Shirley Bassey serenades The Summit gala attendees. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide’s 2025 Summit, the biggest event on the luxury travel industry’s annual calendar, shined brightly in Monaco during its first international conference. Renowned for its casino, lavish cars and couture shopping, the glamorous principality could not have been better suited for an event filled with symposiums, learning sessions and soirees attended by more than 750 of the top hospitality names and brightest minds in the travel world from across 90 countries. Though The Summit didn’t officially commence until February 26, attendees collected in and around Monaco’s famed Casino Square for photos (Forbes Travel Guide’s logo placed in its center was a particularly popular spot for shots) and parties in the days leading up to it. The stars were out at the Casino Square. Forbes Travel Guide Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star renowned for its Belle Époque grandeur, welcomed VIP Summit guests to a hospitality oasis in the lavish Prince Rainier III Suite filled with Louis XIII pours, small bites and exquisite city views. In a first for FTG, 52 hospitality delegates, who were pre-selected from across the globe, also gathered before The Summit at Salon Excelsior at Four-Star Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo for a reception where Forbes Travel Guide CEO Hermann Elger informed the group that, “You all help us carry the flag.” Grimaldi Forum was ready for the big show. Forbes Travel Guide Though wine glasses stayed full all evening, Elger, the delegates and everyone else made their way to the stunning Grimaldi Forum the next morning for The Summit’s first full day. Draped in an advertisement for the Diriyah project being built in Saudi Arabia, the Forum is a deceptively large conference center, and nearly every corner of it was put to use at the event. On one side of the main level sat the Braindate Lounge, where individuals could set up meetings with other attendees. Nearby, Astria Live showcased HKB Designs, Marni Bespoke Hospitality Furnishings and other brands from FTG’s preferred marketplace. One floor up was the Travel Professionals Pavilion, a space where top travel advisors could talk shop over a cup of Lavazza coffee. Mere steps from it was the gadget-filled Wellness Studio, powered by Gharieni Wellness and Myndstream. A few levels down from it was the Media Studio, where hotels and destinations made presentations before an esteemed group of journalists. Forbes Travel Guide’s Amanda Frasier escorts H.S.H. Prince Albert II to the stage. Forbes Travel Guide Once guests got the lay of the land, they made their way to the breathtaking Salle des Princes theater. There, Elger and The Summit’s Tony Award-winning host Anthony Veneziale got Wednesday’s Welcome Symposium underway by introducing the day’s headline speaker —Prince Albert II of Monaco. The prince welcomed guests before he and Emmy-winning reporter Peter Greenberg discussed his great-great grandfather’s commitment to the planet (“He spearheaded Monaco’s caring about our natural environment”) and his own life-changing Arctic trip in 2006 (“The alarming signs of thinner ice, less wildlife and changes in temperatures were already very real”). Elger used the platform to also give an overview of Forbes Travel Guide’s expanding family of brands — Atelier CX is the company’s bespoke consulting studio while the just-announced BOND.CO.LAB will take the guesswork and paperwork out of high-profile brand collaborations — before The Summit’s first awards were handed out for Ownership Group of the Year (Dart) and best collaborations by BOND.CO.LAB (Frame and Ritz Paris won for Best Luxury Retail Collaboration and Louis Vuitton and Atlantis The Royal for Best Luxury Experience Collaboration). An insightful conversation about meaningful travel with Abercrombie & Kent’s chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, a chat with Chase Travel’s Rena Pandya Shah on savvy trekkers’ next moves (hint: start packing for Antwerp and Warsaw) and the thought-provoking “Beyond Brands: Designing the Experience, Presented by Frette” panel kept guests engaged. “When we design something, we need to stimulate [guests’] fantasies,” said panelist Carlo Nuvolari-Duodo, cofounder of Italian yacht designer Nuvolari Lenard. “Authenticity” and “exclusivity” routinely came up as ways to do this. Nuvolari-Duodo added, “We need to surprise them with something new. I’ve been to hundreds of hotels in my life, but how many do I remember? Very few.” Paravicini’s performance was unforgettable. Elle Arnold Once lunch concluded, many guests made their way back to Salle des Princes for “Beyond Words: Music as a Universal Language,” a sonic exploration that some in attendance would later call The Summit’s most memorable moment. College professor Adam Ockelford and pianist Derek Paravicini, who is blind and autistic, united for a performance that not only illustrated Paravicini’s brilliance, but it showed how the right sounds can generate certain emotions that translate to dollars. Some of the Discovery Sessions had similar effects. Sustainable Tourism: Solutions to Accelerate the Industry’s Transition’s panel included Lucile Courtiale (Beyond Plastic Med), René Benguerel (Blueyou) and Luisa Bonello (Vita) and it touched on everything from cleaning the Mediterranean Sea to dealing with the challenges tourism presents to the globe. In 6 Elements of Curation: Creating Intentional Guest Experiences, LATHER CEO Emilie Davidson Hoyt explained how quality, design, property cohesion, being sensorial, having environmental and social consciousness and a sense of place went into her team creating memorable in-room products such as the chia seed oil-powered toiletries at Four-Star Canyon Ranch Spa & Fitness and moisturizers with sea algae at Five-Star Sea Island. Riviera Royale was a rollicking good time. Forbes Travel Guide After a dynamic day at the Forum, attendees went back to their hotels to prepare for the evening’s All Star Supper Club presents Riviera Royale. Taking place at Musée Océanographique, a gorgeous building mere meters from the prince’s palace, the scene was like something out of Monaco’s society pages, what with all the festive gowns and black ties parading about. Forbes Travel Guide filled the whimsical halls with elevated plates, live jazz and free-flowing champagne. The aquarium downstairs — “We even had to get a permit for the fish to stay up later,” Veneziale quipped earlier in the day — proved a great space for more intimate conversations and group photos while those searching for an ideal place to reflect on The Summit’s first day, found it on the rooftop looking across Monaco, which, in the spirt of hospitality, was appropriately supplied with warm blankets and mulled wine. Jerry Inzerillo discusses the $64 billion Diriyah project in Saudi Arabia. Forbes Travel Guide The Summit kicked off the following day with a packed Symposium. Emerging tourism destinations in the Middle East were a focus, like the United Arab Emirates’ Ras al Khaimah. “If I asked the question here three years ago, ‘Has anyone heard of Ras al Khaimah?’ There would probably be half a dozen hands,” said Alison Grinnell, CEO of RAK Hospitality Holding, which is building the UAE’s first casino resort, Wynn Al Marjan Island, in the emirate. “Now, I think everybody knows about Ras al Khaimah but may not be able to place it on a map.” Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of Diriyah Company (and vice chairman of Forbes Travel Guide), talked about Diriyah, the birthplace of Saudi Arabia’s kingdom that’s being transformed into a tourism epicenter with 42 hotels and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “We are working on a $64 billion project to redefine luxury and cultural tourism,” he said. Sandeep Walia, COO, Middle East & Luxury, Europe Middle East & Africa, Marriott International, discussed what guests expect in these destinations and others. He shared that the company is seeing great success with safari lodges, like its JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya, because travelers are going beyond the hotel. “People in this room are not general managers alone,” he said to the crowd, “but they are more experience creators.” The Travel Professionals Pavilion was filled with excitement. Forbes Travel Guide It has been two years since Forbes Travel Guide introduced Travel Industry Outreach, a travel portal connecting travel advisors with general managers at Star-Rated hotels. Elger took to the stage to announce the pending transition from a portal to a new platform called Meridian consisting of tools for agency leadership, advisors and travelers — and, most excitingly, a first-of-its-kind initiative to come that will pay travel advisors their commissions directly upon booking a client stay. The Symposium also assembled an excellent panel of hospitality, retail and gastronomy leaders to discuss “Timeless Allure: Navigating Legacy and Innovation in Luxury.” Moderator Maz Zouhairi, founder/CEO of Ciel 212 & Co., asked what defined luxury. “For me, it comes down two words: dreams and emotions — dreams through desirability and emotions through relationships,” said Laurent Kleitman, group CEO of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. “Authentic luxury does not oppose modernity,” added Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, CEO/owner of prestigious family-owned wine estate Château Angelus. “Innovation at Angelus is not a break, but it is a continuation. We just want to enhance and develop what’s been done.” Bénédicte Epinay, president/CEO, Comité Colbert, quoted Hermès leader Jean-Louis Dumas: “Luxury is desire beyond reason. But desire needs novelty and novelty needs visibility.” Mathieu Forget and Victoria Dauberville delighted at the gala. Behind the Brand/Designing the Experience The three-day Summit culminated with an opulent gala at the Sporting Monte-Carlo’s Salle des Étoiles. The black-tie event took inspiration from the venue’s most well-known soiree, the yearly Rose Ball that raises money for the Princess Grace Foundation. Guests walked along sparkling red carpets to long tables covered in white tablecloths and all-white bouquets of roses, orchids and hydrangeas. A Bond theme ran through the night, from a powerhouse performance from Shirley Bassey (the only singer to ever record more than one Bond theme song) to Veneziale adopting various 007 personas as he emceed the event. Graceful ballerina Victoria Dauberville (who danced in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics) and dancer Mathieu Forget (who’s also known for capturing himself gliding through the air on Instagram) performed to Bond songs. The evening also celebrated hospitality’s best. Elger introduced a new accolade, The Edge List by RIMOWA, to honor travel pioneers NIHI Sumba and Le Commandant Charcot for blending high-octane adventure with indulgent luxury. He also gave out the Award of Excellence by Baccarat to Alain Ducasse (Prince Albert II was there to honor the Monaco chef’s lifetime achievement recognition as well), and the Employee of the Year Award by Château Angelus to Rashareena Ramli, senior butler at Raffles Hotel Singapore. Learn more about all the winners here. Elger and top chefs celebrate Monaco being named 2026 Summit host. Forbes Travel Guide At the end of the gala, Elger gathered Ducasse and prominent chefs Yannick Alléno, Mauro Colagreco, Cédric Grolet and Marcel Ravin, who all studied under Ducasse, to the stage. Elger then announced that The Summit will return to Monaco in 2026 as golden confetti exploded all over the room. But the festivities didn’t end there. While Monaco nightlife institution Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo was closed, it held a special pop-up for Summit guests, who sipped Lavazza espresso martinis, gambled and danced until the next afterparty beckoned. MORE FROM FORBES ForbesFrom Anguilla To Australia, Forbes Travel Guide’s 2025 Star Award WinnersBy Jennifer Kester ForbesCelebrating 2025’s Luxury Travel Industry’s StarsBy Spencer WhaleyForbesHistoric Hotels Keep Their Eyes On The FutureBy DeMarco WilliamsForbesNew Luxury Hotels Embrace Authenticity And Well-BeingBy Jennifer Kester Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades