From the Founder & CEO’s Desk: Frances Kiradjian

A heartfelt letter from Frances Kiradjian, Founder & CEO of BLLA

I recently posted on LinkedIn how I’ve always been uplifting and supporting (with all my heart and soul) the underdog throughout my whole life (which linked to last week’s press release about StayBoutique). As I celebrate a milestone birthday this week, I reflect back on why and how this lifestyle has uplifted me throughout my journey.

I’ve always been an empathetic person which led me to a life of supporting others in similar life circumstances. (My very best friend Joy, who I met in 8th grade, always tells me she picked me because I was the nicest person she had ever met.) Behind most of the experiences which took me there, were big corporations with very little room to make adjustments to their strict rules. No matter the outcome and with little or no concern for your fellow human. Simply focusing on the bottom line and staying in favor of investors and stakeholders. While commercial success is of great importance, there are so many other things to consider which is what I learned early on. I remember as a teenager asking a restaurant to switch out a certain food in a menu item to another item that was included in a different offering. The request was denied as “our menu items do not allow for switching.” But why? I asked myself. It was then and there that I decided that I would try to support the requests from my friends and family, adjusting along the way to their wants and needs. Remember, it’s about ‘how you make them feel’ at the end of the day. Making even one person happy today is my lifelong genre. Bringing a smile, no matter what it takes, lifts up my soul. And supporting independent boutique hotels as well as boutique businesses such as restaurants is what drives me still to wake up and be grateful for all of them.

Journey onward, my friends. I’m always here for you. ♥

– Fran