There’s a popular French sports adage that goes, On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne. The saying essentially translates to, “You don’t change a team that wins.” Forbes Travel Guide thoroughly understood those words, which is why, when it came time to choose a host for its 2026 Summit, the most glamorous event on the luxury travel industry’s annual calendar, it selected the same European nation that had won over guests the previous year — Monaco.
Like 2025’s successful affair in the French Riviera, this year’s invitation-only Summit (February 24 to 26) summoned a sold-out crowd of more than 900 representatives from the world’s finest hotels, restaurants, spas, cruises and luxury brands for action-packed days of panels, presentations and opulent parties. Building on last year’s momentum, Forbes Travel Guide CEO Hermann Elger and his team introduced several new additions to the experience.
One aspect that needed no tweaks was the Summit’s main venue, Grimaldi Forum. The multi-level structure housed symposiums, discovery sessions and informal meetups. When attendees entered the building, they were again welcomed with Astria Live, a marketplace for La Bottega Collective, Frette and other preferred FTG brands to display their wares. To the right of the registration counter, Gharieni Group invited attendees to try out the latest spa equipment. On the floor’s other side was a full-scale F1 simulator from Go Rentals — the Monaco Grand Prix is less than three months away, after all.
Above the main-floor excitement was a quiet Members Lounge and the Travel Professionals Pavilion, a bustling space for 80 top travel advisors from across 26 countries to network in an intimate setting. And a few levels down from it was the Summit Media Studio, where travel writers heard the latest industry headlines from hotels and destinations.
Festivities kicked off with a champagne reception sponsored by hertelier and ATELIER CX, welcoming everyone to Monaco. The next morning, the Symposium took place in the stellar Salle des Princes theater. With longtime Summit emcee Anthony Veneziale back at the helm, the morning had a vivacious energy. The Tony-winning improviser told jokes, shared vacation stories and joyfully called out Star Ratings winners from the crowd.
The first speaker was Chris Gardner, the entrepreneur and inspiring figure behind the Will Smith-starred drama The Pursuit of Happyness, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. If Gardner’s gregarious laugh wasn’t enough to grab your attention, his pearls of wisdom on persistence and purpose certainly were. “A dream is free, and a plan is not,” Gardner told the audience. “A plan has a price. There’s assembly required, and batteries are not included.”
Keeping with a theme of perseverance, rising F1 Academy racer Alba Larsen grabbed the microphone for an attention-holding speech on how she’s weaved around on-track opponents and off-track obstacles to get to where she is today. Access Hollywood’s Kit Hoover and PwC’s Ali Furman later joined Larsen on stage for a fireside chat about how Gen Z travelers’ habits (see: their daily use of Google Gemini and other AI tools) will lead to $12 trillion in purchasing power by 2030.
The morning’s other speakers also chimed in on burning hospitality topics. The Future Laboratory’s Chris Sanderson gave his AI take: “High-touch service can be merged with high-tech solutions to elevate the guest experience.” Acclaimed author Joe Pine insisted that an economy centered around experiences, not goods or services, was where the industry was headed. And respected travel journalist Rajan Datar analyzed how even the wealthiest travelers were unhappy because of poor social skills.
After so much food for thought, guests headed for lunch. One of the Summit’s fresh changes was the addition of the Marché, a sunny, flavorful space that stayed open from 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. to cater to people’s dining needs. Breakfast was filled with pastries and fruit assortments. Lunchtime called for sandwiches, soups and spectacular sorbets. In-between moments were fueled by the light snacks and caffeine necessary to keep attendees pushing through for one more meeting.
Myndstream, the brand connecting art and science through music, blew the crowd away last year with blind pianist Derek Paravicini’s powerful performance. This year, it managed to again leave jaws ajar with “The Alchemy of Ambiance,” a session where the talented Myndstream Quartet explored the ways in which music can create lasting memories that evoke a sense of place.
Once ears and stomachs were full, it was time for an afternoon of thought-provoking discovery sessions. With topics ranging from hotel investing to the revenue-generating power in wellness, attendees were spoiled with soundbites. During adventure activist Johan Ernst’s “The Importance of Travel: Insights from 30 Years of Adventures,” the man who’s visited all 195 countries suggested, “‘Impossible’ is a word that we need to explain that we don’t know how [something] works… Maybe, in 10,000 years, everything that we talk about as impossible will be standard.”
Speaking of impossibilities, getting millennials and baby boomers to coexist in the workplace has long been deemed unimaginable by many. But after the fascinating “Next-Gen Leadership: Training Multiple Generations for Excellence,” led by Forbes Travel Guide’s Megan Torrance, senior vice president of Learning & Development, and William Avitia, vice president of Products & Services, there exists a path to company-wide cohesion, especially if there’s a focus on these three areas: attraction, onboarding and retention.
Even with all the dynamic discussions, the first day’s highlight may have come that night when The Summit All-Star Party took over Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. The iconic property’s first full buyout since opening in 1864, the FTG soiree set up culinary spots throughout the hotel. There were all-you-can-sip champagne and caviar stations in the main lobby, a massive oyster bar in the courtyard, racks of lamb and locally caught sea bass in a stunning ballroom and chef Cédric Grolet’s signature sweets in his namesake tearoom. Live musicians, models posing with newspapers headlined with “Forbes Travel Guide Summit” and a few step-and-repeats were strategically sprinkled about to complete the magical evening.
Another expert-filled Symposium led the following day’s agenda. Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, opened the proceedings, first bemoaning the “scourge of peekaboo windows” and see-through shower doors in hotel bathrooms. Then Kelly launched into what loyalty means today. “If you’re still equating loyalty with giving something away, you need to change that mindset,” he said, pointing to Amazon Prime and Starbucks, whose members spend significantly more than non-members. In the travel sector, he highlighted that American Airlines’ loyalty program is valued at nearly $30 billion — about triple the airline’s own market cap — proving that loyalty is often a company’s most valuable asset.
Hendrik Malinowski, managing director of BUGATTI, sat down with Sabrina Sands, managing partner of Capricorn Consulting, to discuss the ultra-luxury car brand’s dedication to service excellence, particularly anticipation. “We are creating innovation services that customers today don’t even know that they would want tomorrow,” he said.
Forbes Travel Guide also shared some news, including a partnership with Bilt, the membership program that rewards points on monthly rent and mortgage payments. Rolling out in April, Bilt Verified is a new marketplace that will combine FTG’s Star Ratings with Bilt’s AI-powered concierge to give 5.5 million Bilt members access to special benefits, VIP treatment and curated experiences at the world’s best hotels. In addition, FTG announced the launch of The Forum, a global speakers bureau.
Tourism expert Dr. Aradhana Khowala closed the Symposium by talking about the rise of awe in travel. “In hospitality, we are still trying to sell products, and it’s time to start selling feelings,” she said. “Seventy percent of actual customers place more value on experiences than material goods.”
In the evening, FTG rolled out a shimmering gold carpet at the Sporting Monte-Carlo’s Salle des Étoiles, welcoming guests to the glamorous Gala. The evening began under the blue sky — the ballroom’s retractable roof remaining open until the show began.
The Orchestre des Carabiniers du Prince marched onto the stage in a display of royal pageantry, launching the festivities with numbers like, “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” Throughout the evening, honors were given out, notably to Rocco Forte co-founder of Rocco Forte Hotels, who received the Award of Excellence by Baccarat, and Daniel Boulud, whose Le Voyage on Celebrity Xcel was named the world’s first Five-Star cruise ship restaurant.
The funny and charismatic Erich Bergen, who starred in Broadway’s Jersey Boys and the new FX/Hulu show Love Story, hosted the program. But he wasn’t the only singer to take the stage. Kristin Chenoweth, from the NBC comedy Stumble, appeared and dazzled the crowd with her powerhouse voice. The Tony and Emmy winner sang medleys that included “Popular” from Wicked (she originated the role of Glinda in the musical and fittingly wore a pink sparkly dress) and “Over the Rainbow.”
While stars took over the stage, culinary titans took over dinner. Attendees experienced a meal of a lifetime from world-class chefs Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno, Marcel Ravin and Grolet. Each chef crafted a course featuring truffles. Ducasse, whose flagship restaurant is Louis XV at Hôtel de Paris, took the first dish: root vegetables, pear and bergamot lavishly blanketed with shaved black truffles. The second course, fresh tuna with cocoa beans, coffee, rosemary, tartufata (a truffle sauce), cep mushrooms and hibiscus, came from Ravin, who oversees Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort’s Blue Bay. Alléno conceived the third course, the tender veal fillet “princesse” with black truffles.
Every plate was paired with a wine from Château Angélus, an exclusive family-owned estate in Bordeaux.
Pastry chef Grolet, who opened a dessert boutique and tearoom at Hôtel de Paris in July, created the final course. The citrus bowl featured trompe l’oeil sweets — a Grolet hallmark — that resembled real-life lemons, tangerines and oranges. It was accompanied by Billecart-Salmon Le Réserve.
Bergen wrapped up the Gala with a stirring rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” But that wasn’t the end of the evening. The festivities moved to hot spot Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo for champagne and dancing late into the night.
The party will continue next year, when Forbes Travel Guide returns to Monaco for its 2027 Summit.
