Boutique hotel pioneers, travel advisors, media and industry professionals will gather at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center for the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association’s (BLLA) annual three-day Leadership Symposium, October 24-26. BLLA is the leading hospitality association aimed at connecting independent, upscale hoteliers with fellow industry innovators, discerning travelers and hospitality investors around the globe.
Hospitality luminaries including CEO Jay Stein of Dream Hotel Group, CEO Trevor Horwell of Nobu Hospitality Group, CEO Brooke Barrett of Denihan Hospitality will share the latest discoveries in the boutique lifestyle space. Over the first two days of the conference, panelists will take on topics like Airbnb, modern day wellness, and boutique nightlife – all inclusive of industry trends, forecasts, executive level insights. Technology, hotel investment, fashion, social media, and culinary excellence will be additional, much-anticipated topics at the helm of panel discussions during the conference.
The third day of the leadership symposium will deliver an optional new hospitality program specifically designed to educate the boutique hospitality space. This pivotal, newly formed alliance with UCLA Extension secured BLLA’s commitment and academic understanding of the most relevant topics in the field of boutique and lifestyle education. A full day of comprehensive industry workshops that span across all fields of boutique hospitality will include presentations on Finance, Concept & Design, Food & Beverage, and Branding & Repositioning.
“We are connecting the best in the industry to discuss topics of interest to tomorrow’s boutique and lifestyle hotelier, and to educate the hospitality industry in a way that hasn’t been done previously,” said BLLA Founder and CEO Frances Kiradjian. “We have collaborated with UCLA Extension to offer a world-class education program, the first of its kind, to give hospitality enthusiasts a chance to develop their knowledge of the boutique lifestyle space.”
Attendees will have a chance to participate in curated networking sessions aimed to form/shape quality relationships within the luxury lifestyle and boutique sector. Other events on the symposium itinerary include an opening gathering, cocktail reception, a workshop by BusinessWire and a Gala Awards Dinner and ceremony being held at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows.
For more information, including ticket registration, agenda and the 2016 Hospitality Awards, please visit www.blla.org.
The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) is the first and only alliance association dedicated to uniting the world’s independent boutique and lifestyle hotels and small brands. BLLA was created to be the unifying voice of this distinctive subset within the hospitality industry. With now over 900 members, BLLA’s goal is to unite the world’s collection of boutique & lifestyle properties and the suppliers that sustain them. BLLA offers their members the opportunity to successfully compete on a level playing field with major hotel companies. The association educates members in order to market themselves to meet the ever-increasing demand from discerning boutique-seeking clients.
