From March 28th to 30th, 2025, the European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA) gathered its members and partners in the vibrant city of Warsaw for its 51st Annual General Meeting (AGM). Under the theme Hospitality by Design, the event brought together over 200 general managers and hospitality leaders from across Europe to reflect on the evolution of their profession and explore how leadership, design, sustainability, and innovation continue to shape the future of hospitality.
Held across three beautiful venues – the historic Polonia Palace Hotel, the modern Renaissance Warsaw Airport Hotel, and the Sheraton Grand Warsaw – the gathering stood out not only for the richness of its programme, but also for its atmosphere of warmth, collaboration, and shared purpose I appreciate so much.
“We are proud that Warsaw became the capital of European hospitality. Its unique combination of historic charm and modern energy made it the perfect host for this year’s AGM” noted Pawel Lewtak, 1st Vice President of EHMA and General Manager of Polonia Palace Hotel, who chaired the Organising Committee.
Reducing burn out in leadership
Each year, my favourite topic is the work led by Dr Jan Ferris and Marco Truffelli, EHMA psychologists in residence. With their programme called RESILIRĒ Psychological Growth, they develop the future of emerging hospitality leaders through their inner growth. They aim to “enhance their leadership and organizational effectiveness, crucial for driving sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and building a more agile and responsible corporate culture”.
Twelve GM have nominated their emerging leaders who had the opportunity to improve their leadership skills “based on the latest sound psychological science” through online workshops and coaching during 7 months. This programme is all about love, empathy, being vulnerable and encouraging meaningful connections with kinship leadership 🙏
Excitingly, a new development is coming: Jan and Marco are now providing also current leaders’ inner development for sustainable outer impact. They are building a group of 80 GM across Europe: 40 of them will follow the programme and 40 of them will be the comparison group. We can’t wait to see the results of such a large and impactful action.
Learning, unlearning, relearning: An inspiring Educational Day
At the heart of this year’s meeting was a thought-provoking Educational Day, held at the Renaissance Warsaw Airport Hotel. The sessions offered a 360° view of industry challenges and opportunities, designed to inspire strategic clarity and creative thinking.
Speakers included Adam D. Tihany, a world-renowned designer, who explained, with a great sense of humour, why design matters, from inspiration to process and creating value. Adam reminds us that, basically, “Good design is good business”.
Prof. Dr Ian Yeoman, who explored future trends in food tourism, a rather frightening future that it is nevertheless important to face up to and that pushes us to develop a strategic mindset.
The conversation also addressed crucial topics such as AI in hotel operations, like F&B prediction, ESG compliance – which was also thought-provoking -, inclusive leadership, and sustainability.
For many participants, this day was a rare opportunity to learn, unlearn and relearn, as the president of EHMA put it – a space where Europe’s hotel leaders could challenge their assumptions and envision new models for their properties and teams.
Celebrating excellence in European hospitality
True to tradition, the association honoured some of the finest talents in the industry with prestigious awards presented at the gala dinner:
European Hotel Manager of the Year : Ivica Max Krizmanić, General Manager of the iconic Esplanade Zagreb Hotel (Croatia), opened in 1925 for Orient Express passengers, was recognised for “outstanding ability to blend managerial innovation with a deep commitment to nurturing local community values and fostering staff development”.
EHMA Sustainability Award by Diversey: Diego Roggero, General Manager of Portrait Milano (Italy), was celebrated for implementing a deeply holistic sustainability approach within a luxury context, turning a historic seminary into an environmental benchmark with circular resource management, zero-waste innovation and community integration.
EHMA Best Practices Award : Robert-Jan Woltering, Managing Director of Hotel de l’Europe Amsterdam (Netherlands), was applauded for his project “Why the Ultimate Hotel Guest Experience Matters” showcasing “ethical business leadership and responsible community engagement”.
EHMA Hans Koch Lifetime Achievement Award honors GMs whose lifelong impact has shaped hospitality and advanced EHMA’s mission of excellence and leadership: Johanna Fragano, former MD of Hotel Quirinale in Rome (Italy), received an ovation for “a lifetime of dedication to hospitality excellence” and for being EHMA’s first female President in 2007.
New members, new energy
A highlight of the weekend was the official welcome ceremony for 12 new EHMA members, held in the historic Ludwikowska Ballroom at Polonia Palace : Pavlos Badouvakis (Greece), Vittorio Di Carlo (Italy), Francisco Garcia (Spain), Jil-Marie Harml (Austria), Lee Kelly (Ireland), Panagiotis Markou (Greece), Eric Paulus (Belgium), Piero Pastore (Italy), Klara Šoštarić (Croatia), Konstantinos Stroutzos (Greece), Yannis Vamvoukakis (Greece), and Daniele Vastolo (Italy).
These new members were celebrated for bringing fresh perspectives and strengthening the association’s collective expertise. The symbolic awarding of the golden EHMA pin, a certificate and signature tie or pochette was more than a formality—it was a heartfelt welcome into a community defined by trust and excellence.
Human connections at the heart of it all
Beyond the sessions and ceremonies, the true spirit of EHMA revealed itself in the informal conversations, the shared meals, and the connections sparked over coffee or during the Farewell Brunch. As one participant wrote, “People to people—that was the phrase we heard again and again”.
Despite the fast pace of technological evolution, this gathering was a timely reminder that hospitality remains, at its core, a human endeavour. This was also evident in the new strategic partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which aims to “enhance member networking, visibility, and brand positioning”.
The trio re-elected at the head of the association
During the General Assembly, President Panos Almyrantis was re-elected for another three-year term. He underlined the success of the past 3-year work in positioning EHMA as “the most influential and forward-thinking network for hotel executives across Europe”.
Pawel Lewtak was appointed 1st Vice President, and Stephan Stokkermans as Vice President.Wilhelm Luxem was reconfirmed as Chair of the Board of Auditors, joined by Silvestro De Bolfo as First Auditor, and Verena Radlgruber-Forstinger as Second Auditor). The Board of Arbiters welcomed Cinzia Montelli as Chair and Erik-Jan Ginjaar as First Arbiter.
Looking ahead: London 2026, Helsinki 2027?
The host city for the 52nd AGM in 2026 was officially announced as London, while Helsinki is in the running for 2027. Each new edition promises to build on the momentum of the last—cultivating inspiration, excellence, and connection among Europe’s hotel leaders.
The Journal des Palaces was honoured to participate in this exceptional event, and we return with valuable insights, new connections, funny memories and deep respect for the people driving our industry forward. Indeed, EHMA’s 51st Annual General Meeting was more than a gathering. It was a celebration of what hospitality can and should be: generous, meaningful, and always people-first.
We thank everyone at EHMA for who you are and what you do for the industry, and we look forward to meeting again next year—London is calling!
Sylvie Leroy, enthusiastic publisher since 1999 Her passion for luxury hospitality, "a score perfectly performed by a fantastic orchestra" as she often says, led Sylvie Leroy to build in 2004 Journal des Palaces the sole online daily news dedicated to luxury hospitality with news, jobs, directories and resources.
