The inaugural Hospitality Social Media Summit (HoSS) brought together more than 200 senior social, marketing, digital, brand and commercial leaders from 14 countries to examine how hospitality businesses can move social media beyond content creation and connect it more directly to commercial goals.
Held September 3–4 in London, the summit combined a live executive program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Robert Rothman ’77 London Campus, with an international online program. Attendees represented global hotel groups, independent properties and restaurant brands, including Fairmont, Hilton, Frasers Hospitality, Falkensteiner, Trump Hotels, Springboard Hospitality, COYA and JKS Restaurants.
The summit focused on a growing challenge across the hospitality industry: social media teams are increasingly expected to influence demand, revenue, reputation and long-term brand value, while the strategy, skills and measurement frameworks supporting those responsibilities have not always kept pace.
Created by Kordie, HoSS was designed as an executive working summit rather than a traditional conference. The program emphasized practical sessions intended to help participants develop frameworks, tools and decisions that could be applied directly to their businesses.
Day one was led by Whitney Reynolds, former Global Director of Social Marketing at IHG Hotels & Resorts and co-producer of the summit. Her masterclass covered business goals, audiences, channels, brand personality, content strategy, tactics and measurement.
“The biggest takeaway was realising how ready the hospitality social media community is to elevate this discipline,” Reynolds said. “Starting with strategy and commercial outcomes on day one, then layering in practical tools on day two, gave delegates a foundation for smarter decisions about where to invest.”
The second day focused on implementation, with sessions addressing paid social and direct bookings, AI-assisted workflows, AI content quality, video strategy, international market activation, social care and reputation.
Faculty included Laura Ferrari, former Director of Social Media EMEA at Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Santiago García Solimei, former Global Director of Social Media and Brands PR at Meliá Hotels International; and Stefano Della Schiava, former Head of the Nespresso Content Studio.
Ferrari said the summit highlighted a shift in how hospitality companies view social media, moving the discussion from producing more content toward making the function accountable for commercial outcomes.
Alisa Kremer, founder of Kordie and HoSS, said the summit revealed a common challenge across different markets and businesses: leadership increasingly expects social media to contribute to demand, revenue and reputation, while commercial frameworks and capabilities have not evolved at the same pace.
Following the event, delegates retained access to the HoSS Digital Hub, powered by Kordie, featuring tools, templates, recordings and expert-led learning. Additional HoSS editions are planned for 2027.