BU SHA 2025 Hospitality Real Estate Symposium featuring the inaugural National Hospitality Real Estate Competition
(January 30, 2025) Boston, MA – Boston University School of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) is proud to announce the 2025 Hospitality Real Estate Symposium. This one-day event brings together top industry leaders, innovators, and academics to share insights on the evolving landscape of hospitality real estate and its intersection with technology, investment strategies, and design innovation. Key sessions include John Murray, President & CEO of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, in conversation with Dean Arun Upneja, Ph.D., and a discussion about “Experience Innovation” between Bashar Wali, Founder & CEO of Practice Hospitality and Kate Saenko, Professor of Computer Science and Director, Computer Vision and Learning Group at Boston University.
Featured Panels & Topics include:
- C-Suite Check-in: Candid conversations with CEOs on key megatrends shaping the future of the industry.
- Investment Strategies for Tomorrow: Insights into emerging opportunities in real estate, from capital markets to innovative funding models.
- Reimagining Development and Redevelopment: Creative approaches to repositioning properties for modern demands, including sustainability and adaptive reuse.
- The Tech Revolution in Real Estate: Cutting-edge technology transforming every aspect of the real estate lifecycle and companies that are driving innovation in this space.
For the full agenda, speaker line-up, and information, visit the Hospitality Real Estate Symposium webpage.
National Hospitality Real Estate Competition
As part of the Symposium, BU SHA will host the inaugural Hospitality Real Estate Competition, inviting student teams from hospitality and real estate programs nationwide to present development and financial plans for a vacant site in Boston. With $25,000 in cash prizes and over $250,000 in scholarships, the competition aims to foster innovation and creativity among the next generation of leaders. Finalist teams will present their proposals to judges and attendees, culminating in an awards ceremony at the end of the event.
“Today’s hospitality real estate industry stands at the crossroads of transformation, driven by the confluence of technological innovation, shifting consumer expectations, and evolving investment strategies,” said Arun Upneja, Ph.D., Dean of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration “The Hospitality Real Estate Symposium provides a platform to explore these pivotal trends. Events like this one, combined with our innovative programs such as the Master of Science in Hospitality Real Estate, the first in the US that is housed in a hospitality school, demonstrate our commitment to preparing students to lead the future of the industry.”
Kaushik Vardharajan, Associate Professor of the Practice and Director of the Real Estate Program added, “Our goal at BU SHA is to provide students with learning experiences that mirror the complexities and challenges of the real world. The inaugural Hospitality Real Estate Competition is a prime example, giving students the opportunity to work on a high-impact project while being mentored by industry leaders. This competition challenges students to apply critical and creative thinking and positions them for success in an increasingly more complex field.”
Event Details:
- Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Time: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Location: Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences
665 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215
Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities: Hospitality Real Estate Symposium
2025 Hospitality Real Estate Symposium Sponsors*
BU School of Hospitality Administration is grateful for the generous support from:
- Silver Sponsor: Sherin and Lodgen
- Supporter HEI Hotels
*Sponsor List is current as of 3/6/25
About Boston University School of Hospitality
For more than 40 years, Boston University’s School of Hospitality has been cultivating the next generation of leaders of the multibillion-dollar hospitality industry. The Boston University School of Hospitality, in collaboration with hospitality industry leaders is redefining hospitality as Experience Innovation. Our focus is on optimizing human interaction by innovating experiences that are employee, customer, investor, and business driven. Boston University School of Hospitality offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs (several of which are STEM-designated). From experience management to hospitality real estate and beyond, our academic programs challenge students to become Experience Innovators for hotels, restaurants, travel and tourism, healthcare enterprises, retail and luxury brands, sports and entertainment venues, and any organization where hospitality can be strategically applied to help establish lasting and meaningful relationships. Learn more about Boston University’s School of Hospitality and Experience Innovation by visiting bu.edu/hospitality.