The organisers of the Hotel Owner Conference have confirmed that Varun Shetty, general manager of the award-winning The Belfry Hotel & Resort, will join the expert speaker line-up for the summit on 3rd November 2026 at Prince Philip House, London.

Shetty brings nearly three decades of global hospitality experience to the inaugural event, having held leadership roles at 4* and 5* properties in India, Dubai, and the UK. During his tenure at The Belfry, he has overseen record-breaking revenues and a landmark £85 million expansion project, which introduced a state-of-the-art events venue, a leisure club, and 149 additional bedrooms.

Beyond commercial growth, Shetty is widely recognised for a people-first leadership style that has halved staff turnover at the resort. Under his direction, The Belfry was named ‘Best Employer’ at the Springboard Awards for Excellence and has consistently appeared in The Caterer’s ‘Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality’.

“With so much change happening across our industry right now – from responsible tourism to the way AI is reshaping the guest journey – it feels like exactly the right moment for an event that brings us together to debate robustly and discuss honestly,” said Shetty.

“I know that strong leadership starts with empowering your team, and I want to be part of doing exactly that for our industry – empowering our sector to excellence through new ideas and inspiring solutions. The Hotel Owner Conference gives us all that opportunity, I couldn’t be more energised to share experiences with peers and explore solutions to the issues we’re all facing.”

The addition of Shetty to the programme reinforces the conference’s goal of providing hotel owners and investors with insights from those managing the UK’s most complex and successful assets.

“Varun is a standout leader whose work at The Belfry demonstrates how to successfully marry large-scale capital investment with a deep-rooted culture of excellence,” said Michael Northcott, editor of Hotel Owner. “His ability to drive record-breaking commercial results while simultaneously prioritising staff wellbeing and responsible tourism is exactly the kind of balanced expertise our audience values.

“We are delighted to have him join us to discuss the future of the sector.”

The Hotel Owner Conference 2026 will feature a series of high-level discussions aimed at equipping delegates with the tools to navigate the evolving hospitality landscape.

Tickets and the full programme are available at the official website.