The all-new, fast format and networking focused ‘AHICE Social’ brand has made its global debut in London last week (Oct 15), with a VIP event for over 80 leading hoteliers, owners, investors and advisors at the world-renowned Silverleaf bar.

The AHICE London Hotels Social event was held at Pan Pacific London’s Silverleaf and featured three fast-format panels all focused on the UK Capital – a luxury hotels outlook, investment and development outlook, and a wellness outlook – alongside a Q&A with Allsaints Founder and fashion pioneer Stuart Trevor who spoke about his new sustainable brand.

Key speakers included: ANNE GOLDEN, VP Operations, UK & North America & General Manager, Pan Pacific London; GUILLAUME MARLY, General Manager, Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty; LUCA VIRGILIO, General Manager, The Dorchester; TOM ROWNTREE, Vice President – Global Luxury Brands, IHG; GEORGE NICHOLAS, Founder, Shibui Capital; CRAIG BOND, Senior Vice President – Head of Operations Pan Pacific Hotels Group; PHILIP LASSMAN – VP Development UK & I, Benelux, Nordics, Accor; MARCEL LINDT, Director of Business Development, Ascott Hospitality Management; KAITLYN SKOV, Hospitality Concept & Experience Developer, Studio Skov; LYSBETH FOX, Founder, Fox Communications; JONATHAN BRAUN, Founder and CEO, Arche Hospitality; HARRY JAMESON, CEO & Co-Founder, Pillar Wellbeing; and JAMES WILKINSON, Group President – AHICE and Editor-In-Chief, Wayfarer & HM magazines.

Guests were also treated to a fashion parade with Pan Pacific staff modelling Trevor’s latest upcycled and legendary range, followed by world-class cocktails from the Silverleaf team and premium wines from McLaren Vale’s Dandelion Wines, as seen in Qantas and Singapore Airlines First and Business Class.

AHICE London Hotels Social was sponsored by Principal Partners Pan Pacific Hotels Group, Gold Sponsors FutureLog and Vanity Group, Beverage Partners Dandelion Vineyards and hosted by Wayfarer and HM magazines.

AHICE Group President and HM Editor-in-Chief, James Wilkinson, said doing an event in London has been high on the list for some time.

“For years, I have wanted to launch an event in the London market and solely focused on the London market,” he said.

“It’s one of the world’s most exciting cities and with a thriving hotel scene, it’s important to have a forum for the growth of the sector, performance and trends in the sector and I’m excited we have delivered this through a launch event that will grow into an important summit for London.

“So many events in the city look at what’s happening in Europe or globally, but London has needed a summit talking about the issues for the city and that’s important for the tens of thousands the hotel sector employs.”

The 3.5-hour London event was the first in a series of mini-summits that include market snapshots and fantastic networking under the AHICE Social brand, with events set to be held in key cities in 2025 in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and more destinations to be revealed.

“Our new ‘AHICE Social’ brand is a playful concept that delivers high-quality content alongside what everyone wants now – top-quality networking,” Wilkinson said.

“London was the perfect launch location for AHICE Social and there are many cities that come to mind where we want to take the concept in our unique short-form style.

“I can’t say I’ve been to a hotel industry event before that has featured key executives talking about the top issues trends alongside a fashion parade featuring hotel staff, curated by one of the world’s most talked-about fashion designers whose studio was less than a mile from the venue.

“Every AHICE Social event will have a unique flavour and having Stuart Trevor headline the London speaker program was a fantastic example of what you can expect at our events – the unexpected.”

AHICE London Hotels Social will return to the United Kingdom in July 2025 and other events will be announced over the coming weeks.