BLLA - Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association

Boutique hospitality is entering a season defined by leadership clarity, intentional design, and identity-driven storytelling. This week’s BOUTIQUE WEEKLY spotlights how operators and creators are shaping experiences rooted in place, culture, and craft. This week’s highlights: • Stewardship takes center stage as operators expand with purpose, including Gurney’s latest coastal acquisition. • Leadership stories — from the Marriott–Sonder split to Skift’s look at long-term luxury stewardship — reinforce the value of consistency. • New openings in Milan, Peru’s Sacred Valley, Tokyo, and Oslo showcase wellness, culture, and design-forward programming. • Design momentum continues with PUBLIC West Hollywood, Mandarin Oriental’s Uchronia, and a refreshed Cipriani vision in Venice. • Culinary creativity anchors place-making across New York, Dallas, Brooklyn, and Paris. 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gFanvAgC 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe #BoutiqueHotels #LuxuryHospitality #HotelDesign #IndependentHotels #ExperienceDesign #TravelCulture #FandBInnovation #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #BLLA

Boutique hospitality is entering a season defined by stewardship, storytelling, and substance. This week’s edition of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY spotlights leaders and brands translating purpose into practice — from seasoned operators elevating local identity to design and culinary programs that bring character to life. This week’s highlights: • Operators are taking stewardship roles that balance local character with professional scale, as seen in Highgate’s new alliance with Kessler Collection. • Leadership spotlights—from Frances Kiradjian’s legacy of advocacy to Skift’s reflection on patient luxury growth—underscore the value of vision and consistency. • New openings in Tokyo, Lecce, Rishikesh, and Milan reveal a commitment to intentional design, wellness, and cultural grounding. • Design and lifestyle narratives blend fashion, art, and travel as brands like Chrome Hearts and George Davies blur industry lines. • Culinary creativity continues to anchor place-making, from Amy Poon’s London debut to a Michelin favorite opening in Denver and an Aperol Spritz Bar concept in Australia. 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/g5tyE8AC 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe #BoutiqueHotels #LuxuryHospitality #HotelDesign #IndependentHotels #FandBInnovation #ExperienceDesign #TravelCulture #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #BLLA

Meet the visionaries and supporters who helped shape this year’s Boutique Hotel Owners Conference. With Capital One Travel, Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Liquid Crystal, Segafredo Zanetti, Arch RoamRight, RBS, Simplotel, Gecko Hospitality (Corporate), and Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts leading the way as our Headline Sponsors, we created a space where ideas flowed freely and boutique hospitality thrived. To our partners Jonas Chorum, Operto, dailypoint™, eviivo, mknly procurement, and The Company Store—thank you for standing with the independent hotelier. Your energy, presence, and purpose helped turn this gathering into a movement. We’re endlessly grateful to our BLLA Family for bringing the spirit of Terra Incognita to life. #BoutiqueHotelOwners #HospitalityInnovation #IndependentHotels #BLLAFamily #BoutiqueHotels

From Lisbon to Oaxaca, Shanghai to Singapore — Issue 812 of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY explores how boutique hospitality is leaning into culture-rich storytelling, thoughtful scale, and guest experiences rooted in place. This week’s highlights: • Boutique brands continue to refine their expansion strategies, emphasizing identity and cultural alignment amid shifting market performance. • New boutique openings in Lisbon, Tulum, Mazunte, and Singapore reflect a growing movement toward sustainability, craftsmanship, and local immersion. • Design direction favors emotion-forward spaces — from fashion-meets-hospitality in Shanghai to art-led programming in Baden-Baden and São Paulo. • And in dining: alcohol-free membership clubs, globally influenced tasting menus, and neighborhood-anchored restaurant openings show how F&B continues to drive community and hospitality connections. 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gdRuKCBj 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe hashtag#BoutiqueHotels hashtag#LuxuryHospitality hashtag#HotelDesign hashtag#IndependentHotels hashtag#FandBInnovation hashtag#ExperienceDesign hashtag#TravelCulture hashtag#BOUTIQUEWEEKLY hashtag#BLLA

Please join us in giving a warm welcome back to Nicole Bessen, who has rejoined the BLLA team as our new Membership Manager! We are thrilled to welcome back a familiar face and a true champion of the boutique community. Nicole previously played a key role with us, and we are excited to have her valuable experience and passion for boutique hospitality back on the team. In her new role, Nicole will be focused on growing and supporting our esteemed hotel and vendor membership base, ensuring BLLA continues to be the leading resource and voice for boutique hotel owners and leaders. Welcome back, Nicole! We can't wait to see the incredible impact you'll have. #BLLA #BoutiqueHotels #Hospitality #MembershipManager #WelcomeBack #BoutiqueCommunity

What an incredible success at The 2025 Boutique Hotel Owners Conference🎉 We brought the industry together under the theme, Terra Incognita (Latin for "unknown land"), encouraging a spirit of discovery and entrepreneurial thinking. We successfully mapped new paths for growth and innovation, championing creative strategies to elevate the guest experience. A huge thank you to all the visionary hotel owners, leaders, and followers who joined us to discuss the future of boutique hospitality, focusing on Hotel Ownership, Investment, Technology, AI Innovation, and more. As the industry's original conference dedicated to independent, boutique hotel ownership, leadership & innovation since 2012, we're proud to continue guiding our community through uncharted territory with connection, purpose, and integrity. Read the release here: https://lnkd.in/gExasAxm Stay tuned for exciting announcements about our next gatherings. #BLLA #BoutiqueHotelConference #BoutiqueHotels #HospitalityInnovation #LuxuryHospitality #HotelInvestment #LuxuryTravel

From Taos to Melbourne, Seville to Miami Beach — Issue 811 of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY reflects how boutique hospitality continues to evolve through intentional design, thoughtful positioning, and guest-centric innovation. This week’s highlights: • Swire Hotels introduces Upper House, signaling renewed commitment to quietly luxurious, ultra-personalized hospitality. • U.S. hotel performance softens — reinforcing the need for differentiation, not scale. • Reimagined and newly opened boutique stays in Taos, Miami Beach, and Melbourne emphasize story, neighborhood, and atmosphere over spectacle. • Design continues to deepen the guest experience — from sleep-health programming to heritage-rooted architecture in Seville and Wiltshire. • And in dining: intimate wine bars, regionally driven menus, and narrative-based tasting rooms define what’s next. 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/g6AKjUHj 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe #BoutiqueHotels #IndependentHotels #LuxuryHospitality #HotelDesign #FandBInnovation #BLLA #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #HospitalityLeadership #DesignHotels #TravelCulture #FutureOfHospitality

From Cincinnati to California, Hong Kong to New York—Issue 810 of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY captures how boutique hospitality continues to shape the future through creativity, community, and character. This week’s highlights: • Heritage renewal projects—from Cincinnati’s Crosley Estate conversion to a downtown revival in Tarpon Springs, FL • The Washington Post and Rosewood Hotels spotlight the evolving values of luxury travelers • New hotel concepts—from a Titanic-themed stay in Columbus to coastal escapes in Mendocino and Sunnyvale • Design and dining trends from Mandarin Oriental’s artistic collaboration to New York’s nautical F&B revival 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gvSQXu2N 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe #BoutiqueHotels #LuxuryHospitality #HotelDesign #FandBInnovation #BLLA #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #IndependentHotels #HospitalityLeadership #HotelInvestment #TravelDesign #SustainableLuxury #HospitalityTrends #GlobalHospitality

From Lake Como to St. Kitts, Dallas to the digital frontier — Issue 809 of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY explores how boutique hospitality is redefining place, purpose, and personalization. This week’s highlights: • Business Traveller compares boutique hotels and Airbnb in the battle for meaningful stays • CoStar on Langham Hospitality Group’s strategic shift toward management growth • Hotel Dive explores how AI is reshaping hotel marketing • Skift spotlights hotels turning resorts into coral restoration labs Plus, a curated selection of new openings, design highlights, and F&B concepts pushing hospitality’s creative edge. 📖 Read the full issue:https://lnkd.in/gxJwH6Dh 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe #BoutiqueHotels #LuxuryHospitality #IndependentHotels #HotelDesign #FandBInnovation #SustainableTravel #HospitalityLeadership #BLLA #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #TravelTrends

From Kyoto to California, Paris to the Metaverse—Issue 808 of BOUTIQUE WEEKLY explores how boutique hospitality is reshaping modern luxury around purpose, creativity, and connection. This week’s highlights: • The Economist on why luxury travel is eclipsing luxury goods • Skift on RateGain’s $250M acquisition of Sojern and AI’s next chapter • New hotel openings from Oxford to Silicon Valley • Design marvels by Jean Nouvel and Julien Sebban redefining the art of escape • And global F&B stories that turn dining into storytelling 📖 Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gwTqi6xi 📬 Join 33,000+ hospitality leaders who subscribe every Wednesday: www.blla.org/subscribe/ #BoutiqueHotels #LuxuryHospitality #HotelDesign #TravelTrends #FandBInnovation #BLLA #BOUTIQUEWEEKLY #IndependentHotels #QuietLuxury #HospitalityLeadership