And the Winner Is… A Report from Pitch Perfect at IHIF 2025

Our Group CEO, Roger Allen, had the pleasure of serving as a judge at the Pitch Perfect session during IHIF 2025 — a dynamic showcase of visionary hospitality projects presented in a fast-paced, Dragon’s Den-style format.

Congratulations to all of those who participated and presented bold, forward-thinking ideas to our panel of industry judges:

• Herbert Pinzolits, Owner & CEO, Mamma Group, who pitched Vienna House Easy by Wyndham – a 510-key timber-built airport hotel in Vienna
• Jose Matheu, Corporate Development Director, Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, who presented a 268-key adults-only resort in Tenerife
• Tobias Årfelt, Director of Development Nordics, UK & Ireland, Minor Hotels Europe & Americas, who pitched a 224-key NH Collection hotel in Helsinki

By unanimous decision, the winning pitch was awarded to Herbert Pinzolits for Vienna House Easy by Wyndham. Congratulations to Herbert and his team, as well as the wider group including Wyndham, Dimitris Manikis, and Ruslan Husry, Chief Executive Officer, HRG.

Thank you to fellow judges Patrick Whyte, Editor-in-Chief, Hospitality Investor, and Anna Cohen, Investment Director, Extendam. And appreciation to our moderator, Olga Andreevskikh, Senior Conference Producer, Questex.

An inspiring initiative that truly reflected creativity and ambition!
We hope to see Pitch Perfect grow into a lasting platform for new ideas and bold development concepts.

Please scroll down for highlights from the session.

The Judges

The Winner: Herbert Pinzolits

Jose Matheu

Tobias Årfelt