WHITE PLAINS, NY, October 9, 2012…Anthony Melchiorri of the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible” will lead the Hospitality Leadership Forum Keynote discussion on Saturday, November 10, 2012, preceding the 97th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS). “Back to the Basics with Anthony Melchiorri” will feature the 20-year hospitality industry veteran and three leading technology executives, highlighting the full-day conference for senior hospitality executives.

The keynote presentation will focus on the emergence of new technology and its importance in earning guest satisfaction, while not replacing “The Basics.” Melchiorri will help participants learn from the experts about how to optimize today’s technology, while reviewing key operations benchmarks as solutions and not obstacles in running a more successful hotel. Panelists include Kristin Muhlner, Chief Executive Officer, newBrandAnalytics; David Millili, Chief Executive Officer, Pegasus Solutions; and Michael Russo, Chief Technology Officer, MICROS Systems Inc.

Melchiorri has a proven track record of understanding a company’s vision, its individual parts, and how to make those parts work together to complete the whole picture. Knowing that attention to detail and making each part of the operation functional and strong are key to profitability, Melchiorri has developed and repositioned some of the finest and most high profile properties in the United States including the first Nickelodeon Hotel and Resort and the landmark Algonquin Hotel. In April 2012, Melchiorri brought his expertise as the “hotel fixer” to the Travel Channel’s new original series “Hotel Impossible.” In this weekly one-hour program, he helps turn around a struggling hotel fighting to survive.

The Hospitality Leadership Forum will take place from 9:00am to 4:45pm, Saturday, November 10, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, with the keynote luncheon taking place from 12:45 - 2:15pm. The IHMRS follows from Sunday, November 11, through Tuesday, November 13, presenting more than 700 hospitality industry suppliers and attracting approximately 25,000 in total trade attendance. Hospitality Leadership Forum registration is $139 and includes admission to exhibits the following days. Registration and complete Hospitality Leadership Forum details are available online at www.ihmrs.com.

IHMRS is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA), and is managed by GLM.

For IHMRS exhibitor information, contact Lynn White, show manager, at [email protected] or (914) 421-3249. For attendee information, contact GLM Customer Relations at (800) 272-SHOW, or by email, at [email protected]. Additional information is available online, at www.ihmrs.com