finding safe places to rest and recharge. In response to this basic human need, courageous Black entrepreneurs carved out spaces within the dominant culture, creating a network of Black-owned establishments that offered comfort and safety to Black travelers. Calvin Stovall, a hospitality professional with nearly thirty years in the industry, brings this overlooked history to light. In Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil
Rights Era, Stovall shares the inspiring paths of these pioneers. He highlights the immense challenges they faced and the enduring impact of their establishments, showing how their spaces became vibrant hubs of Black culture, where people could gather, find joy, and be their true selves.
Keynote Talk – Key Takeaways:
• Look deeper,
• Honor legacy, and
• Celebrate the rich, complex heritage of our industry.
Keynote Speaker – Creating Historic Hospitality in the Age of AI - Stuart W. Greif, Chief Strategy, Innovation & Operating Officer, Forbes Travel Guide
Keynote Talk – Key Takeaways:
• Forbes Travel Guide has long served as one of the hospitality industry’s most respected authorities on elevating service excellence, driving quality, and delivering luxury travel experiences. Stuart is also one of the foremost industry experts on how AI is transforming Hospitality.
• Stuart will share key insights and trends Forbes Travel Guide sees across 100+ countries globally spanning luxury hospitality, guest experience, and service excellence as well as the evolving expectations of luxury travelers. He will share specific examples of how one can raise the bar on service, including through anticipatory service.
• Learn what every historic hotel needs to understand about AI, how it is transforming our industry, and what is most critical to focus upon
• Learn ways historic hotels can successfully balance preservation, storytelling, and modern guest expectations while delivering exceptional service experiences—and turn your unique history into competitive differentiation and advantage that stands out even in the age of AI.
10:00 – 10:25 a.m. Networking Coffee Break & Tradeshow, Sponsored by Corsicana Hospitality
Location: Grand Ballroom East
10:30 a.m. General Session, Sponsored by Majestic
Location: Grand Ballroom West
Keynote Speaker – The Duality of Leadership - Lessons from History for Today’s Hospitality Leaders, Subject Matter Expert: Gary Hernbroth — Customer Experience Expert, Leadership Consultant, and Author
In this 250th milestone year, the Historic Hotels of America conference convening in Colonial Williamsburg – a place where leadership was forged, tested, and defined – offers the perfect backdrop for a powerful truth: leaders are expected to pull their people up the hill, but who pulls them up the hill? In this energizing keynote, award winning speaker, coach, and author Gary Hernbroth explores one of the key leadership tenets from his book Twist the Familiar™: great leaders succeed not because they are endlessly strong, but because they understand the duality of leadership — the balance between leading others and ensuring they themselves are supported, motivated, and equipped. Gary will draw on a pivotal moment from early American history — one that unfolded not far from where this conference is being held — to illustrate how even iconic leaders needed outside assistance to break through tough conditions. The full story will be revealed from the stage, but its lesson is timeless: leadership is behavior, not a title.
Keynote Talk – Key Takeaways:
• Lead with duality — knowing when to drive, when to support, and when to seek reinforcements
• Break through barriers — because the goal of a leader is often to help your team break through where they think they can’t
• Stay motivated as a leader even when the climb gets steep
Keynote Speaker – Routes to Success from Nostalgia, Recipes, Journeys, and stories, Ted Ryan — Archives and Heritage Brand Manager, Ford Motor Company
Keynote Talk – Key Takeaways:
• How to Make History Matter – Ford Motor Company and recipes from Historic Hotels
• How to set the right balance between myth and reality
• How to keep your hotel’s history relevant and captivating – Ford Motor Company and Southern Journeys
12:01 p.m. Announcement of 2027 Historic Hotels Annual Conference Location, 2027 Host Committee Chair
12:20 p.m. Historic Milestones & Celebrations Lunch, Sponsored by Standard Textile & Mascinoi
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Keynote Speaker – Leadership, Stewardship, and Preserving Places of enduring significance – Looking Ahead after the first 100 years of Colonial Williamsburg, Carly Fiorina, President & CEO, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
1:55 to 2:40 p.m. Academies – Select one from Session 3 Academies #9, #10, #11, or #12, Sponsored by Spectrum Business
Academy 9: Leveraging AI: The proprietary playbook for winning new customers and future-proofing your marketing Subject Matter Expert: Scott van Hartesvelt - Founder GCommerce Solutions
In a few short years, AI has become the dominant channel for travel inspiration and research. 55% of US consumers now use AI as part of their travel booking journey. A collection of specific tactics can keep your hotel visible on these emerging channels. The pace of change is only accelerating. The steps hotels take today will determine their future market share. In this academy, the Founder of GCommerce will give you a step-by-step guide for building your AI foundation and outline the new AI innovations that will transform the future of hospitality.
What You Will Learn:
- The current state of the consumer booking journey, and how AI has upended our collective understanding.
- Understand the specific steps you can take now on your website, social media, and other owned channels to ensure visibility in AI searches.
- Understand the three phases of Hospitality AI - and how to prepare for each:
- Visibility
- Bookability
- Agentic AI
- Frontier Risks: Where AI can cause more harm than good to your brand
- Discover the secret AI advantage of being a Historic Hotel, and how to leverage it. Hint: Historic Hotels of America can help.
- How to balance your marketing mix, and what digital channels have become obsolete in the era of AI.
Academy 10: Preserving the Past, Elevating the Guest Experience: Lessons from Colonial Williamsburg
Subject Matter Expert: Matthew Webster, Vice President, Operations, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg is home to one of the nation's largest and most respected preservation programs, stewarding hundreds of historic structures while creating meaningful guest experiences rooted in authenticity. This session explores the principles, research methodologies, standards, and decision-making processes that guide preservation efforts across the Historic Area. Attendees will gain practical insights into protecting irreplaceable historic assets while transforming preservation into a compelling component of the guest experience, storytelling, and brand differentiation.
What You Will Learn:
- Apply guiding preservation principles to safeguard irreplaceable historic resources.
- Navigate preservation standards and identify trusted resources for best practices.
- Utilize archival, architectural, and archaeological research to better understand historic structures.
- Make informed preservation decisions that balance historical integrity with operational needs.
- Transform preservation efforts into engaging guest experiences that strengthen storytelling and enhance marketing.
- Position authenticity as a competitive advantage that increases guest engagement and reinforces brand value.
Academy 11: Turning Service Breakdowns into Loyalty-Building Opportunities
Subject Matter Expert: Gary Hernbroth — Customer Experience Expert, Leadership Consultant, and Author.
Every guest experience is a promise. And when that promise is broken, great leaders have an opportunity to strengthen—not weaken—the guest relationship. Even the finest hotels occasionally experience service and product breakdowns. A room isn't quite ready. A maintenance issue slips through. A well-intentioned employee says the wrong thing. Left unchecked, small problems can quickly snowball into frustrated guests, damaged reputations, and lost business. But they don't have to. Drawing from one of the most memorable stories in his Amazon #1 Top New Release in the Business category, Twist the Familiar™, speaker, business coach, and hospitality veteran Gary Hernbroth shares the true story of a hotel stay where one service failure after another—from a room plagued with maintenance problems to missed opportunities for recovery—tested not only a property's operations, but its leadership, culture, and commitment to guest care. Through audience interaction, engaging discussion, humor, and practical coaching, Gary challenges participants to view familiar service breakdowns through a fresh lens. Together, you'll explore how the moments that test your organization most can become your greatest opportunities to build guest confidence, strengthen employee accountability, and create lasting customer loyalty. You'll leave with practical ideas and proven strategies you can immediately apply to elevate the guest experience—especially when things don't go according to plan.
What You Will Learn:
- Transform service breakdowns into loyalty-building moments by responding with empathy, ownership, and confidence that turns disappointed guests into enthusiastic advocates.
- Recognize the hidden breakdowns in communication, quality control, and organizational culture before they quietly undermine the guest experience.
- Equip your team with a practical service recovery playbook that empowers employees to resolve problems quickly, protect your reputation, and reinforce your brand promise.
Academy 12: Preserving the Past, Elevating the Guest Experience: Lessons from Colonial Williamsburg
Subject Matter Expert: Matthew Webster, Vice President, Operations, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg is home to one of the nation's largest and most respected preservation programs, stewarding hundreds of historic structures while creating meaningful guest experiences rooted in authenticity. This session explores the principles, research methodologies, standards, and decision-making processes that guide preservation efforts across the Historic Area. Attendees will gain practical insights into protecting irreplaceable historic assets while transforming preservation into a compelling component of the guest experience, storytelling, and brand differentiation.
What You Will Learn:
- Apply guiding preservation principles to safeguard irreplaceable historic resources.
- Navigate preservation standards and identify trusted resources for best practices.
- Utilize archival, architectural, and archaeological research to better understand historic structures.
- Make informed preservation decisions that balance historical integrity with operational needs.
- Transform preservation efforts into engaging guest experiences that strengthen storytelling and enhance marketing.
- Position authenticity as a competitive advantage that increases guest engagement and reinforces brand value.
2:25 p.m. Switch Academies –Transition from Session 1 to Session 2
2:40 – 3:25 p.m. Academies – Select one from Session 4 Academies #13, #14, #15, #16, Sponsored by Guest Services Worldwide
Academy 13: The Answer AI Chooses: Winning the New Hospitality Customer Journey
Subject Matter Expert: Brandon Ahearn, Senior Director of Sales, Milestone Inc.
Guests no longer type "hotels near downtown Chicago" and scroll ten blue links; they describe exactly what they want to an AI assistant and expect a personalized answer back. This session unpacks how AI search, assistants, and emerging AI agents are rewriting the hospitality customer journey, and what hotels and hospitality brands must do now to make sure they're the answer AI recommends, not the OTA it defaults to.
What You Will Learn:
- How AI is reshaping guest discovery: from query fan-out (how AI breaks one question into dozens of micro-questions) to how AI "grounds" its recommendations in trustworthy sources, and what that means for your content strategy
- How to earn citations from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity: the technical and content fundamentals (crawlability, freshness, schema/entity markup, business profile completeness) that determine whether AI engines cite you or a third-party OTA
- What's next: agentic commerce: how AI agents are starting to discover, compare, and even transact on a guest's behalf, and how hotels can prepare their data and systems for this shift
- Turning AI-driven content into personalized guest experiences: using brand and guest data to auto-generate content that's both AI-optimized and genuinely useful to travelers
- A practical roadmap for the new customer journey: measuring your AI visibility today and closing the gaps before competitors do
Academy 14: Balancing Heritage and New Audiences: Marketing a Historic Destination for Today's Traveler
Subject Matter Expert: Greg Kavanagh, Vice President Business Development, Visit Williamsburg
Historic hotels are more than places to stay—they are storytellers, cultural ambassadors, and often the first impression visitors have of a destination. Today's travelers, however, seek more than history alone. They are looking for authentic experiences, immersive programming, modern comforts, and memorable moments worth sharing. This session explores how historic hotels can successfully attract new generations of travelers—including younger audiences, families, leisure guests, meeting planners, and experience-driven visitors—without compromising the authenticity that defines their properties. Drawing on destination marketing insights, evolving visitor trends, and real-world examples from Williamsburg, attendees will discover strategies to position historic hotels as both timeless and relevant through storytelling, partnerships, experiential programming, and modern marketing tactics that drive visitation, occupancy, and guest engagement.
What You Will Learn:
- Leverage the history and character of their property to create compelling experiences for today's traveler.
- Reach younger audiences and first-time visitors through authentic storytelling, social media, and digital marketing.
- Transform historic assets into marketable guest experiences that encourage longer stays, repeat visitation, and stronger guest advocacy.
- Build strategic partnerships with local attractions, restaurants, cultural institutions, and destination marketing organizations to create seamless visitor experiences.
- Increase appeal among meeting planners, group organizers, and niche travel markets seeking distinctive venues.
- Balance preservation, authenticity, and evolving guest expectations while maintaining a competitive position in today's hospitality landscape.
Academy 15: How to Leverage Destination Heritage in Your Recreational Spaces into Memorable Guest Experiences.
Subject Matter Expert: Rhonda Khabir, Senior Vice President, Hospitality, Colonial Williamsburg Resorts
Subject Matter Expert: Aimee Morrill, Director, Spa of Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is uniquely positioned to bridge world-class recreation with living history, offering immersive guest experiences across both The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg and the legendary Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. This session explores how to seamlessly incorporate rich historical assets into modern recreational operations—from 18th-century wellness traditions to championship course design. Attendees will discover how to leverage destination heritage as a powerful differentiator, utilize historical techniques in amenity management, and transform recreational spaces into compelling storytelling platforms that elevate the entire resort brand.
What You Will Learn:
- Incorporate history and period-inspired techniques into modern recreational and wellness assets.
- Identify and amplify the unique elements that make resort amenities stand out from competing properties.
- Capitalize on rich destination history to drive guest engagement, loyalty, and brand differentiation.
- Balance historical integrity and preservation techniques with contemporary luxury standards and operational needs.
- Position authenticity as a competitive advantage that strengthens storytelling and enhances overall resort value.
Academy 16: Jefferson’s Journey: From Journal to Glass — A Historic Journey Through the Wines of Piedmont
Subject Matter Experts: Mark Frankel, Brand Ambassador, The Williamsburg Winery
In 1787, Thomas Jefferson crossed the Alps into Italy’s Piedmont region on a journey fueled by curiosity, discovery, agriculture, innovation—and wine. His detailed journal entries from those travels would, more than two centuries later, provide the inspiration for Jefferson’s Journey, a collection of four wines curated to bring his experiences to life through the glass.
This immersive tasting experience follows Jefferson’s travels through Piedmont, using his own writings and observations to connect each wine to a particular moment in his journey. From his passage through the Alps and secret pursuit of Piedmontese rice, to his fascination with an ingenious ferry on the River Po and his discovery of Nebbiolo—a wine he described as “a pleasing wine”—each selection tells a chapter of the story. Participants will taste four wines while exploring how historical research, primary-source journal entries, regional wine traditions, and thoughtful curation were brought together to transform a centuries-old journey into a modern hospitality experience.
More than a wine tasting, Jefferson’s Journey demonstrates how historic properties can take the stories within their archives and bring them to life in ways guests can see, taste, experience, and remember.
What you will learn:
- How Jefferson’s 1787 journey through Piedmont and his journal entries inspired the creation and curation of the Jefferson’s Journey wine collection.
- How each of the four wines connects to a specific place, discovery, or experience documented during Jefferson’s travels.
- How wine, history, and storytelling can work together to create an immersive and memorable guest experience.
- How historic hotels and properties can transform archival stories into engaging food-and-beverage programming and experiential hospitality.
Four wines will be poured during the session:
- Passeggiata — Sparkling Cortese
- Il Segreto — Timorasso-led white
- Pendulum — Dolcetto
- Piacere — Nebbiolo
6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception, Sponsored by Colonial Williamsburg Resorts and Visit Williamsburg
Location: Grand Ballroom Foyers 1 & 2
7:00 p.m. 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala Dinner, Sponsored by The Hershey Company, Bernardaud, and Haviland
Location: Grand Ballroom West
Attire: Cocktail
Friday, October 16
Morning Departures
Special Attendee Benefits, Discounts, and Complimentary Tickets
Attendee discount on retail shopping, outlet dining, golf tee times, spa services etc.
Access to fitness center including indoor and outdoor pools
3-day America’s Historic Triangle Ticket for all attendees provided by Visit Williamsburg (if booked through website link at Williamsburg Lodge)
Complimentary length of stay ticket to Colonial Williamsburg Historic area, one per guest, maximum of two per room (if booked through website link at Williamsburg Lodge)
Custom tours of historic Jamestown and Yorktown with transportation provided by Visit Williamsburg
Custom Colonial Williamsburg tour
Complimentary Wi-Fi in guestroom for attendees booked at Williamsburg Lodge
Complimentary parking for attendees booked at Williamsburg Lodge
Discounted room rates available for attendees three (3) days prior to the conference (starting on 10/9/2026) based on availability and must be booked through website link.
Book now at Williamsburg Lodge through conference booking link.
*Agenda Subject to Change*