NoVacancy London: The Inaugural Event That Hacked the Industry Playbook

The Quick Take:

• Intentional Representation: A strategic "hack" achieved a 43% female speaker lineup, with a deliberate focus on visibility for the next generation.

  
  

• Tech Reality Check: The conversation shifted from AI hype to solving the "messy tech stack" through integration and a demand for vendor roadmaps.

  
  

• High-Value Engagement: Interactive features like the Hotel Room of the Future, a pitch competition, charity involvement, and a sunrise fun run created a high-trust environment for genuine connection.

The debut of NoVacancy London at the ExCeL on February 25-26 felt like a distinct shift in momentum for the UK market. While the brand has long been a staple in Sydney and last year present in Bangkok, the London launch arrived with an intentionality that moved beyond the trade show floor. With just over 150 speakers and a program built on months of research, the event prioritized high-quality peer dialogue as well as supplier opportunities.

"We were really building it from scratch," says Bobbi Nunes, the event’s producer. "I needed to learn to slow down and really listen to what the industry wanted to hear and make sure that the sessions were curated around that." From a real-life "Hotel Room of the Future" to a sunrise fun run and a startup pitch competition, the atmosphere was designed to engage with what the industry really wanted.

1. Visibility as a Catalyst: Representation by Design

One of the most striking metrics of NoVacancy London was its speaker lineup: 43% were women. Considering that in hospitality female representation in senior leadership stands at around 13%, putting women on stage was a strategic move to boost visibility. And it worked.

"It was really, really important to me and the team to have women on stage," says Bobbi Nunes. "We have some graduates here, and I wanted them to see women on stage and be inspired by them." For Kalindi Juneja, CEO of Pride of Britain Hotels, one thing was clear: "Women are here on merit and not here to fill diversity... we are here because we earned the spot, we've got the knowledge, and we can contribute positively."

This focus on visibility extended to the Future Leaders track, where established leaders spoke alongside those just starting out. Eljesa Saciri, General Manager of The Mandrake and Acorn 30 under 30 winner, highlighted the importance of having an unapologetic presence. "In order to lead the change, you need to normalize uncomfortable discourse," Saciri shared. "I want to create a safe space for every individual that's in my team... where they are becoming unapologetically themselves."

2. From AI Noise to Practical Adoption

If there was one recurring theme in the halls, it was a reality check regarding artificial intelligence. While AI is still the undisputed industry buzzword, the conversation among hoteliers has shifted toward how to actually implement it within a messy and fragmented tech stack.

The consensus? Choosing AI tech is becoming increasingly difficult in a crowded landscape, and hoteliers are turning to one another to find peer-vetted solutions as well as asking different questions of tech vendors. "We are now asking vendors for their five-year roadmaps," noted Kalindi Juneja. "It’s no longer just about what the tech can do today; it’s about how it integrates into the long-term vision of the hotel and whether it truly delivers ROI." Does this shift signal the end of the "shiny object" phase of AI? .

3. Community as a Competitive Advantage

What separated the London launch from its predecessors was a collaborative sense of engagement for both attendees and exhibitors. Unlike some trade shows that can feel like a series of static booths, NoVacancy London leaned into interactivity to bring it to life.

The Hotel Room of the Future provided a tangible look at upcoming design and tech trends (as well as a circular-system shower that reduces water wastage) while the sunrise fun run allowed for informal, high-quality networking. "Great connections were made," Nunes noted of the run. "People who had never met one another were bonding."

The startup pitch competition added another layer. Early stage hospitality and travel tech companies took to the stage to present their solutions. In a market where choosing technology is increasingly complex, this type of exposure to selected startups provides a much needed shortcut to the vetting process for hoteliers. Congratulations to Altek who won the competition, the industry will be watching.

Lastly, the event also integrated social responsibility with partnerships with charities Hospitality Action, Room to Reward, and Clean the World. Antonio Oropallo from Clean the World highlighted the industry’s commitment to circularity, noting that their mission to recycle hotel soap and discarded amenity plastics is now a global operation working with over 8,000 hotels. By giving these organizations a platform, NoVacancy reinforced the idea that today’s leadership cares about mindful stewardship as well as occupancy.

Looking Ahead: From Conversation to Momentum

As the doors closed on the inaugural NoVacancy London, the takeaway for the thousands in attendance was this: the industry is hungry for spaces that prioritise new ways to solve long standing industry problems, and is keen to hear diverse voices.

By prioritising gender representation, engaging graduates, and focusing on an interactive atmosphere, the organisers have built an event that reflects the actuality of the hospitality industry. As the momentum builds toward 2027, the message from London is loud and clear: the future of hospitality is visible, inclusive, and unapologetically forward-thinking.

About the Author:

Zoe Koumbouzi

Zoe Koumbouzi is a Senior Marketing Advisor for travel and hospitality SaaS companies. A champion for representation, she is a board member of Women in Travel Thrive, co-founder of the Women’s Travel Freelance Network (WTFN), and a GAIN Advisor. Zoe is a frequent industry writer and  speaker and the Marketing Lead at Belvera Partners.