The HOTel & Spa Forum will come back in early June in Paris

The eighteenth edition of the HOTel & Spa Forum will once again bring together around 100 professionals from the luxury hospitality and wellness sectors to share their best practices. LUXUS PLUS is once again among its media partners.

All leaders in the luxury hospitality and wellness sectors (spas, thalassotherapy, thermal spas) have already marked June 2, 2026, on their calendars.

On that day, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel George V will host the 18th edition of the HOTel&SPA Forum. It is the must-attend international professional gathering to discover the latest trends and share best practices in the sector, as well as to network.

In 2026, approximately 150 people—executives, investors, experts, and innovators—are expected to participate in this highly exclusive event, “to decipher market shifts, anticipate trends, and accelerate transformations.”

The Art of Service in a Changing World

The theme chosen this year to frame the program is “The Future of Hospitality: The Art of Service in a Changing World.”

Following a welcome coffee from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Vladi Kovanic, CEO of VK Organisation and founder of the HOTel&SPA Forum, and Mark Moloney, founder and CEO of Professional Beauty Group—the event’s organizers—will introduce the day’s proceedings.

From 11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.,Dr. Filippo Ongaro, founder and CEO of Metodo Ongaro Switzerland SA, and Laurent Delporte, founder of Delporte Hospitality, will attempt to answer the question “Longevity, well-being, and hospitality: what are customers really looking for?”

Jacques-Olivier Chauvin, CEO of Fauchon Hospitality, Luc Delafosse, General Manager of The Peninsula Paris, Fanny Texier, Head of Experience at Club Med, and Ghislain Waeyaert, Senior Vice President of Development at Bbspa_Group, will then discuss the evolution of tourism and well-being from 11:40 AM to 12:15 PM.

Dr. Nicolas Vorsteher, CEO and co-founder of Chatlyn, and Sven Huckenbeck, founder of Huckenbeck Holistic Health will discuss, from 12:15 PM to 12:40 PM, how to help their clients “disconnect to reconnect” and “how AI manages the digital side so your spa can focus on the human element.”

A light lunch will follow from 12:40 PM to 2:30 PM, providing an opportunity for networking.

The Longevity Revolution

The afternoon will begin from 2:30 PM to 2:55 PM with a presentation by Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie and co-founder of Holistic Health by Clinique La Prairie, and Philippe Rubod, founder of Swiss Hospitality Global on the topic of “the longevity revolution: how to live better and longer.”

From 2:55 PM to 3:20 PM, Audrey Foutrel, Director of Accommodations at the Ritz Paris; Romain Foutrel, Director of Operations at Hôtel Molitor; and Marie-Paule Leblanc-Péru, President of the SPA-A Association, will discuss the future of hospitality: the art of service in a changing world.

Between 3:20 PM and 3:40 PM, Hannes Illmer, co-owner of Villa Eden, The Private Retreat, and Verena Lasvigne, founder of VLF Spa Consulting, will explore how to “redefine luxury” by examining “the rise of transformative hospitality, a new era of well-being.”

This will be followed, from 3:40 PM to 3:55 PM, by the presentation of the Red Diamond Award, one of the three major awards created by the HOTel&PA Forum to annually recognize men and women in the spa and wellness industry, and a discussion with the winner.

A coffee break will then provide an opportunity to network from 3:55 PM to 4:50 PM.

Re-enchanting Hospitality

The topic “Re-enchanting Hospitality: Between Customer Expectations, Meaning, and Team Commitment” will then spark discussion from 4:50 PM to 5:20 PM, featuring Anna Pierzak, Spa Director at the Hôtel Royal Champagne; Yoakim Tregaro, Wellness Director at the Barrière Group; and Isabelle Charrier, founder and editor-in-chief of Sense of WELLNESS magazine.

Following that, until 5:45 PM, Dr. Franz Linser, Director of Linser Hospitality, and Ghislain Waeyaert, Senior Vice President of Development at Bbspa_Group will discuss “the human factor in the era of rapid technological change.”

With support from Mark Moloney, the session’s moderator, Emlyn Brown, Director of the Spa, Leisure, and Wellness Group at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, will then be invited to shed light on what “the Mandarin Oriental does to stay one step ahead of its competitors” and to consider whether “the role of international spa director is a thing of the past?”…

Finally, from 5:45 p.m. to 6:05 p.m., the Black Diamond and Blue Diamond Awards ceremony will take place.

Black Diamond and Blue Diamond Awards

The Black Diamond Award honors each year “a woman or man from the world of Spas and Medi-Spas who has earned the recognition of their peers through their remarkable career.”

The Blue Diamond Award, on the other hand, recognizes the management skills, innovative spirit, and commercial dynamism of a leading figure in the thalassotherapy sector.

The day will conclude with a champagne toast from 6:05 PM to 6:35 PM.

Numerous Sponsors

As with every edition, the HOTel & Spa Forum features numerous sponsors, with increasing levels of involvement (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and finally, Platinum). In exchange for their support, they benefit from a platform to notably “engage directly with their target audience, reinforce their brand image, promote their products to decision-makers, and gain press and online coverage.”

In 2026, the Forum’s Platinum partner is the German group Landesberg first class Aesthetic, which specializes in high-tech skincare, anti-aging products, and non-invasive aesthetic technologies.

The German group Gharieni, renowned for its wellness technologies for the body and mind and present in 120 countries, is a Diamond partner of the Forum.

Among the Forum’s Silver partners this year are RKF, Matrix, and TechnoGym.

Finally, the Bronze category includes Pure and Swiss Line by Dermalab.

Most of these companies have supported the HOTel & Spa Forum since its inception, and the Forum has steadily reinforced its position as a platform for influence and strategic thinking with each edition.