HSMAI members, Join us for an exciting and insightful afternoon and evening in Amsterdam! Starting January first 2026, the VAT rate on hotel stays and short-term accommodation will potentially rise from 9% to 21%. Today, we’ll explore what this means for your business, how to prepare, and what practical steps you can take to stay ahead of the changes.

📅 Date: Thursday, 3rd of July
⏰ Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (followed by networking & drinks)
📍 Location: Ruby Emma Hotel & Bar, Amsterdam

📌 Sarah Duignan will kick of the Power-up with an engaging presentation giving us An outlook for the next 12- 24 months and the implications for the Hospitality Industry with the VAT change set to take effect on January first 2026

💡 Followed by an engaging panel debate about the situation moving forward Featuring:

Moderator: Mark Struik, Partner, Conventus Consultants

Panelist:

• Erik-Jan Bausch, General Manager, Royal Leonardo Amsterdam
• Mike de Boer, Commercial Director, Renaissance Hotel
• Jos Klerx, Sectormanager Horeca, Recreatie en Toerisme
• Chrystal Timmerman, Director of Revenue, Sofitel the Grand

🥂 We wrap up the evening with networking, drinks, light food, and great conversations in a relaxed setting. Connect with fellow industry leaders, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships.

📅 Date: Thursday, 3rd of July
⏰ Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (followed by networking & drinks)
📍 Location: Ruby Emma Hotel & Bar, Amsterdam

Speakers: 

Sarah Duignan is Director of client relations at STR

Sarah is STR’s director of client relationships and is based in London and has been with the company for more than 17 years. Prior to joining the business Sarah spent 7 years in hotel operations in Ireland and held a variety of roles including on Front desk, in reservations, sales and event management. She joined the HotelBenchmark team at Deloitte in 2005 as a Business Development Executive, later becoming an Account Manager responsible for a number of key international clients. Sarah regularly attends and presents at hotel operators and industry events, spreading greater awareness of STR’s benchmarking services. Sarah holds an honours degree in translation (German & Spanish) from Dublin City University (DCU).

Moderator

Mark Struik
Partner
Conventus Consultants

Panelist

Erik-Jan Bausch
General Manager
Royal Leonardo Amsterdam

Panelist

Mike de Boer
Commercial Director
Renaissance Hotel

Panelist

Jos Klerx
Sectormanager Horeca
Recreatie en Toerisme

Panelist

Chrystal Timmerman
Director of Revenue
Sofitel the Grand

The event is open to registered members of HSMAI Europe