Balancing Conversions With New Builds

Recorded live at Skift Global Forum 2026, Jeremy Kressman talks with Heather Balsley, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Peter Manoogian, Partner at ZS, about hotel owner profitability, conversions and the changing economics of hotel growth.

They also discuss how AI is reshaping hotel search, loyalty and distribution, and why machine-readable, accurate and consistent hotel content is becoming a critical demand driver.

The conversation closes with a look at where hotel companies should focus their technology investments and why AI initiatives need to deliver more than marketing hype.

This episode is brought to you by ZS

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00:00 Intro

00:47 Owner Profitability

02:45 Conversions vs. New Builds

04:45 Demand Capture

06:30 Loyalty in the AI Era

08:45 Tech Investment Priorities

12:15 Final Takeaways