Melbourne

• 08:00 — 0:900

  Conference Registation

  Welcome to Maximum Occupancy Australia 2026. Pick up your lanyard and name tag at the registration desk and enjoy a coffee while networking with other conference delegates.

• 09:00am — 09:05am

  Conference Welcome & Opening

  A welcome introduction to Maximum Occupancy Australia 2026 by the conference MC and organiser, Adrian Caruso, Group Managing Director for Fastrack Digital.

• 09:05 — 09:25

  The Australian Accommodation Outlook: What Will Drive Demand in 2027?

  Jacqueline Choo — Pacific STR

  Learn what the state of the Australian and broader accommodation market is currently and predictions for 2027 and beyond.

• 09:25am — 09:40am

  Official Conference Opening

  Nicholas Reece — Lord Mayor Of Melbourne

• 09:40 — 09:55

  Australian Accommodation: The Road Ahead

  James Goodwin — Accommodation Australia

  James Goodwin, AHA National CEO, explores the key challenges and opportunities facing accommodation operators, the priorities for industry advocacy, and what lies ahead in 2027.

• 

  09:55 — 10:15

  THE OWNER'S TABLE: Where Would You Put Your Money in 2027?

  • Facilitators

  • Adrian Caruso
    Fastrack Digital — Group Managing Director

  • Panellists

  • Ian Wilson
    Title Hospitality — Director

  • Dean Minett
    Minett Consulting — Director

  • Robert Moore
    Brady Group — General Manager Hotels & Hospitality

  • Kirk Edwards
    C.H.E. GROUP — Managing Director (Former CEO – Village Entertainment, Topgolf Australia + Intencity)

• 10:25 — 10:35

  Power-up Trend Talks

  Listen to short sharp presentations from leading industry suppliers and event exhibtors and how you can boost revenue and occupancy using their products.

• 10:20 — 10:35

  Morning Tea - Brought to you by Airbnb for Hotels

  Break time! Enjoy a delicious morning tea and network with your fellow conference delegates.

• 11:05 — 11:15

  Airbnb for hotels

  James Ho — Airbnb

  Listen to James from Airbnb about their new product launching in Australia and what it means for hotels.

• 

  11:15am — 11:35am

  What Keeps Hotel Managers Up Late at Night

  Listen to some of Australia's top hotel and accommodation managers and operators, and what keeps them up late at night.

  • Facilitators

  • Adrian Caruso
    Fastrack Digital — Group Managing Director

  • Panellists

  • Rachel Harman
    The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne — General Manager

  • Glen Erickson
    Pullman East Melbourne — General Manager

  • Christian Price
    Hannah St Hotel — General Manager

  • Carl Forrest
    Pan Pacific Melbourne — Hotel Manager

• 

  11:35am — 11:55am

  THE AI REALITY CHECK - What Has Actually Worked - and What Hasn't?

  • Facilitators

  • Ravinder Kalvakuntla
    Prompt Hospitality Tech — Founder & Principal Consultant

  • Panellists

  • Jeff Baars
    The Accommodation Co. — Director

  • Andrew Turner
    EVT — Group General Manager Technology & Digital

  • Kari Hunter
    Choice Hotels Asia-Pac — Senior Director Commercial and Revenue Management

• 

  12:00pm — 12:20pm

  THE PRODUCTIVITY PROBLEM - How Do We Deliver Better Hospitality With Rising Labour Costs?

  • Panellists

  • Sonia Ruiz
    Novotel Melbourne Airport + Ibis Styles Melbourne Airport — Director of People & Culture

  • Rochelle Choyna
    RC People & Culture Consulting — Owner

  • More speakers to be announced soon

• 12:20 — 12:45

  The State of Travel: What 2027 Holds for Australian Hotels

  Adrian Caruso — Fastrack Digital

  The way guests search, discover and choose accommodation is changing fast. Drawing on the latest global travel research and Australian hotel data, Adrian Caruso explores how AI and evolving search behaviour are reshaping the guest journey, why direct bookings are worth 60% more than OTA, and what hotels need to do now to stay visible, relevant and win more direct bookings.

• 12:45 — 01:00

  Buying Diversification, Inheriting Tech Debt

  Zach Sevelle — RMS

  Every acquisition imports someone else's technology decisions, and the debt compounds as you expand from hotels into apartments, resorts, and motels. This session uncovers where M&A tech debt hides and shares a practical framework for future-proofing your organisation, with actions you can apply to your next deal.

• 01:00pm — 02:00pm

  Lunch - Brought to you by Airbnb for Hotels

  Network with other attendees over a delicious buffet lunch.

• 

  2:00pm — 2:25pm

  Where will your next guest come from?

  Demand now comes from many directions - cruise, events, sports, corporate travel and high-value leisure. This panel explores how these segments behave, how they impact occupancy and rates, and how hotels can better align pricing, inventory and marketing to capture the right mix of demand year-round.?

  • Facilitators

  • Lisa Patroni
    Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) — CEO

  • Panellists

  • Katherine Oakley
    Melbourne Park — Chief Communications

  • Julia Swanson
    Melbourne Convention Bureau — Chief Executive Officer

  • Tom McMenemie
    Luxury Escapes — General Manager - Commercial

  • Tonya Golberg
    MONA - Museum of Old and New Art — Senior Marketing Manager

• 

  02:25pm — 02:50pm

  MORE BOOKINGS. SAME BUDGET - Where Should Hotels Invest Their Marketing Dollars?

  A practical discussion about where hotel marketing budgets are working - and where they’re being wasted. We explore how operators balance brand, paid advertising, social media, email and OTAs to win more guests, grow repeat business and measure the revenue their marketing actually delivers.

  • Facilitators

  • Sarah May
    Fastrack Digital — Digital Marketing Specialist

  • Panellists

  • André Jacques
    The Langham — Regional Director of Marketing, Pacific

  • Will Howes
    Trust You — VP Sales APAC

  • Elias Savvakis
    Intuit MailChimp — APAC Partnership Lead

  • Emily White
    The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne — Director of Marketing

• 

  02:50pm — 03:15pm

  CAN HOTEL F&B ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY?

  Hotel restaurants and bars can be costly to run - but can they become serious profit centres? This session explores what’s working, what isn’t, and how hotels can turn F&B into a stronger driver of revenue, guest experience and profitability.

  • Panellists

  • Pawan Dutta - AHA National Chef of the Year 2026
    The Royce Hotel

  • Alison Hulm
    JACK Hospitality — Managing Director

  • Sean Thomas
    Hannah St Hotel — Executive Chef

  • Ivano Ceracchi
    Shiji Group — Director of Sales ANZ

• 03:15pm — 03:45pm

  Afternoon tea -Brought to by Fastrack Digital

  Australia's leading Hotel Digital Marketing Agency

• 

  03:45pm — 04:10pm

  THE BIG HOTEL DEBATE - What Does the Australian Accommodation Industry Need to Fix?

  Industry CEOs and senior leaders share a candid outlook on what’s ahead for the accommodation sector and how they’re preparing for the year ahead.

  • Facilitators

  • Dougall Hollis
    Accommodation Australia (Vic) — General Manager

  • Panellists

  • Lee Davey
    EVT Hotels and Resorts — State General Manager

  • David Tonkin
    Pan Pacific Hotels Group — Country General Manager, Oceania

  • Sarah Derry
    Journey Beyond — Chief People Officer

  • Llewellyn Wyeth
    Ennismore Hotels — Vice President of Operations Pacific

  • Damian Gallace
    extended STAY australasia — Co-founder & Managing Director

• 04:15pm — 04:30pm

  Building an Australian Accommodation Empire

  Paul Constantinou AM — Extended STAY Australasia

  In this one-on-one conversation with Adrian Caruso, Paul shares the story behind growing Quest Apartment Hotels to more than 170 properties, the lessons learned through decades of leadership and change, and the decision to sell to The Ascott Limited. He also explores his next chapter with extended STAY australasia, the opportunities he sees for operators today, and what it takes to build an accommodation business that lasts.

• 

  04:30pm — 04:50pm

  FULL HOTEL. THIN MARGINS.

  A full hotel doesn’t always mean a profitable one. This session gets behind the headline numbers to uncover what really drives hotel profitability - from pricing and distribution costs to labour, operating expenses and the true cost of every booking.

  • Panellists

  • Shaizeen Contractor
    Trilogy Hotels — Chief Commercial Officer

  • Clare West
    Expedia — Area Manager

  • Monique Jeffrey
    Mainstay Suites — Director

• 

  04:50pm — 05:20pm

  WORTH COMING BACK FOR - What Makes a Hotel Stay Stand Out?

  Winning the booking is only the beginning. What makes guests leave impressed, recommend your hotel and return? Hotel managers, operations leaders and sustainability specialists debate the details that matter - from thoughtful service and comfortable rooms to local experiences and responsible practices. What do guests genuinely value, what goes unnoticed, and what should hotels do differently?

• 

  05:30pm — 06:30pm

  Networking Drinks brought to by Pullman East Melbourne

• 

  06:30pm — 06:30pm

  Conference Close