Schedule of Events
Subject to Change
Monday, February 22
ALP Board of Directors Meeting
8:30am - 4:30pm
Registration Open
10:00am - 8:00pm
ThinkDay (RSVP Required)
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Exhibitor Setup
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Welcome Reception in the Marketplace
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Tuesday, February 23
Continental Breakfast
7:00am - 8:00am
Registration Open
7:00am - 5:00pm
Opening Session
*Sponsored by ThinkReservations
8:00am - 9:15am
General Session
9:30am - 10:00am
DIY or Delegate: Knowing When to Let Go!
Tuesday, February 23
9:30am - 10:00am
Annie Buck, ThinkReservations
Your property’s personality is one of your greatest marketing assets—and an endless source of content ideas. In this session, you’ll learn how to turn the things that make your property unique into content that attracts the right guests and helps set expectations before they arrive. We’ll explore how to uncover the “micro-stories” hiding throughout your property, use behind-the-scenes content to bring your experience to life, and create messaging that speaks directly to your ideal travelers while helping weed out those who may not be the right fit. You’ll leave with practical ideas for creating content that feels authentically yours—and gives travelers a reason to choose you over a stay they could find anywhere else.
General Session
10:10am - 10:40am
The Psychology of Guest Satisfaction
Tuesday, March 23
10:10am - 10:40am
Bridget Johnson,The Oakwood Inn Okoboji
Guests may forget the details of their stay, but they remember how your property made them feel. In this session, we’ll explore how sensory details and intentional touchpoints can shape the guest experience and create lasting emotional connections. You’ll learn how to create a memorable first impression, use often-overlooked elements like touch and sound to influence the guest experience, and think more strategically about the feeling you want guests to take with them when they leave. Discover how small, thoughtful choices can have a powerful impact on guest satisfaction, reviews, recommendations, and return stays.
General Session
10:50am - 11:30am
Lunch & Exhibit Hall Open
11:30am - 2:00pm
General Session
2:00pm - 2:50pm
Why Guests Choose You: 5 Ways Your Brand Gets Your Property Found, Remembered & Booked
Tuesday, March 23
2:00pm - 2:50pm
Janice Laraine, Studio MADM Co
General Session
3:00pm - 3:20pm
What We're Really Building: The Power of Personal Connection in Hospitality
Tuesday, March 23
3:00pm - 3:20pm
Marco DiDomizio, Inn Advisors
Independent hospitality businesses are often measured by occupancy, ADR, revenue, and reviews—but those are outcomes, not the product. At the heart of hospitality are relationships, trust, belonging, and the memories guests carry with them long after they leave. In this thought-provoking General Session, Marco explores the moments of personal connection that turn a stay into an experience, a guest into an advocate, and a transaction into a relationship. As technology and automation continue to reshape the industry, he’ll challenge lodging professionals to consider what should—and shouldn’t—change, and why genuine human connection may be the most valuable competitive advantage we have.
ALP Annual Membership Meeting
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Dine Around
*Sign Up Required
6:30pm
Wednesday, February 24
Continental Breakfast
7:00am - 8:00am
Registration Open
7:00am - 5:00pm
Concurrent Sessions
8:00am - 8:50am
The Rewards of Lodging Ownership: Defining and Achieving Your Version of Success (Aspiring Owners Track)
Wednesday, February 24
8:00am - 8:50am
Amy Djordjevic, Strong House Inn
TBD
What does successful lodging ownership look like to you? For some, it’s financial independence; for others, it’s a lifestyle change, creative opportunity, connection with guests and community, or a combination of all of these. This session will help you explore the realities and rewards of lodging ownership while thinking intentionally about your own goals. Hear from experienced lodging professionals about the different paths ownership can take, the opportunities and challenges along the way, and the importance of defining success on your own terms. You’ll leave with a clearer picture of what you want from your future business—and what it may take to get there.
Honey, I Let AI Audit our Website
Wednesday, February 25
8:00am - 8:50am
Cynthia Leonard, Refuge Inn
Liz Hamilton, Maia Internet Consulting
Scott Hall, ThinkReservations
I asked AI to audit my website. Then I asked two industry experts to audit the AI.
All three had different ideas and opinions. I made the changes they agreed on, and in the process found problems none of them had caught.
I'll walk you through the whole experiment so you can run it on your own property when you get home. You'll leave with the prompts, the pitfalls, and a way to make all of this WAY less work than we're used to.
Culinary Excellence from Purchasing to Plating
Wednesday, February 24
8:00am - 8:50am
Carol Edmondson, Inn Advisors
A successful food service program should delight guests while also making sense for your operation and your bottom line. In this session, you’ll learn how to evaluate your kitchen and dining spaces, menus, staffing, and purchasing decisions through the lens of both guest experience and profitability. Explore ways to elevate your culinary offerings while managing food costs and making the best use of your team’s time and resources. You’ll also discover how to market your dining experience to prospective and in-house guests and develop crowd-pleasing offerings designed to generate great reviews, repeat stays, and referrals.
Leading for Results: Leadership & Influencing Strategies in Independent Lodging Businesses
Wednesday, February 24
8:00am - 8:50am
Dan Clark, ALP Board Chair
Independent lodging leaders face a unique challenge: managing employees with different levels of experience, confidence, and motivation while maintaining exceptional guest experiences. This session will explore how leaders can assess employee readiness for specific hospitality tasks and adapt their leadership approach to improve performance, retention, engagement, and accountability.
Through practical lodging-industry examples—including front desk operations, housekeeping, guest service recovery, and cross-training—participants will learn how to diagnose employee readiness, match leadership styles to employee and business needs, and develop team members toward greater independence and effectiveness. Attendees will leave with a practical framework they can immediately apply to improve employee performance, retention, and guest satisfaction in their own lodging businesses.
Concurrent Sessions
9:00am - 9:30am
Build, Buy, or Convert: Choosing Your Path to Lodging Ownership (Aspiring Owners Track)
Wednesday, March 4
9:00am - 9:30am
Christopher Tillman, Georges on York B&B
One of the first major decisions aspiring lodging owners face is how to get started: build a property from the ground up, purchase an existing lodging business, or convert a property for lodging use. In this session, you’ll explore the advantages, challenges, costs, and considerations associated with each path. Learn why location can influence everything from guest demand and financial performance to zoning and permitting, and discover which local agencies and professionals should be part of your planning process. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the questions to ask as you determine which path to ownership is right for you.
From Stay to Return Stay: Creating Loyal Guests Without Discounting
Wednesday, February 24
9:00am - 9:30am
Anthony Rodriguez, Lakeview Inn
Turning a first-time guest into a repeat guest doesn’t have to mean lowering your rates. In this session, you’ll explore how memorable experiences, thoughtful service, and strategic follow-up can build guest loyalty and encourage direct rebooking. Learn how to evaluate the guest journey from booking through post-stay communication, identify opportunities for personalization and guest recognition, and create value-added perks that strengthen relationships without relying on discounts. You’ll also discover practical communication strategies for before, during, and after the stay that can help your property stay top of mind and turn satisfied guests into loyal, returning ones.
Checking In with Google: Making Sense of Search Console
Wednesday, February 24
9:00am - 9:30am
Annie Buck, ThinkReservations
You’ve invested in your website—but how do you know whether people can actually find it on Google? Google Search Console is a free tool that can give you valuable insight into how your property appears in search, without requiring you to be an SEO expert. In this session, you’ll learn how to see the search terms guests are using to find your website, identify which pages are getting the most attention, and spot potential issues that could be hurting your visibility. You’ll leave with a better understanding of what Google is telling you about your website—and how to use that information to make smarter marketing decisions.
Staffing Solutions: Understanding Immigration Options for Lodging Properties
Wednesday, February 24
9:00am - 9:30am
Clark Trainor, Law Office of Clark Trainor
Finding and retaining staff can be especially challenging for lodging properties facing seasonal demand, limited labor pools, and hard-to-fill positions. In this session, immigration attorney Clark Trainor will explore U.S. immigration programs that may provide additional staffing options for lodging businesses. Learn about H-2B seasonal workers, J-1 exchange programs, TN professional visas, permanent sponsorship, and other pathways that may apply to your operation. You’ll gain a better understanding of which programs may fit different staffing needs, important timing and eligibility considerations, and common compliance issues to watch for when incorporating immigration into your staffing strategy.
Concurrent Sessions
9:40am - 10:30am
Selecting Your Property: From Vision to Viability (Aspiring Owner Track)
Wednesday, February 24
9:40am - 10:30am
Chuck Anderson, ThinkReservations
Before saying yes to a dream property, you need a plan grounded in facts. This session guides aspiring lodging owners through the essential due diligence process - from evaluating financials and physical condition to understanding market potential and risk. Learn how to assemble your “Fantasy Board of Directors” and assess location, competition, and property fit so you can move forward with confidence and clarity.
The OTA Tightrope: Channel Strategy That Grows Direct Bookings Without Starving Occupancy
Wednesday, February 24
9:40am - 10:30am
E Scot Fuller, ThinkReservations
Reducing OTA dependency sounds great—until you have to replace the bookings those channels provide. In this session, you’ll learn how to take a more strategic approach to your channel mix, balancing the cost and value of OTA and direct bookings while protecting occupancy. Explore how to calculate the true value of each channel, use OTAs strategically based on season and demand, and create direct-booking incentives that encourage guests to book with you without simply giving away revenue. You’ll also learn how to evaluate a healthy direct-to-OTA mix for your property and develop a realistic plan for gradually increasing direct bookings without sacrificing occupancy along the way.
Build a Team That Stays: Training, Engagement, and Employee Retention
Wednesday, February 24
9:40am - 10:30am
Robyn Christy Parris, Glen Willows Hospitality
Building a strong team takes more than hiring the right people—it requires creating an environment where employees feel prepared, supported, and valued. In this session, you’ll explore practical ways to strengthen training, establish effective HR practices, and create systems that support both employees and leadership. Learn how training guides and clear expectations can set team members up for success, why recognition and a sense of value matter to retention, and how investing in your people can help create a more consistent workplace, reduce turnover, and build a team that wants to stay.
TBD
Wednesday, February 24
9:40am - 10:30am
TBD, TBD
TBD
Concurrent Sessions
10:40am - 11:10am
Building Your Business Plan: Part 1 — From Vision to Strategy (Aspiring Owner Track)
Wednesday, February 24
10:40am - 11:10am
TBD, TBD
A strong business plan begins with a clear vision for the business you want to build. In Part 1, you’ll learn how to turn your lodging concept into a thoughtful strategy by defining your business model, target guest, market position, competitive landscape, and goals. We’ll explore the essential components of a lodging business plan and how decisions about your property, guest experience, operations, and market fit together. You’ll begin developing the foundation for a plan that can guide your decisions and communicate your vision to lenders, investors, and other stakeholders.
Small Changes, Bigger Value: Design, Amenities & the Guest Experience
Wednesday, February 24
10:40am - 11:10am
James Kuester, Kuster Design
Natalie Rich, Lee Meier Interiors
You may be overlooking things at your property that guests notice immediately—and improving them doesn’t always require a major renovation or a major investment. In this collaborative session, three hospitality experts will help you look at your property through the eyes of a guest and identify opportunities to increase its perceived value. Explore how removing or rethinking what’s no longer working can improve the experience without spending a dollar, where strategic design updates can have the greatest impact, and how the right amenities can support higher rates, stronger reviews, repeat stays, and additional revenue. You’ll leave with practical ideas for prioritizing improvements based on guest impact, investment, and potential return—while preserving the character that makes your property unique.
Money in the Mattress: Hidden Tax Savings for Hospitality Owners
Wednesday, February 24
10:40am - 11:10am
Tyler Otto, Specialized Accounting
What if improving your bottom line isn’t about raising rates or cutting expenses, but keeping more of the money your business already earns? In this session, you’ll explore commonly overlooked tax strategies, deductions, and credits that could uncover savings within your business. Learn how your business structure can affect taxes, liability, and profitability, and when it may be worth considering a change. You’ll also discover practical ways to approach tax planning throughout the year to improve cash flow, reduce surprises, and make more informed financial decisions.
What’s the Bottom Line? From Sale Price to Take-Home Cash
Wednesday, February 24
10:40am - 11:10am
Chuck Anderson, Marilyn Bushnell & Associates
Thinking about selling your lodging property? Before you start dreaming about that big payday, there’s one important question: How much money will you actually walk away with?
The selling price is only part of the equation. In this session, you’ll learn how to cut through the numbers and calculate what could actually land in your bank account. Discover how buyers and lenders determine value, why your last three years of financials matter, and how trends in your property's performance can impact the deal. We'll uncover the selling expenses, closing adjustments, and potential tax implications that can take a surprising bite out of your proceeds.
You'll also explore how appraisals, financing delays, and even the way you operate your property while it's on the market can affect your sale. Whether you're planning to sell next year or just keeping your options open, you'll leave with a practical worksheet to help estimate your bottom line and make more informed decisions about your financial future.
Concurrent Sessions
11:20am - 11:50am
Building Your Business Plan: Part 2 — Financials, Forecasting & Feasibility
Wednesday, February 24
11:20am - 11:50am
TBD, TBD
In Part 2, you’ll move from concept to numbers and explore the financial components that help determine whether your lodging business can succeed. Learn how to think through revenue assumptions, operating expenses, financial projections, cash flow, and profitability while identifying potential risks and planning for the unexpected. We’ll also discuss what lenders and investors expect to see and how your financial projections connect to the larger business plan. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how to evaluate the financial feasibility of your concept and build a plan grounded in realistic expectations.
The Competitor You Can't See: Why Your Real Competition Isn't the Hotel Down the Street
Wednesday, February 24
11:20am - 11:50am
Davin Owens, PriceLabs
Your competition may extend far beyond the lodging properties you traditionally track. Short-term rentals, serviced apartments, and other accommodations may be competing for the same guests, on the same dates, in the same market—without ever appearing in your traditional competitive set. In this session, you’ll explore research examining how these different lodging options overlap and what that means for your pricing strategy. Learn how to identify hidden competitors, use market data to better understand demand and pricing, and expand your competitive set to make more informed revenue decisions.
Your Guest Experience Is Your Marketing: Turning Great Stays into Organic Reach
Wednesday, February 24
11:20am - 11:50am
Some of your most effective marketing happens while guests are already at your property. In this session, you’ll explore how a distinctive brand and thoughtfully designed guest experience can inspire the stories, photos, reviews, and recommendations guests share after their stay. Learn how to strengthen your brand identity, create memorable moments that naturally encourage organic exposure, and communicate with a voice that feels authentic rather than relying on familiar hospitality clichés. You’ll leave with ideas for making the experience you deliver an extension of your marketing—and giving guests something worth talking about.
Protecting Your Payments: Reducing Costs, Chargebacks, and Cyber Risk
Wednesday, February 24
11:20am - 11:50am
Wynn Salisch, Casablanca Payments
Payment processing can be complicated—and costly when something goes wrong. In this session, you’ll get a plain-English look at how the payments industry works and what you can do to better protect your business and your bottom line. Learn strategies for managing processing costs and preventing chargebacks, along with practical steps to safeguard sensitive business and guest information. We’ll also explore common cyber threats, including phishing, ransomware, card-testing attacks, and identity theft, and the measures you can take now to reduce risk and strengthen your defenses.
Lunch & Exhibit Hall Open
11:50am - 2:30pm
Concurrent Sessions
2:30pm - 3:20pm
Financing Your Lodging Business: Understanding Your Funding Options (Aspiring Owner Track)
Wednesday, February 24
2:30pm - 3:20pm
TBD, TBD
Financing can be one of the most important—and often most confusing—parts of starting or purchasing a lodging business. In this session, you’ll explore different options for funding your business and learn what lenders look for when evaluating a financing request. Drawing on decades of banking and small-business lending experience, Bruce Hurta will explain debt and equity financing, available funding options including SBA and USDA loan programs, and how to prepare before approaching a lender. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the financing landscape and the steps you can take to position yourself and your business plan for a successful funding conversation.
The Marketing Audit Workshop: Find What’s Working, What’s Not, and What to Fix Next
Wednesday, February 24
2:30pm - 3:20pm
When was the last time you took a critical look at your entire marketing presence? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll complete a guided audit of your property’s website, booking engine, Google Business Profile, OTA listings, email strategy, and social media presence. Using a practical evaluation framework, you’ll identify what’s working, uncover gaps and opportunities, and determine where to focus your efforts for the greatest impact. You’ll leave with a personalized marketing scorecard, your top priorities for improving visibility, conversions, and direct bookings, and a reusable checklist you can use to regularly evaluate your marketing going forward.
Know Your Numbers, Automate the Rest: KPIs and AI for Smarter Operations
Wednesday, February 24
2:30pm - 3:20pm
E Scot Fuller, ThinkReservations
Cynthia Leonard, Refuge Inn
Running a property generates a lot of data—and a lot of repetitive work—but you don’t need to spend hours in spreadsheets to stay on top of either. In this session, you’ll learn which key performance indicators can help you spot problems and opportunities, from booking pace and revenue to labor and guest experience. Then, see how AI can help automate routine back-office tasks such as reconciliations, reservation checks, reporting, and vendor comparisons. Through practical, real-world examples, you’ll discover how to focus on the numbers that matter, identify tasks that can be automated, and build smarter systems that save time and support better operational decisions.
Operations Excellence Lab: Building Systems That Scale
Wednesday, February 24
2:30pm - 3:20pm
Strong operations depend on systems that make it easier for your team to deliver a consistent guest experience every day. In this interactive workshop, you’ll explore practical SOPs, checklists, templates, and workflows that can improve training, accountability, communication, and efficiency. Using real-world examples from lodging properties, you’ll identify where stronger systems could make the biggest difference in your own operation and how to adapt them to fit your property and team. You’ll leave with practical tools and a framework for building systems you can put to work right away.
Concurrent Sessions
3:30pm - 4:00pm
Marketing Your Lodging Business: Building Demand from Day One (Aspiring Owner Track)
Wednesday, February 24
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Annie Buck, ThinkReservations
Liz Hamilton, Maia Internet Consulting
Great marketing starts long before you open your doors. In this session, you’ll explore the fundamentals of building a marketing strategy for your future lodging business, from identifying your ideal guest and defining what makes your property distinctive to developing your brand and online presence. Learn how your website, search visibility, social media, email, OTAs, and other marketing channels can work together to build awareness and generate bookings. You’ll leave with a better understanding of where to focus your marketing efforts and how to begin building demand for your property from day one.
Social Media Quick Hits: Create It, Check It, Post It
Wednesday, February 24
3:30pm - 4:00pm
TikTok Made Simple: Build Loyalty One Post at a Time
Lucy Lewand, Happy Hospitality Solutions
A 10-Minute Content Check Before You Hit Publish
Nicole Boss Williams, No Vacancy Marketing
Creating content doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. In this fast-paced session, two speakers will share practical tools to help you create stronger content and feel more confident hitting “publish.” First, learn a simple four-part formula for creating authentic short-form videos that can be used across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube—without fancy equipment, dancing, or chasing trends. Then, discover a four-question content check you can use to quickly evaluate social posts, emails, blogs, and more before they go live. You’ll leave with simple, repeatable tools for creating content with greater ease, intention, and confidence.
Boutique, Not Stuffy: Designing a Modern Guest Experience
Wednesday, March 4
3:30pm - 4:00pm
Tatiana Michelizza, Top of the Ridge Farm B&B
Today’s travelers still value warmth, hospitality, local character, and personal touches—but they also expect privacy, flexibility, clear communication, and an experience that feels intentional from beginning to end. In this session, you’ll explore how to create a modern guest experience without losing the personal hospitality that makes independent lodging special. Learn how decisions around positioning, policies, food and beverage, amenities, add-on experiences, guest communication, and operational boundaries shape the way guests perceive your property. You’ll leave with a practical framework for deciding what to keep, what to update, and what to let go of to create an experience that feels current, memorable, and manageable.
The Nuts & Bolts of Property Operations: Maintenance, Upkeep & Curb Appeal
Wednesday, February 24
3:30pm - 4:00pm
Keeping a property running means knowing how to handle the everyday issues that inevitably pop up. In this practical, discussion-driven session, experienced lodging professionals will share tips, tricks, and lessons learned from maintaining the physical property. From troubleshooting common maintenance problems and preventative upkeep to landscaping, curb appeal, and other hands-on challenges, panelists will offer real-world solutions you can adapt to your own operation. Bring your questions and challenges, too—this interactive session is designed to tap into the collective experience in the room and help everyone leave with practical ideas for keeping their properties looking good and running smoothly.
Concurrent Sessions
4:10pm - 5:00pm
The Guest Experience: Designing a Stay Guests Will Remember (Aspiring Owner Track)
Wednesday, February 24
4:10pm - 5:00pm
TBD
A memorable guest experience is the result of dozens of decisions made before a guest ever arrives. In this session, you’ll explore the elements that shape a stay, from guest rooms and common spaces to amenities, communication, service, and thoughtful personal touches. Learn how to create an experience that reflects your property’s identity, meets the expectations of today’s travelers, and appeals to the guests you most want to attract. You’ll leave with a framework for thinking intentionally about the experience you want to deliver and how each touchpoint can contribute to a stay guests remember, recommend, and want to repeat.
Paid Ads 101: How Guests Find, Click, and Book
Wednesday, February 24
4:10pm - 5:00pm
Jeff Hebrink, rezStream
Paid advertising can help put your property in front of travelers at the right moment—but understanding how it all works can feel overwhelming. In this beginner-friendly session, you’ll learn how paid ads help guests discover your property and move from searching to clicking to booking direct. Explore where your ads can appear, the difference between paid and organic search results, and how branded advertising fits into your overall marketing strategy. You’ll also learn practical ways to customize and improve your ads so they work harder for your property and marketing goals.
Navigating Today’s Hospitality Insurance Landscape
Wednesday, February 24
4:10pm - 5:00pm
Mitch Pies, Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Insurance
Rising costs, changing coverage, and evolving risk requirements are making insurance an increasingly complex part of operating a lodging property. In this session, we’ll explore the factors affecting today’s hospitality insurance market and what lodging professionals can do to better protect their businesses. Learn strategies that may help reduce premiums, understand changing coverage and mitigation expectations, and prepare for unforeseen or uncovered events. We’ll also discuss practical risk-management measures that can help minimize damage and explore when self-insuring certain risks may—or may not—make sense for your property.
Beyond Breakfast: Turning Food & Beverage into a Competitive Advantage
Wednesday, February 24
4:10pm - 5:00pm
Marco DiDomizio, Inn Advisors
Mary Passalacqua, Woolverton Inn
Amanda Arling, Whaler's Inn
Geoff Skidmore, Wolf Cove Inn
Matthew Robinson, Swift House Inn
As rising costs and staffing challenges have led some lodging properties to scale back food service, others are finding ways to turn it into a competitive advantage. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from lodging professionals who have expanded their food and beverage offerings beyond the traditional guest experience, creating restaurants, breweries, destination dining, and other opportunities that reach both overnight guests and the public. Through real-world examples, panelists will share what inspired their approaches, the challenges they encountered, and lessons learned along the way. Explore how thoughtfully expanding food and beverage can generate additional revenue, enhance the guest experience, strengthen your brand, and create new opportunities for growth.
Dine & Shine: Dinner, Awards, and Auction
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Thursday, February 25
Continental Breakfast
8:00am - 9:00am
Registration Open
8:00am - 10:00am
Concurrent Sessions
9:00am - 9:50am
Food Service: Creating the Right Approach for Your Property (Aspiring Owner Track)
Thursday, February 25
9:00am - 9:50am
Carol Edmondson, Inn Advisors
Tatiana Michelizza, Top of the Ridge Farm Bed & Breakfast
Bridget Johnson, The Oakwood Inn Okoboji
Food and beverage can be an important part of the guest experience, but there is no single model that works for every lodging property. In this session, you’ll explore the decisions that go into developing a food service approach that fits your guests, property, staffing, budget, and business model. Learn about considerations such as menu planning, kitchen and dining spaces, staffing, food costs, dietary needs, service style, and local requirements. Whether you envision a full breakfast, a simplified offering, or something entirely different, you’ll leave better prepared to create a food service program that enhances the guest experience while remaining practical and manageable.
The Independent Operator’s Marketing Playbook: What Actually Works
Thursday, March 5
9:00am - 9:50am
Kenny Ridgell, Ridge Media
Independent lodging properties don’t need big-brand budgets to build an effective marketing strategy. In this session, you’ll explore a practical framework for connecting your marketing efforts to occupancy, direct bookings, and profitability. Learn how to evaluate your channel mix and identify where OTA costs may be affecting your bottom line, use AI to support tasks like content creation and reporting, and strengthen the messaging and positioning that encourages travelers to book direct. You’ll leave with practical strategies for building a smarter, more efficient marketing system using the tools and resources you already have.
Built for the Thumb: Mobile Websites That Convert Without Sacrificing Search
Wednesday, February 25
9:00am - 9:50am
Rich Strucke, ThinkReservations
Scott Hall, ThinkReservations
Your guests are increasingly discovering, evaluating, and booking properties on their phones—but what works for search engines and AI tools doesn’t always feel ideal for someone scrolling on a small screen. In this session, you’ll learn how to balance the depth of content needed for online visibility with the speed and simplicity mobile visitors expect. Explore how to structure pages so important information is easy to find, determine how much content is enough, and create a smoother path from browsing to booking. You’ll also learn why mobile speed and usability matter and how to build a website that works for both search engines and the guests you want to convert.
Concurrent Sessions
10:00am - 10:30am
Insurance Essentials for Aspiring Lodging Owners (Aspiring Owner Track)
Thursday, February 25
10:00am - 10:30am
Mitch Pies, Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Insurance
Insurance is an important part of protecting both your property and your future business—and understanding your needs should begin well before opening day. In this session, you’ll learn about the types of insurance coverage lodging businesses may need and the factors that can affect availability, coverage, and cost. Explore common areas of risk, questions to ask when evaluating policies, and steps you can take to make your property more insurable and better protected. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how insurance fits into your planning process and what to discuss with an insurance professional before purchasing or opening a property.
TBD
Wednesday, February 25
10:00am - 10:30am
TBD, TBD
TBD
TBD
Thursday, February 25
10:00am - 10:30am
TBD
Concurrent Sessions
10:40am - 11:30am
A Day in the Life of a Lodging Professional (Aspiring Owner Track)
Thursday, February 25
10:40am - 11:30am
Lucy Lewand, Happy Hospitality Solutions
Cynthia Leonard, Refuge Inn
Patrick Finnegan, St Francis Inn
This dynamic, interactive session will explore how your past career experiences and unique skill sets can pave the way for success in the world of hospitality. Led by seasoned lodging professionals and industry partners, you’ll gain valuable insights into the diverse roles within the lodging industry and what it takes to thrive. Topics will include:
- Who Are Today’s Hospitality Leaders? Explore the qualities that define successful lodging professionals.
- Adapting to Different Property Models: Discover how day-to-day responsibilities vary across inns of different sizes, models, locations, and service offerings.
- Mastering Essential Tasks vs. Outsourcing: Understand which key tasks innkeepers and staff handle directly and when it makes sense to contract out services.
The AI Visibility Edge: What’s Driving Lodging Discovery in the Age of AI
Thursday, February 25
10:40am - 11:30am
Walker Alford, Lighthouse
AI is changing how travelers discover where to stay—and the factors influencing which properties get recommended aren’t always the same ones that have driven traditional search. In this data-driven session, you’ll explore emerging patterns in AI-powered lodging discovery, including which sources AI platforms rely on and where properties may have visibility gaps. Learn why your presence across OTA, editorial, and other third-party sources matters, how AI discovery differs from traditional SEO, and what content and positioning may influence whether your property appears in AI-generated recommendations. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the changing discovery landscape and where to focus your efforts as AI becomes a bigger part of travel planning.
Planning Your Exit: Maximizing Business Value and Preparing for Life After Ownership
Thursday, February 25
10:40am - 11:30am
Dan Clark, ALP Board Chair
Marco DiDomizio, Inn Advisors
For many lodging owners, their business is more than an investment—it can also be a significant part of their lifestyle and identity. Whether you’re considering a sale in the next few years or simply want to be better prepared for the future, planning early can make a meaningful difference. In this session, you’ll learn how to strengthen the value and marketability of your business, understand what prospective buyers look for, and identify steps you can take now to improve your exit readiness. We’ll also explore the personal side of transitioning out of ownership and how to begin preparing for what comes next.
Concurrent Sessions
11:40am - 12:30pm
Ask a Lodging Pro: Open Q&A for Aspiring Owners (Aspiring Owner Track)
Thursday, February 25
11:40am - 12:30pm
Marco DiDomizio, Inn Advisors (Moderator)
You’ve spent the Aspiring Owners track exploring everything from selecting and financing a property to marketing, operations, food service, and the guest experience—now it’s your turn to ask the questions. In this interactive session, experienced lodging professionals will answer your questions about ownership and the realities of running a lodging business. Bring anything that’s still on your mind, whether it’s a topic covered during the program or something you’ve been wondering about throughout your journey. This is your opportunity for candid conversation, practical advice, and insights to help you determine your next steps.
Bringing Your Brand to Life Across Your Property
Thursday, February 25
11:40am - 12:30pm
Your brand is more than a logo, a color palette, or a website—it’s the feeling guests associate with your business and the experience you create at every touchpoint. In this session, you’ll explore how a strong brand identity can serve as a filter for decisions throughout your operation, from décor, music, and food to guest experience, marketing, and more. Through real-world examples, you’ll learn how to identify what your brand stands for and use that identity to make choices that feel intentional, consistent, and uniquely yours. You’ll leave with a fresh perspective on how bringing your brand to life throughout your property can create a more memorable and cohesive experience for your guests.
ALP Unlocked Ends
12:30pm
See you next time!
