Destination management company Hosts Global is handing its CEO role to Marti Winer on September 1, 2026, capping a planned succession that moves outgoing chief Kurt Paben to Vice Chair before he retires at year's end. The transition signals the company's intent to accelerate growth across its North American owned operations and its alliance network spanning more than 450 destinations globally.
Winer's Hospitality Résumé
Winer arrives in the corner office with more than two decades of executive experience spanning destination management, experiential marketing, and large-scale live events. Before joining Hosts Global in 2025 as Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Hosts West, she led the high-profile reopening of Casa Bonita in Colorado and served as Vice President of Event Productions for MGM Resorts International, where she managed more than 2,200 events annually. Earlier roles at Wyndham Worldwide sharpened her credentials in operations, finance, and client service — a well-rounded background that Chairman Frank Andrews cited when endorsing the promotion.
"She brings an uncommon combination of strategic vision, operational discipline, creativity and deep industry experience," Andrews said. "Just as importantly, she leads with humility, curiosity and a genuine commitment to people."
Winer's own philosophy centers on the enduring commercial power of in-person gatherings. As hospitality industry analysis consistently shows, demand for meetings, incentives, conferences, and events has rebounded sharply in the post-pandemic cycle — and Winer views Hosts Global's combination of global reach and localized expertise as a structural advantage in that environment.
Paben's Legacy and What's Next
Paben steered Hosts Global through the industry's most turbulent period, guiding the company's recovery when travel and live events were effectively shuttered during the pandemic. His steady-handed leadership positioned the DMC to emerge from that disruption in a stronger competitive stance. Over the coming months he will work alongside Winer to ensure a smooth handoff before his retirement.
"When we began thinking about the future leadership of Hosts, our goal wasn't simply to find someone who could maintain our momentum — we wanted someone who could accelerate it," Paben said. "Marti is that energetic leader."
For operators, planners, and hospitality professionals who rely on DMC partnerships to execute destination events and incentive programs, the leadership change at a company of Hosts Global's scale is worth watching. Winer's background in high-volume event production and multi-property hospitality management suggests a continued emphasis on operational rigor alongside the creative programming that differentiates premium DMC offerings. The industry will be tracking whether her tenure brings new alliance expansions or product development as the meetings and incentives sector continues its upward trajectory.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
