President & Founder - Hospitality Innovation Academy

Giancarlo Carniani has a long career in the hotel industry where he has worked in national and international chains such as Cigahotels and Sonesta International Hotels. Since 2010 he has been General Manager of the Florentine chain ToFlorence Hotels, which manages three prestigious Florentine structures in the upscale sector.

Passionate about technology and typing, in 2008 he founded BTO, Italy's biggest tourism technology event, which he directed for 10 consecutive years.

After the BTO experience, he went on to organise conferences and founded, together with other partners, HICON, an event dedicated to high technology and AI in Tourism.

Since 2012, he has been an Italian Analyst at the American research institute PhoCusWright.

He has a GMP Master's degree from Cornell University and is a certified lecturer for Swiss Education Group.

In 2021 he founded HIA - Hospitality Innovation Academy, of which he is President.