Joined together with these new brands, HFTP has been able to broaden its offerings to its members and stakeholders, diversify its financial position, and deepen its pool of experts to contribute to educational programs. A review of the association’s activities from the past year showcase how our new media brands – Hospitality Upgrade and Hotel Online, the release of the USALI and the buildout of HFTP Academy amplify the value of HFTP.

USALI, 12th Revised Edition

Last year, the 12th Revised Edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) was made available as a digital edition and soft-cover book. The
USALI offers guidance for standardized financial reporting and analysis, critical for effective management and benchmarking.

The updates to the 12th Revised Edition have a focus on increased reporting transparency. Over the past year, HFTP has continued to sell and promote this industry resource in anticipation of the January 1, 2026 implementation date. To support the newly-revised edition, the Global Finance Committee (GFC) and HFTP continue to present at industry events, detailing the book’s updates. Presentations were given at a Hospitality Lawyer conference, to the HFTP Dubai
chapter, STR conference, HITEC, The Hospitality Show and more. Beyond this, HFTP and the GFC published an extensive FAQ on the USALI website. This document is
the result of submitted questions via a form on the website, with the questions answered by GFC members. It will act as a dynamic publication, with questions and answers added as they are processed.

And finally, the HFTP Academy has been a huge support in preparing hotel finance teams to understand the USALI’s guidance with its USALI Bridge, Theory and Practice courses. In fact, these are the Academy’s most popular offerings, constituting 59% of its course sign-ups.

HFTP Publications: Hospitality Upgrade, Hotel Online and Clubs Online

In June last year, HFTP announced the strategic acquisition of Hospitality Upgrade and Hotel Online. Then in October, HFTP started publishing Clubs Online, a monthly
newsletter which provides news and information for the club industry. These publications have fit right into HFTP operations and help provide the association’s network with the latest B2B news and content.

Developments over the past year include a newly-designed website for Hotel Online, including a personalization feature that allows users to save content based on categories of interests. Next up for a website redesign is Hospitality Upgrade, with an expected new site in the first quarter 2026. Hospitality Upgrade will also publish a
fourth issue this year, adding one more to its traditional three-a-year publishing schedule. This will be an HFTP-focused Winter magazine mailed this December. If you
haven’t yet, be sure to visit their sites and subscribe to get the latest coverage from both — it’s free.

HFTP Events Remain Popular

HFTP continues to offer strong educational offerings through its established events, with two new ones added this year. Starting the calendar year was the long-held
Mid-South Atlantic Regional Conference taking place on February 19–21 in Charleston, S.C. The event was co-sponsored by the Charlotte-Blue Ridge, Central Carolina, Central Virginia and South Carolina Chapters.

The events roll-out continued in early Spring with the Club Summit on March 24–25 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with 240 people in attendance. The seventh-annual Summit continues to be a club-focused highlight to the HFTP calendar with a high-level, interactive program and table-top exhibits. The session topics included employment law
and legislative updates, software in club operations, healthy team communication, emerging trends in club management, financial leadership in private clubs, and risk management and disaster recovery.

Ahead of the Summit on March 23, HFTP hosted the new Club CFO Think Tank with CFOs from top clubs in attendance. Global Past President Stephanie Anderson, CHAE, CPA, CGMA, visionary behind the event, explained that the purpose of the Think Tank is to address the challenges, needs and opportunities that club CFOs
face and will face. As a group, the goal was to identify how club financial leaders can support each other and stakeholders in their educational endeavors and
to further finance and technology topics. The day’s topics covered strategic capital planning and the multi-faceted responsibilities of today’s club CFO.

Immediately following, HFTP and Hospitality Upgrade hosted the Executive Vendor Summit (EVS), which celebrated its 20th anniversary. The event took place March 26–28 at The Seelbach Hilton, a historic hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Added to the agenda at the start of the program was a series of investment-focused sessions designed to connect vendors with the investment community. This was a continuation of the same program introduced the previous year at HITEC 2024.

The EVS group was presented with sessions on AI and cybersecurity, as well as interactive vendor and CIO panels. As is tradition, complementing the educational component of the program were multiple locally-focused activities, including a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum and dinner at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

With its recent acquisition of Hospitality Upgrade, HFTP took the opportunity to extend the publication’s famed CIO Summit to Europe. The CIO Summit EMEA (previously Digital Horizons 360) hosted 50+ hospitality industry professionals including hoteliers, consultants and vendors on April 24–25 at the Renaissance Barcelona Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

As late-Spring approaches, so does HITEC season. Starting it off was HITEC Dubai co-located with The Hotel Show Dubai held on May 27–29. Later was the premiere event, HITEC North America held June 16–19 in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year, nearly 6,000 people convened to celebrate innovation in the hospitality technology space.

Attendees experienced a world class exhibition showcasing the latest hospitality technology solutions from more than 360 companies, a comprehensive education lineup centering on the impact of technology in the industry, and a wealth of networking opportunities with other industry professionals and executive decision-makers from over 60 countries.

A highlight of this year's HITEC was the Welcome Reception at Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts. The party was amplified by rousing drumline and cheerleader performances, as well as the chance to step onto the turf for field activities.

Attached to HITEC was the Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) start-up pitch competition, where eight startups competed. This marked its 10th anniversary, and in recognition of this momentous milestone, the winner of the first-ever Judge's Choice Award kicked off the competition. Jonathon Rojas, co-founder of Whistle Messaging, which was acquired by Cloudbeds in 2022, reflected on his journey as an entrepreneur and the positive impact of winning E20X in 2015.

This year's competition resulted in a rare double win for one participating company. Levee ultimately won the E20X People's Choice Award by popular vote among attendees, as well as the Judge's Choice Award. Levee offers AI agents that automate data capture and task execution, replacing outdated checklists and manual processes.

The approach of Fall brought us the last four events on the HFTP calendar. Early September brings Hospitality Upgrades' CIO Summit, which successfully hosted 80 CIOs and hospitality industry professionals for two days of high-level exploration of tech and business trends impacting the hospitality space. In its 23rd year, the CIO Summit was held September 3-5 at

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