The Hospitality Show By AHLA Sets Stage For 2026 Growth With New Regional Events Across Top U.S. Destinations

Published on December 4, 2025

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) has revealed the complete list of dates and locations for the 2026 regional versions of The Hospitality Show, which indicates a new effort to stimulate hotel-industry interactions, policy discussions and market knowledge sharing in the major U.S. locations.

For hoteliers, general managers, property-level leaders and hospitality suppliers, these regional events promise a timely opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and prepare for what lies ahead.

What’s on the 2026 Regional Agenda

The 2026 regional schedule, confirmed by AHLA , lists the following dates and cities:

• 29 January — The Hospitality Show: Illinois (Chicago)
• 12 February — The Hospitality Show: Hawai‘i (Honolulu)
• 12 March — The Hospitality Show: Washington (Seattle)
• 4 June — The Hospitality Show: Arizona (Phoenix)
• 9 September — The Hospitality Show: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

These stopovers will lay the groundwork for the fourth annual main event scheduled for 2 to 4 November 2026 in Miami Beach.

What Attendees Can Expect: A Full-Spectrum Hotel Industry Experience

According to AHLA’s event overview, The Hospitality Show regional events are designed to deliver a mix of benefits:

• Market insights & data — Trend analyses and forecasts that reflect regional hotel market conditions, valuable for both urban and resort-area properties.
• Policy updates — Briefings on federal, state and local regulations, helping hoteliers navigate evolving compliance, labour, and hospitality-related laws.
• Networking & supplier connections — Opportunities to meet peers, suppliers, and service providers; fostering collaborations and synergies.
• Access to elected officials & policymakers — Unique chance for hospitality leaders to engage with government representatives, reinforcing the sector’s voice in policy-making.
• Community & industry engagement — Encouraging hotels to continue their role as pillars of local economies and community development, especially in tourism-heavy locales.

Why This Matters: A Boost for the Hospitality Sector at Large

Firstly, by bringing together local and national hoteliers, suppliers, and policymakers in diverse regions, these events will help align market practices, share innovations, and propagate best practices across the U.S. hospitality landscape.

For hotel owners and operators, especially independent properties and regional chains, the regional Show offers a lower-barrier, localised alternative to the large flagship conference. It allows them to tap into cutting-edge insights without the cost or travel burden of a nationwide summit. This increases accessibility and inclusivity, broadening participation and ensuring more voices contribute to shaping the industry.

Moreover, insights from these events, about policy, labour, sustainability, market demand, guest expectations, can feed directly into hotels’ strategic planning. That translates into better guest experiences, improved operational efficiency, and ultimately stronger profitability. For a sector often at the mercy of shifting travel demand, regulation, and labour markets, this kind of forward-looking cohesion is invaluable.

From a community and destination-development angle: when hoteliers are empowered with information and connections, they can invest more confidently in renovations, staffing, guest amenities, sustainability initiatives all of which enrich not just individual hotels but destination appeal and local economies.

What AHLA and Stakeholders Say and the Broader Context

AHLA President & CEO, Rosanna Maietta, noted that the regional events underscore the indispensable role hotels play in strengthening local communities, while bringing hospitality leaders face-to-face with elected officials to advance the hotel industry’s priorities.

This echoes the broader mission of AHLA as a trade association: representing segments across the lodging industry, from major chains to independent boutique properties, and advocating on their behalf for fair regulation, workforce development, standardisation, and sustainability.

Given the impressive growth of the flagship Show, which witnessed a 26 percent increase in attendance and a 43 percent growth in vendors in its 2024 edition, the expansion of regional events appears a logical and strategic next step to sustain momentum and extend reach.

What This Means for Travel, Destinations and Industry Observers: A Travel Journalist’s View

As a travel journalist, I see The Hospitality Show’s 2026 regional tour as more than an industry fair, it’s a subtle signal of where U.S. hospitality is heading next. Cities like Chicago, Honolulu, Seattle, Phoenix and Philadelphia aren’t just random stops; they encompass diverse destination types, urban business hubs, tropical island gateways, Pacific Northwest gateways, desert-sun getaways, and historic East Coast gateways. The regional diversity suggests AHLA anticipates varied and robust travel demand across segments: business, leisure, resort, regional weekend getaways, long-haul travel, and beyond.

To the benefit of readers and travellers this will likely come to upgraded hotel experiences, more competitive pricing and improved service standards, not to mention the possibly even innovation-driven perks as hotels utilize the insights they have gained from these events to more easily identify and cultivate their unique traits. Besides, such a scenario would also result in previously proposed or partially abandoned hospitality infrastructure, only with the power of better trained manpower and a sustainability and guest satisfaction approach that is never fading again.

Looking Ahead: What to Watch

• Attendances & follow-up data: Will smaller, regional hotels take advantage of these accessible events? The more diversified the attendance, the broader the benefits for the sector.
• Policy outcomes: Engagement with elected officials may influence labour laws, travel regulation, visa policies, sustainability mandates, developments to watch, especially for international travellers.
• Innovation flow: Whether solutions showcased in regional expos will trickle down to boutique and independent hotels.
• Impact on travel trends: If hotels across diverse U.S. markets invest as a result, this may drive balanced growth in tourism, not just in marquee destinations but also in emerging or traditional cities.

Bottom Line

The Hospitality Show is not just holding another series of conferences with its 2026 regional tour, it is igniting cooperation, fortifying the hotel communities throughout the United States, and providing hoteliers with the means to face the changing difficulties that will come. This could be the start of a new era that is more united, stronger, and focused on growth for the hospitality industry. And for the travelers and travel writers, it is a sign of good things to come: the hotels that are well-prepared, well-connected, and well-positioned to deliver the experiences that are nothing less than the promise of modern travel.