Hotelvak launches Hotel Influencers 100: the faces giving direction to the hotel industry

Hotelvak has the Hotel Influencers 100 created: an annual list of 100 professionals who visibly contribute to the development of the hotel industry in the Benelux. The list of 2026 has now been published and is the starting point of a wider initiative in which Hotelvak will make these professionals more prominent throughout the year.

The Hotel Influencers 100 was developed in collaboration with HBMEO EN Independent Hotel Show Europe. With this initiative, Hotelvak aims to look beyond job titles, hotel brands or household names alone. After all, influence in the hotel industry is not exclusively in size, reach or commercial performance. It also lies in vision, entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, team development, hospitality concepts, knowledge sharing and the ability to get others moving.

The hotel industry is changing rapidly. Guests expect more personal attention, employees seek good employment practices, sustainability is no longer an afterthought, and technology influences almost every part of the operation. At the same time, hospitality remains a people business. That is precisely why Hotelvak finds it important to make visible the professionals who not only react to change, but help shape that change.

The Hotel Influencers 100 is not a popularity list. It is a recognition of people who are making an impact on the industry from their own position. These can be hoteliers, general managers and entrepreneurs, but also marketers, concept developers, suppliers, educators, consultants and young talents. What unites them is that they contribute to the renewal, professionalisation and visibility of the hotel industry.

For Hotelvak, therefore, the list is not an end point, but a beginning. In 2026, Hotelvak will pay more attention to the people on the list: who are they, what do they stand for, what choices do they make and what developments do they see in the market? By sharing their stories, insights and experiences, Hotelvak aims not only to inform, but also to inspire and connect the industry.

The collaboration with HBMEO and Independent Hotel Show Europe reinforces that premise. By bringing together editorial knowledge, sector network and an international hospitality platform, Hotel Influencers 100 gains a broader base within the industry. The initiative is in line with the ambition to connect the Benelux hospitality industry more strongly and to give the people behind innovation and progress more of a stage.

With the publication of the 2026 Hotel Influencers 100, Hotelvak aims to create an annual benchmark for influence, inspiration and professionalism within the hotel industry. Not to capture the sector in a ranking, but to show how much knowledge, energy and entrepreneurship there is.

Throughout the year, Hotelvak publishes interviews, backgrounds and stories surrounding the professionals in the Hotel Influencers 100.