Welcome to Dreamland: Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam on 12 and 13 March

The Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam will take place on 12 and 13 March. It is a boutique fair for decision makers of independent hotels and luxury hotels looking for the latest trends and innovations in their field. This year, the theme chosen is Dreamland. We ask Tess Suters, the event manager of the Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam, what to expect from this event.

Organised in London since 2012, the Independent Hotel Show has become the international business platform for independent hoteliers. In addition to London, the event is now organised for the fourth time in Amsterdam and also takes place in Miami and Munich. "In these troubled times, people want to escape to a dream world," says Tess Suters of the Independent Hotel Show Amsterdam. "That will be a major trend within the hotel industry in the coming year. Today's hotel guest wants to be surprised with creativity, luxury and quality. Of course, this also applies to the visitors to our event. They want to be inspired and what better way to do this than in Dreamland? That is why we chose this magical theme. It is also very topical. We live in a world where reality and fantasy are increasingly merging, partly due to artificial intelligence (AI). This leads to new possibilities. The topic of AI is also definitely covered in our extensive lecture programme. Many hoteliers realise from all the media attention on the subject that they need to do something with it, but where exactly to start is the question. We will show that you can save costs by deploying AI."

The Dreamland theme is also reflected in the fair's design, which is being taken in hand by design studio The Fresh Perspective, among others. Tess Suters: "We want people to step out of their daily reality for a while and asked these designers to create a world floating between dream and reality. This also applies to the Social Business Space, the meeting place at the fair. It is designed by House of Soko, which creates a minimalist, warm and serene place with luxury and the feeling of zen for the mind. This sets our event apart from many other fairs. There is much more focus on design. Top designers showcase current trends by designing key spots. This makes visitors feel at home and stay longer."

During the Independent Hotel Show, visitors can meet more than 200 selected suppliers and experts will shine their light on key topics at play within the hotel industry. These include branding, staff management, technology, sustainable business and food trends. "These are topics that emerged from the many conversations with hoteliers," says Tess Suters. "We will have several experts on stage giving short, powerful presentations, packed with tools that will really help you as a hotelier. In addition, several trend watchers will talk about what will happen in the coming years in the field of food, guest behaviour, interior design and technology. But it is not a one-way street. There is also plenty of space and opportunity for hoteliers to meet each other and exchange knowledge, for instance over a nice glass of wine."

For the second time, the Independent Hotel Show Awards will be presented. "In London we've been doing this for years and in Amsterdam last edition it was also very well received," Tess adds. "This way, we put independent hotels and hoteliers in the spotlight for a while." Last year, Botanic Sanctuary won the award for Independent Hotel of the Year and Eric Toren of Amsterdam luxury hotel TwentySeven received the award for Independent Hotelier. 

The two-day seminar programme will cover many interesting and relevant topics. Here is a small sample of the programme. From now on, it is possible to book a place for the workshops and talks.

- Top ten tips for successful revenue management
- How do you survive as a hotel in a competitive market?
- A performance update from STR
- How can hotels improve their ESG Performance?
- How do you create an unforgettable guest experience?