The AI Hospitality Alliance (AIHA), an independent platform advancing the understanding, responsible adoption and collaborative development of artificial intelligence across hospitality, has formed its inaugural advisory board.
The board brings together leaders across hotel brands, ownership and management groups, cloud infrastructure, enterprise technology, AI platforms, legal, payments, academia, hospitality consulting and travel technology to help guide the Alliance’s mission of advancing responsible AI adoption and preparing the hospitality industry for one of the most significant technology shifts in decades.
“As AI rapidly reshapes how guests discover, compare, book, and experience travel, hospitality faces a rare opportunity to come together and proactively shape what comes next,” said Ira Vouk, founder, AI Hospitality Alliance. “The advisory board reflects exactly what this moment requires—cross-functional collaboration between hospitality leaders, technologists, academics, operators and innovators to help ensure our industry evolves thoughtfully, responsibly and competitively.
The inaugural AI Hospitality Alliance Advisory Board includes:
Carl Winston — founding director, Payne School of Hospitality at SDSU
Michael Mahar — SVP, head of commercial technology, loyalty & digital products, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Matt Schwartz — chief technology officer, Sage Hospitality
Tyrone Millard — GTM – travel & hospitality, OpenAI
Keryn McNamara — chief information officer, Aimbridge Hospitality
Greg Land — global industry leader – hospitality, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Greg Duff — principal/chair of hospitality, travel and tourism practice, Foster Garvey PC
Brian Kirkland — CIO, Choice Hotels International
Bill Ryan — SVP, chief technology officer, BWH Hotels
Richard Valtr — founder, Mews
Cihan Cobanoglu — provost, Virscend University
Ramki Srinivasan — chief digital & information officer, Great Wolf Lodge
Adam Harris — founder/CEO, Cloudbeds
Sanjay Vakil — cofounder/CEO, DirectBooker.ai
Shane O’Flaherty — global director, travel, transportation & hospitality, Microsoft
John Burns — president, Hospitality Technology Consulting
Petar Popov — global VP partnerships – travel, enterprise & fintech, Mastercard
Frances Kiradjian — founder/CEO, Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA)
Laura Calin — SVP, Oracle Consumer Industries
Gustaaf Schrils — chief information officer, Omni Hotels & Resorts
Scott Lindeman — VP, revenue strategy & data analytics, Summit Hotel
Philip von Ditfurth — Founder, apaleo
Several advisory board members shared why they believe the industry needs a collaborative effort around AI:
“Hospitality is entering one of the most important technology shifts in decades. AI is already changing how guests choose and book travel, and the industry must respond together. The AI Hospitality Alliance gives us a chance to shape that future proactively—creating smarter guest experiences, modernizing operations and ensuring hospitality remains competitive in an AI-first world.”
— Brian Kirkland
“As a collective voice for the industry, the AI Hospitality Alliance is addressing what I believe currently holds our industry back—fragmented tools, undefined standards and the absence of shared governance frameworks by ensuring AI adoption is shaped responsibly. I’m proud to serve on the advisory board and excited to leverage the AI expertise we’ve cultivated at Aimbridge to make a positive impact for owners, guests, and our brand partners.”
— Keryn McNamara
“I am a big believer in all the ways AI will transform our industry. We need an organization like AIHA to be that independent, standards-setting body and to foster and drive adoption across the industry. It is why we see the retail industry moving so fast on this.”
— Greg Land
“It’s an exciting time to be in travel and hospitality. I’m thrilled to be a member of this Advisory Board alongside our industry’s best.”
— Michael Mahar
The AI Hospitality Alliance was launched to help the hospitality industry navigate AI through education, research, collaboration, thought leadership, standards development, governance and community-building. The Alliance brings together hospitality professionals, technology providers, researchers, educators and organizations to explore AI’s impact and shape the future together.
Areas of focus include AI education and professional development, research and insights, emerging industry standards, responsible governance, practical implementation and preparing hospitality businesses for a rapidly changing distribution and guest engagement landscape.
“We are entering a once-in-a-generation reset,” added Vouk. “For the first time in decades, the infrastructure of how hospitality discovers demand, serves guests and operates behind the scenes is being rewritten. The goal of the alliance is simple: bring the industry together to help shape that future rather than react to it.”
