European leadership renewed for 2027-2028
HOTREC, which stands for Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe, represents the hotel, restaurant and café sector before the European institutions. On 13 October 2026, the organisation held its 93rd General Assembly in Vilnius at the invitation of the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association (LVRA). Its members elected the governing bodies that will serve in 2027 and 2028.
Alexandros Vassilikos, representing the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH), was re-elected President. Morten Thorvaldsen of the Norwegian association NHO Reiseliv was returned as Vice-President, while Adrian Cummins of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) remains Treasurer.
A Greek hotelier, Alexandros Vassilikos heads the AIROTEL hotel group and has chaired HOTREC since January 2023. He now begins his third consecutive term. According to the GHR, his commitment to European hospitality and his understanding of the issues facing the profession are valuable assets for pursuing the work under way in Brussels.
A third term amid turbulent times
Alexandros Vassilikos said he was deeply honoured by the confidence HOTREC’s members had placed in him for a third consecutive term. He stressed that European hospitality rests on millions of entrepreneurs and employees who proudly welcome and serve millions of visitors, creating real value for economies and societies at both national and local level.
At a time of severe geopolitical turbulence and rapid economic, technological and regulatory change, the HOTREC President added, the organisation’s responsibility is to make its common voice heard clearly and forcefully at European level.
Since the previous General Assembly, held in Cork six months earlier, the organisation has continued its work on competitiveness, digitalisation and distribution, sustainability and energy efficiency, employment and skills, and the evolution of the European regulatory framework. In Vilnius, discussions also covered the outlook for European tourism, digital payments, the European Digital Identity Wallet and the future of restaurants and gastronomy.
A French seat on the Executive Committee
Alongside the leadership trio, the Executive Committee brings together eight members drawn from national associations. François Gauthier, nominated by the GHR, sits with, among others, Markus Luthe for the German hotel association IHA, Ramon Estalella for the Spanish hotel confederation CEHAT, Roberto Calugi for the Italian federation FIPE and Hans Kant for the Dutch association KHN.
His candidacy was supported by the Umih and France Hospitalité. For the GHR, the election demonstrates the ability of French organisations to unite and carry a strong French voice at European level. This alignment comes as the employers’ landscape is being reshaped, notably by the transformation of the GNC into France Hospitalité, the hotel federation chaired by Serge Trigano, and by GHR Paris Île-de-France joining the Umih.
An engineer committed to European affairs
An independent hotelier and restaurateur, François Gauthier is Vice-President of the GHR Executive Board. Closely involved in European and international affairs, he has for several years taken part in the work and General Assemblies of Global ReformBnB and HOTREC.
An engineer by training, he brings his technical skills, rigour and methodical approach to the service of the profession. In the hotel sector, his work focuses on the regulation of short-term tourist rentals, control over hotel data and the reform of the hotel classification method. In the restaurant sector, it addresses improving establishments’ profitability and optimising management and production processes.
Building common French positions
François Gauthier also intends to use his mandate to strengthen coordination between French professional organisations. He will work with his counterparts at the Umih and France Hospitalité ahead of HOTREC Executive Committee meetings and European working groups to prepare common positions. He will do the same afterwards, to share the decisions taken and ensure their follow-up.
The GHR describes an approach founded on consultation, transparency and dialogue, aimed at more effective, more collective and more democratic French representation within European bodies. The organisation considers that European decisions are now decisive for competitiveness, entrepreneurial freedom and the future of hospitality professions.
Next stop: Santorini
For Marie Audren, Director General of HOTREC, the organisation’s strength lies in its members and in the expertise and commitment they bring from across Europe. She said HOTREC’s priority remains clear: to turn the realities experienced by hospitality businesses into concrete European policy solutions.
The General Assembly also renewed the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee, still chaired by Finland’s Sami Nisametdin (MaRa), as well as the Finance Committee. HOTREC members will meet again for their 94th General Assembly in Santorini, Greece, from 21 to 23 April 2027.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
HOTREC elects its 2027-2028 leadership in Vilnius
Alexandros Vassilikos (Hellenic Chamber of Hotels) re-elected HOTREC President for a third consecutive mandate
Morten Thorvaldsen (NHO Reiseliv) re-elected Vice-President, Adrian Cummins (RAI) remains Treasurer
François Gauthier, GHR Vice-President, joins the eight-member Executive Committee, backed by GHR, Umih and France Hospitalité
Key files: competitiveness, distribution, energy efficiency, skills and EU regulation
Next General Assembly: Santorini, Greece, 21-23 April 2027
