cb5 was created for the sole purpose of developing spirited restaurants for hotels.
Inspiring hotel culture with an entrepreneurial spirit and crafting concepts contoured
to each property has been our hallmark. Having worked with all major hotel firms,
cb5 has assimilated multiple brand ethos and enables us to create original product
that is brand compliant and savvy to varying market conditions.
Being able to distill the essence of why specific restaurant ideas work is a rare
perhaps second only to the ability to blueprint and scale this “alchemy” into a
tangible concept and playbook.
We believe the goal is to go beyond the actual meal experience and to strive for an
emotional connection with the guest. Expectations have shifted as the fascination
with food and dining grows and the vibration of a compelling restaurant must now
resonate as honest and pure compared with the past style of simply attempting to
impress.

Ariela was born and raised in The Valley of Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter and prodigy of Frances Kiradjian, one of the greatest female entrepreneurs in the travel and hospitality worlds. She grew up traveling the world at 6 months old and began attending conferences as young as 5 years old. She graduated from Oaks Christian High School in 2013 and then ventured to London and Heidelberg to study international business.

Two years into college, she decided the most comprehensive and advantageous education she could get was from her mother, and in 2015 she became a full-time partner at The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association. In 2017, Ariela and Frances Founded Stay Boutique, the brand that represents the Boutique Community through events, media, membership and travel guides.

On June 6, 2018 Ariela introduced what is considered the world’s newest Industry, The Boutique Industry, where she concentrated the boutique niches of various industries to create one home for them. That same year, she led a group of Boutique Hotel Developers around Scotland to consult on building new Boutique Hotels and she led the first Social Club Dinner Party in partnership with The Hoxton. In October she was selected by Rebecca Minkoff to be a part of her organization supporting women-owned companies, The Female Founders Collective.

Ariela has been featured in numerous publications including Inc. Magazine, Hospitality Business, LODGING Magazine, The Hedonist Magazine, The Ringer, Travel Dew and Vue NJ. She has been the Editor-in-Chief of all BLLA and Stay Boutique Magazines: 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Ariela has been selected by great organizations to speak on stage as a thought-leader including the Wall Street Journal, Hospitality Experience, Top Hotel Projects and the Information Management She and her mother are the leaders of the boutique movement, aiming to create the most inclusive industry in the world.

Founder and CEO, Boutique & Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA), Co-founder Stay Boutique, the world’s only association and alliance focused on the boutique world.

Frances, a 25+ year hospitality and travel industry seasoned professional, created BLLA to give a voice to independent, upscale hotel properties as well as small brands around the world, offering them the opportunity and the means to compete on a level playing field with major hotel companies. BLLA serves hundreds of worldwide members including hotels, small brands and the vendor suppliers that sustain them.

Recently, BLLA & Stay Boutique added businesses that fall under the boutique category including restaurants, bars, nightlife, wellness, retail and more, making our community inclusive on a grand scale globally.

Ms. Kiradjian’s travel experience cuts across various areas of the industry, but always with a razor-sharp focus on the hospitality and lifestyle sector.  As founder and CEO of CCRA (travel agency consortia), Kiradjian created and developed the first travel agent centric hotel booking portal which combined multiple hotel inventories and allowed for mark-ups of a net rate which continues to serve as an important business model for travel-related technology companies. She lead the company over 15 years and sold her shares in 2005 after locating a buyer and served as CEO of the newly formed combined company until her departure at the end of 2006.

Kiradjian began her career in the travel industry as a national accounts manager at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, where she managed top global accounts like Baxter Healthcare, Toyota and Disney.  Kiradjian is a graduate of the University of Southern California, (USC) from the highly respected Marshall School of Business.

Frances also lead many associations over the years. She held the position of President for HSMAI (Hospitality Sales & Marketing), SMEI (Sales & Marketing Executives International), founder & President of the Los Angeles Professional Women in Travel and in 2008 founded a new female empowerment group that is now more than 10,600 women globally, past member of the CEO organization VISTAGE, past Board Member of LABTA (Los Angeles Business Travel Association), Advisory Board Member of Kind Traveler, Board Member Whole World Water, past Board Member Boutique Design New York, past Board Member HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association), past member of SKAL and PROST (industry clubs).

Kiradjian has spoken on dozens of hospitality and travel panels at major conferences, keynoted and moderated and also was invited several times to speak at UCLA, USC, Cal Poly Pomona’s Hospitality School and Purdue Universities. She was invited to keynote at World Hotels Singapore annual conference. Frances has held discussions at global events such as World Travel Market in London, ITB in Berlin and IHIF in Berlin.

Kiradjian has also been featured in many magazine articles and on the covers of Today’s Hotelier, Hotel Business, Business Travel Magazine and Carlson Travel’s Hall of Fame in Minneapolis (including a video interview sent globally to all offices).

Nadira Lalji serves as Director for Precis Advisory, a privately-owned real estate investment and development company with a mixed portfolio of U.K.-based real estate assets including owned and operated hotels (under the Montcalm and Inhabit brands).

In 2017, Nadira co-founded a new lifestyle and wellness hotel brand, initially based in London, centred on offering a restorative stay. Beyond her commitment to her guests’ wellbeing, Nadira has a strong commitment to supporting social enterprises, showcasing small businesses and experimenting with sustainable best practices.   

Prior to joining her family business, Nadira worked for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Toronto and Monitor Group in London and New York. Nadira graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 2009 and was a John Eliot Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge University in 2010. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2015. Nadira has numerous personal and philanthropic interests, including microfinance and education in East Africa. In her free time, she enjoys yoga and is a karate black belt.

Remy Allis has established herself as a successful entrepreneur, hospitality thought leader and businesswoman over the past 20 years. For the past decade, she’s led Allis as a boutique luxury branding agency launching over 50 brands and generating over $500M in sales. Previously, she co-founded Fishtank Brand Advertising working with clients in technology, apparel, healthcare and real estate, resulting in acquisition in 2008. She has also served in various strategic roles on brands including Nike, Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt.

Allis has offices in New York City and San Francisco specializing in launching new-to-world consumer brands in the premium lifestyle and luxury categories. The agency has won countless industry awards including The World Luxury Award in Monaco. Remy spends her time bi-coastally with her family based in Tribeca, NYC.

“Doug Olson is the founder and CEO of C2C Designs, a custom furniture manufacturer
that focuses on the Boutique and 4 and 5 star Hospitality Market. HIs passion is
collaborating with owners and designers to help bring their unique vision to life.
Doug has been an entrepreneur for most of his life. He originally owned and operated
two successful restaurants and a gourmet fresh market. After developing a passion for
furniture design he launched C2C Designs in 2006 and built the company to a
multinational firm with offices in Miami, North Carolina and Vietnam.
Doug grew up in Miami, Florida and received his Undergraduate Degree from University
of Florida and his Graduate Degree from the University of Miami. He currently resides in
North Carolina.
Doug is a husband, a father of two beautiful daughters and an avid golfer and sports
fan. He loves to travel and his favorite escape is Coeur d’ Alene Lake, Idaho.
Doug’s passion for design has him currently involved in publishing a design book and
launching a lifestyle brand.
Doug’s favorite quote … “Each day is a blessing. Never take for granted the gifts you
have been given – see them – they are right in front of you!””

“Kate Burda & Co is a consulting firm that focuses on Revenue Acceleration. They
focus on overall revenue strategy to increase profitability.
They do that by elevating the level of play within Sales, traditional and digital marketing,
and revenue management, what they call the “Revenue Trifecta”. They are passionate
in how to think differently to be relevant and differentiated in a very crowded
marketplace. They lovingly challenge the status quo and legacy thinking to give way to
innovation and revenue growth.
Their core customers are investors, owners, brands, management companies.
They have done revenue transformation within our industry to companies, such as
Marriott, Loew’s, Goldman Sachs, and independent boutiques, as well as a clientele
such as Abbott, Medtronic, and Ricoh.
Kate has been Head of Revenue within REIT, VP of Revenue at CSM, and had been
VP of Sales at Hyatt Hotels. Her working with in hotels encompasses 28+ years. She
has lead teams through disposition, bankruptcy, financial downturns, and shifts within
the marketplace.
She is a member of the International Society of Hotel Consultants and speaks regularly
within the Strategic Account Management Association Academy on Account-based
marketing. She also is a member of The Cornell Hospitality Research think-tank. Kate
teaches Revenue Management and distribution management at Purdue. She received
her MBA at the University of Colorado and currently lives in Dallas, Texas.”

“Samantha Ahuja focuses her practice on hotel acquisitions, operations, development
and finance, hotel management agreements, licensing agreements, and commercial
real estate acquisition and sale.
She advises domestic and international clients on the acquisition and disposition of
hotels and other commercial property, hotel management and operations, franchising,
licensing and branding, restaurant management agreements, lease negotiations, and
casino agreements. She regularly prepares and negotiates purchase and sale
agreements, financing and development agreements, and other documents related to
the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, management, and disposition of real
and personal property with a focus on hotels and resorts.
Samantha regularly works on complex transactions involving a combination of hotels,
resorts, condominiums, food and beverage facilities, and other shared access
amenities. She also advises her clients on traditional and investor financing, joint
ventures and capital and legal structures for complex transactions. She works regularly
with her clients on piecing together the various aspects of a deal while taking into
balancing the business and legal objectives of the client.
Samantha works closely with her clients to address operational issues that arise over
the course of ownership. Most recently, she counsels clients on a wide range of
blockchain related matters, from anti-money laundering and know-your-customer best
practices for cryptocurrency transactions to legal issues associated with novel uses of
blockchain within the hospitality industry.
Samantha also serves as pro bono counsel to many affordable housing cooperatives
and tenant associations with the District of Columbia. She works with her clients to find
alternative financing, investors or other government grants to maintain long-term
housing affordability.”

”

Carolyn’s more than 30 years of public relations and marketing experience forms the

foundation of CIIC’s renowned and distinctive offering of services. Her intelligent,

creative, and energetic personality has made Carolyn a valued counsel to top executives at multinational hotel brands, fine dining and restaurant chains, real estate developments, and government tourism boards around the world. Carolyn has piloted CIIC in numerous award-winning campaigns on behalf of the company’s diverse clientele. Prior to founding CIIC, Carolyn worked for several large public relations firms from which she gleaned experiences that honed her dedication to offer clients principal-led and personalized service. Today, CIIC is the culmination of Carolyn’s vision, setting a new standard for lifestyle public relations.”

“For more than 25 years, Roberta Matuson, president of Matuson Consulting has helped
leaders in world-class companies, such as General Motors, New Balance, The Boston
Beer Company, and small to medium-size businesses, achieve dramatic growth and
market leadership through the maximization of talent. She is known globally as “The
Talent Maximizer®.”
No one has written more on talent in the last four years than Roberta. She is the person
that top employment site Monster and global retail giant Staples turns to for advice on
talent. Roberta is the author of five books, including the recently released, Evergreen
Talent and the international bestseller, Suddenly in Charge. She is a
Lynda.com/LinkedIn author and a 2018 LinkedIn Top Voice in Workplace and
Leadership, whose work is heard by business executives at 40,000 feet, where she
provides first-class advice in first-class cabins on Virgin, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines.
Roberta is one of a handful of people who have appeared as a guest of Bill O’Reilly’s on
Fox’s O’Reilly Factor, and who left the show unscathed.”

“Jackie Collins is the Senior Director of Arthur J. Gallagher’s Real Estate and Hospitality division. Her office is located in the Houston, TX. This office is the hub of Gallagher’s Hospitality group and services more than $125,000,000 in annual Hospitality premiums.

She began her career in the Insurance industry in 1990 at Ross & Yerger, Inc.     She joined Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in 2003 in an effort to provide her clients additional resources and more comprehensive service through Gallagher’s global network.

As a licensed property & casualty broker, her primary duties include the production, management and marketing of accounts associated with the Real Estate and Hospitality industries.  She specializes in designing risk management programs by way of traditional insurance mechanisms as well as alternative risk transfer options.  She has in depth knowledge of designing layered property programs for mid to large size companies. Her passion is providing outstanding service and a high level of expertise to clients in the Hospitality industry especially in high hazard areas.

Ms. Collins is very active in the Hospitality industry.  She participates in a number of Hotel Business Roundtables and industry conferences such as the Hospitality Lodging Conference, the American Lodging Investment Summit, Meet the Money and the California Lodging Investment Conference.  She is the Chairman of the planning committee for the California Lodging Investment Conference and she serves on the BLLA (Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association) Advisory Board Education Committee.

Ms. Collins has earned the following designations: Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Risk Manager and Certified Professional Insurance Woman designations. She was named a Hospitality Power Broker in 2015 by Risk & Insurance.”

”

Dee Patel is the Managing Director of The Hermitage Hotel, recognized as an iconic leader in luxury and the #1 hotel in Tennessee.  In addition to her work with the hotel over nearly two decades, Patel serves as a Director on the Board of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association as well as a member of the 2019 Board of Directors for the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association, where she is committed to excellent service and hospitality. Dee was named Dame by the Nashville Chapter of the Les Dames d’Escoffier International and now sits on the board of the Nashville Chapter. Since 2008, Patel has been actively forging a 10-year partnership with The Land Trust for Tennessee, a partnership that has raised almost $1 million for the preservation of historic Tennessee lands. She also sits on the Nashville Downtown Partnership Board and the Nashville Civic Design Center. Patel is dedicated to preservation as well as ongoing involvement as Nashville continues to expand, with a goal of maintaining the values that make Nashville such a sought-after place for travel, for celebrations and events and equally as important as a top place to live amongst the entire nation.  Most recently, Patel was instrumental in forging the new Historic Capitol Corridor Foundation where she sits as a board member to help protect and preserve the historic, cultural and architectural integrity of the downtown Capitol corridor. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Historic Hotels of America, a member of Leadership Nashville’s esteemed 2019-2020 class, and is on the board of the Nashville Centennial Park Conservancy.  In 2019, she was named a Woman of Influence by the Nashville Business Journal.”

“As a hospitality design leader and Principal with Gensler, Robert’s experience spans
almost 30 years. He’s collaborated on the design and development of over 10 million
square feet of hospitality projects nationally and internationally ranging from 5-star
luxury resorts, upper upscale, boutique and full-service hotels to spa, dual-brand and
business hotels. An architect by training, his interest is in creating memorable guest
experiences through the design of distinctive and emotional connections to great hotels.
Robert is a board member of the Atlanta Hospitality Alliance and earned his Bachelor’s
degree in Architecture from Mississippi State University with additional urban design
studies at Washington University.”

”

David has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in

numerous hotels in the United Kingdom, Australia and at the corporate level in the U.S.

David started his ground up career working for Hilton and Marriott in the U.K. before

taking his first General Manager position in 2001 for Thistle Hotels. David went on to

work for Ian Schrager Hotels as General Manager of St Martins Lane in London, and

later as Regional Vice President for Europe, overseeing both Sanderson and St Martins

Lane where he successfully worked on repositioning Sanderson as a market leader.

David’s successful work in London led to his promotion to Senior Vice President of

Operations at the corporate offices in New York. In this position he oversaw the day-to-

day operations for 11 Morgans Hotel Group properties compromising of 3073 rooms. In

2009 David assumed the role of Managing Director at The Ian Schrager Company.

Working directly with Ian, David developed the operational structure for two new brand

concepts and oversaw the sale and handover of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York.

Most recently David was the Chief Operating Officer for André Balazs Properties, where

he oversaw the management of nine uniquely positioned hotels including the Standard

brand, the Mercer in New York, Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and opened the highly

acclaimed Chiltern Firehouse in London.

In 2011 the foundations for Salt Hotels were laid with the development of its flagship

property Salt House Inn in Provincetown. The further evolution of Salt Hotels has been

under David’s guidance and direction and now operates four properties.

David sits on the Board of Garden State Equality and The Garden State

Film Festival and on the advisory board of Provincetown Film Festival and is an active

member of the Boutique Strong Council for BLLA.”

”

Named as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Andrew brings a combination of experience, passion and creativity to every endeavor. Andrew is a New Jersey native with a Marketing Degree from Montclair State University. He learned the restaurant business by working through the ranks at several legendary New York venues including Windows on the World, the Russian Tea Room and the Rainbow Room. Andrew was Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants for 10 years, helping to launch over 40 hotels and restaurants as well as the global brand. In 2005 Andrew launched his own agency, af&co., and with his amazing team of professionals, the agency has developed and launched concepts, created unique culinary events, provided ongoing marketing, public relations and operations consulting for over 300 restaurants and hotels. In 2019, Andrew co-founded a second agency, Carbonate, to offer expanded creative strategy and brand communications services. Andrew is a contributor to numerous industry magazines and blogs and guest speaker at industry conferences both in the USA and internationally. The af&co./Carbonate annual trend report is highly regarded and has garnered tremendous worldwide coverage.”

”

Denise Korn is the Creative Director for Lifestyle Brand working deeply in the realm of Brand Strategy and Brand Design for Hospitality, Lifestyle and Real Estate. In this role, she best leverages Gensler’s global multi-disciplinary practice to strengthen the synergies between brand development, architecture and interior design. Previously, Denise led Korn Design, a multi-disciplinary firm focused on crafting meaningful brands for a wide range of clients including top-of-class developers, hoteliers, chefs, and entrepreneurs providing expert consultation in the categories of leading hospitality, restaurants, luxury goods, and ground-breaking strategic work.

Denise was awarded a prestigious James Beard Foundation medal for design in 2009 and was again nominated in 2010. Her work has been recognized by AIGA, Communication Arts, Graphis, HOW, the James Beard Foundation, and Print Magazine.

Actively involved in civic engagement at both the local and national level for over 30 years. With a passionate focus on equity and diversity, Denise founded YOUTH DESIGN in 2013, mentoring and connecting talented urban high school students to training, access, paid internships and career opportunities in the design industry. She is the recipient of a Fellow Award from AIGA for her contributions as a design visionary and youth advocate; is now a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College’s Lewis Institute; and was honored by the Boston Business Journal as a 2015 Leader in Diversity. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.“

”

Équité founder and CEO Daniel Langer was labeled by The Economist as the world’s most renowned expert on luxury brand building and extreme value creation in a digitally disrupted world and with Millennials and Gen Z. He is also the Professor of Luxury Strategy at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. With his team he consults some of the world’s most admired and iconic luxury, hospitality, lifestyle and consumer brands and is an advisor to top-managers in the luxury industry. He is the author of several luxury management books in English and Chinese and is frequently featured in leading global media publications like Forbes, Economist, Bloomberg, Skift, Robb Report, Manager Magazin and Jing Daily. He is a global keynote speaker and holds luxury masterclasses in Europe, the USA, and Asia. His education includes Harvard Business School and he holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in luxury management. He pioneered luxury science with his breakthrough research on decoding the luxury value drivers, building extreme value and sustainable competitive advantage for luxury, lifestyle and consumer brands.”

“Lynn Curry, CMC, ISHC, has provided financial feasibility, design development, creative direction, and pre-opening consulting services to dozens of upscale and luxury resort, casino, hotel, residential community spas and wellbeing hospitality properties since 1997.   She is the President and co-owns Resource For Leisure Assets (formerly Curry Spa Consulting) a  global wellbeing hospitality consulting firm with offices in Sonoma, Budapest, Dubai and Cape Town.  Lynn was named American Spa Magazine’s Favorite Spa Consultant for the 2018 Professional Choice Awards, and a runner up to the industry’s Women In Wellness Spa Consultant of the Year.  She is a proud member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, the Leading Source for Global Hospitality Expertise and a Certified Management Consultant™ (CMC®) with the Institute of Management Consultants (an ISO/IEC 17024 Certifying Body).

Career projects in Lynn’s portfolio include properties that have been featured on the “best of” lists in Travel & Leisure, New York Times, and other industry publications.  Projects such as such as Montage Laguna; Island Spa Catalina; The Ritz-Carlton Spas of Bachelor Gulch, Dove Mountain and Laguna Beach; The Four Seasons Spas of Westlake Village, Dubai, Vail, and Punta Mita; Rosewood Resort Spas at Sand Hill and Mayakoba.  Also in Lynn’s career portfolio are boutique and casino spas, including Pechanga and Gila’s Wild Horse Pass, Silver Legacy Casino Spa, and The Vintners Inn.  Some of Lynn’s newest spa projects include The Four Seasons Napa Valley, The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Bathhouse at Agua Caliente in Palm Springs, The Hard Rock Spas at Hollywood and Tampa, Florida and the Spa renovation at Frenchman’s Reef in the Caribbean.

From the Manager of Tourism Development providing destination sales services for The Anaheim Visitor and Convention Bureau, Lynn’s career led to Sales with Hyatt Resorts Hawaii as a Group Sales Manager, and then to Grand Wailea Resort where she opened the renowned resort in both Hotel Sales and Spa Management and worked on the pre-opening teams for multiple Hyatt Resorts in Hawaii.  After her tenure in Hawaii, Lynn was the Spa Director at the Hyatt Regency in Fort Lauderdale, a resort spa and membership club, during which time she consulted on various projects for the spa’s ownership group.

Lynn is also an Educator with Gerson Lehrman Councils.  She has been a speaker at various hospitality events, including: HX/BDNY, BLLA, Hot Springs Conference, Independent Lodging Congress (ILC) and Hospitality Design (HD).  Lynn currently serves on the Spa Consulting Task Force of the Global Wellness Institute and has been called upon to provide education to various industry development teams, vendors and suppliers about the inner workings of the hospitality industry.  Lynn has served on local public school and fundraising boards, as well as on the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Board of Directors.  She is based in RLA’s North American Headquarters office in Sonoma.    She is an avid hiker and paddles competitively for the He’e Nalu Outrigger Canoe Club in San Rafael.  She can be reached directly at lynn@RLAglobal.com or 707-933-0408.”

”

Geoff Davis is the Founder and Senior Principal of Davis Hotel Capital. Geoff is
regarded as one of the top deal makers and hotel investment advisors in the hospitality
industry.

Prior to founding DHC Geoff was a Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Leon,
Mayer & Co.'s hospitality real estate practice. Leon, Mayer & Co. is a Miami based
Private Equity Investor with significant resort, hotel and education platform holdings. His
focus was on the firm's investments in hotels, resorts and hospitality ventures, both
domestically and abroad.

Prior to joining Leon, Mayer & Co., Mr. Davis was the co-Founder, President and Senior
Principal of HREC Investment Advisors, a national hotel investment banking firm
focused on hotel investment banking, mortgage and property brokerage, and capital
markets advisory work. While at HREC Investment Advisors Mr. Davis directed a team
of over 30 professionals in 14 offices and oversaw and executed on over 800 hotel
transactions with a market cap in excess of $14 billion dollars. Prior to his work at
HREC Investment Advisors, Mr. Davis was a Partner and President of Hospitality
Investment Counselors. A boutique hotel investment banking firm with offices in New
York and Denver. In addition to brokerage and investment banking the Principals of
Hospitality Investment Counselors were involved in various hotel development ventures,
as well as various asset management assignments.

Mr. Davis started his professional career at Pannell Kerr Forster, a well respected
accounting and consulting firm, where he rose to the position of Senior Manager. Mr.
Davis was also a Principal in Gemstone Hospitality, a hotel management and asset
management company focusing on complex resorts and urban hotels.

Mr. Davis is a graduate of the University of Denver and sits on their hotel school's
Executive Advisory Board. He is extensively published on hotel investment and market
trends. He has been a successful investor in hotels throughout his career and remains
an active hotel investor today. Creativity, persistence and experience are the hallmark

of his approach to hotel investment and advisory throughout his professional career.
Born in Plainfield, NJ, Mr. Davis resides in Denver, Colorado.”