HSMAI Boston Chapter

09/08/2026

🤩 We are excited to welcome some special panelists share insight at the September 15 Commercial Strategy Reboot: Meeting People Where They Are, moderated by Rachel Vandenberg, PCC, Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel!

👉 Register: https://web.cvent.com/event/3f624df1-526a-4ade-b649-caf70fa6466f/register
Event: Commercial Strategy Reboot: Meeting People Where They Are.
Where: Seaport Hotel Boston
When: September 15 @5:30PM

👏 Meet The Panelist: Deborah Burns, IOM Executive Director, New England Inns & Resorts Association (NEIRA)
Deborah Burns is the Executive Director of the New England Inns & Resorts Association (NEIRA), the regional trade association that has represented over 300 New England resorts, inns, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and motor inns since 1907. In this role, she leads NEIRA's strategic direction, membership programming, and industry advocacy across the region's hospitality community.

09/08/2026

📢 HSMAI ANNOUNCEMENTS 📢

❗ VOLUNEER, SIGN UP TODAY
👉 Adrian Awards Judging application 🏆
There is certain criteria for judges, but this can be shared with anyone:
https://adrianawards.hsmai.org/judging-application/


❗ VOTE TODAY
👉 Top 25 Extraordinary Minds 🧠
Nomination Link: https://americas.hsmai.org/career-development/awards-recognition/hsmai-top-25/

Every year, HSMAI spearheads an effort to identify the “The HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization” as pick ...

09/02/2026

📅 Join us September 15 at The Seaport Hotel! HSMAI Boston Chapter looks forward to welcoming Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel and a Boston hospitality leadership panel.

Register: https://web.cvent.com/event/3f624df1-526a-4ade-b649-caf70fa6466f/register
Event: Commercial Strategy Reboot: Meeting People Where They Are.
Where: Seaport Hotel Boston
When: September 15 @5:30PM

Following the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference and a period dominated by AI, major events, changing demand, and economic uncertainty, this panel returns to a fundamental hospitality principle:

Commercial strategy begins with understanding people. The discussion explores what it means to meet people where they are today.

💡 WHY THIS CONVERSATION NOW
➡️ Major events such as the World Cup can create extraordinary demand - but the more important question is what happens when the event is over.
➡️ Travelers remain selective about where they spend, making relevance, value, trust, and meaningful experience increasingly important.
➡️ Commercial teams shape the promise, but frontline teams deliver the experience. Guest experience and employee experience are therefore inseparable.
➡️ Employees are being asked to adopt new technology, build new skills, and work differently - often while already under significant pressure.

09/02/2026

Fall is a critical season for hotel group and event business—and this year, the opportunity may be hiding in later-than-usual bookings.

This weeks Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) insight comes from Revenue Hub, answering the question on how to optimize group & event bookings:

• Expect shorter booking windows. Economic uncertainty hasn’t eliminated demand for meetings and events, but it has made planners more cautious—and many are booking later.

• Don’t wait for the RFP. Proactive outreach to local businesses, meeting planners, associations, venues, and travel partners can uncover demand before it reaches your competitors.

• Treat group pricing dynamically. Group business shouldn’t automatically mean a discounted rate. Evaluate each opportunity against forecasted demand, booking pace, compression, and the value of the dates.

• Sell value, not just price. When rate flexibility is limited, thoughtful concessions—upgrades, complimentary rooms, flexible cancellation, or meeting-space incentives—can strengthen the proposal without unnecessarily eroding ADR.

• Look beyond rooms. Groups can drive meaningful ancillary revenue through meetings, catering, F&B, and other on-property services, while also helping stabilize occupancy during shoulder periods.
The bigger takeaway?

Group business deserves the same revenue-management discipline we apply to transient demand. The goal isn’t simply to fill rooms—it’s to capture the right business at the right price, with the right total value to the hotel.
For hospitality commercial teams, fall is a great reminder that sales strategy and revenue strategy need to be working from the same playbook.

Read the full article here 👉 https://revenue-hub.com/here-is-how-to-optimize-hotel-group-event-bookings-this-fall/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

09/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Expedia Group Insights event on August 10th The Row at Assembly Row, Autograph Collection

We had an incredible turnout for this Boston HSMAI event, featuring fantastic insights from our speakers Rebecca Whaley and Julie Montillo. Thank you both for sharing your expertise with our community!

A huge thank you to The Row Hotel at Assembly Row, Autograph Collection for the wonderful hospitality and delicious food, you made everyone feel right at home. And as always, David Fox Photography and Digital Transfer Services was behind the lens capturing so many great memories in beautiful photos. Thank you, David!

We can’t wait to see everyone again for our next event: September 15 – Commercial Strategy Reboot Sponsored by Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel.

Sign up Today – we’d love to see you there!

08/26/2026

What if better hotel cross-selling starts with better data – not more offers?

For hospitality professions, this is an important shift in thinking. Cross-selling works best when we understand the guest, anticipate their needs, and make recommendations that feel relevant-not transactional.

A few takeaways that stood out to us:
📊Better data leads to better personalization
🎯Relevance matters more than volume
🤝The goal is to enhance the guest experience, not simply drive incremental revenue
💡The right technology can help turn guest insights into meaningful opportunities.

What are you seeing in your organization? Is your biggest opportunity better data, better technology, or simply better use of the data you already have?

Read the article or listen to the podcast for this week’s Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) insight:

A podcast-based reflection on hotel cross-selling argues that data quality and guest qualification matter more than offer volume, with guest profiles and selective automation enabling more meaningful interactions.

08/25/2026

✅ HSMAI Adrian Awards are around the corner! Submit by September 15! 📣

One Month Left to Enter the 70th Anniversary Adrian Awards🏆✨

The Sept. 15 deadline is one month away. Now is the time to refine your submission and make sure your best work is ready for consideration.

📣Before you submit:

Confirm you've selected the category that best represents your work.

Refine your Statement of Communication to clearly tell your campaign's story.
Gather the performance metrics and business results that demonstrate success.
As the Adrian Awards celebrate 70 years of recognizing excellence in hospitality and travel marketing, this year's competition is an opportunity to have your work recognized alongside the industry's best.

Start your submission here⬇️
https://hsmai.secure-platform.com/site/account/login

08/18/2026

Your Guide to the Adrian Awards

Preparing your Adrian Awards submission? The official 2026 entry guide walks you through the award categories, eligibility requirements, judging criteria, submission tips, key dates, FAQs, and additional resources to help you prepare your strongest entry with confidence.

https://adrianawards.hsmai.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2026/08/AdrianAwardsEntryGuide2026.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter