Speaker: David Kong, Founder & Principal – DEI Advisors
DEI Advisors
David Kong is the Founder and Principal of DEI Advisors, an Arizona non-profit organization. David retired as President and CEO of BWH Hotels at the end of 2021. He led the company to unprecedented growth, transforming it and expanding its portfolio from one brand to 18 distinct brands in every chain scale segment and achieving successive new records in RevPAR and EBIDA growth. Prior to Best Western, David held leadership positions with KPMG Consulting, Hyatt, Omni and Hilton.
David has received numerous awards and accolades including the Lifetime Achievement Awards from ALIS, Business Travel News, International Hotel Investment Forum and HSMAI. He was the recipient of the inaugural Arne Sorenson Social Impact Award in 2022. He was also recognized for his innovation by both Hotel Interactive and Guest Lab (Italy) in 2020. GBTA presented him with the WINiT Best Mentor/Male Coach award in 2021. David served as the Chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association in 2010 and was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board for three years.