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).

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.

Atit Jariwala, CEO, Bridgeton Holdings, is a hospitality and real estate enthusiast who operates, owns and invests in a multitude of business types and asset classes, as well as in technology ventures that intersect with the physical world.

With a national portfolio, currently valued near $1 billion, Atit has owned and operated over fifty hotels, dozens of office buildings, industrial parks, and residential buildings.

With an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, Atit has founded numerous startups and is an active venture capitalist, investing in many technology start-ups. Atit is an honored board member of one of New York’s largest nonprofits, the Henry Street Settlement. He received his MBA from Stanford University and his BA from Yale University.

Carolyn Schneider grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from New York University. After working in New York City nightlife and restaurants, she quickly fell in love with hotels and began managing Events at Ace Hotel New York. From there, she joined the team at Vikram Chatwal Collection (management company of Dream Hotels), leading Sales and Marketing for their properties in Times Square. When Ace Hotel Group decided to open in Downtown Los Angeles, they recruited Carolyn to move back to the West Coast to join the pre-opening team, where she built accounts from the ground up in a culturally emerging area of Los Angeles. Proper Hospitality, created by the owners of the Viceroy brand, then recruited her as Director of Sales and Marketing for their luxury high rise, designed by Kelly Wearstler in the heart of Hollywood. Next, excited to work with a historic building again, Carolyn jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Sydell Group to open The NoMad Hotel Los Angeles, formerly a bank built in the1920’s, where she served as Director of Guest Experience. In addition, Carolyn co-founded a consulting company, where she helped emerging hospitality companies build their brand, and developed comprehensive service training programs for employees. Carolyn joined Casetta Group with a passion for hospitality, management and service, and a specific interest in revitalizing small boutique properties.

Dean Andrews’ bold vision and business acumen undergird all Easton Porter Group endeavors. He loves the hands-on aspects of developing hospitality enterprises, from finding exceptional properties to making guests feel welcome, to curating vintages for the wine lists, to fine-tuning market trends and business financial projections. He’s honed expertise in every aspect of the industry through decades of international luxury hospitality management.

Andrews co-founded EPG in 2012 after a distinguished run as President of the Americas and Senior Operating Officer at ​Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. During his twelve-year tenure with Orient Express, he oversaw some of the world’s most exclusive properties, executed the growth strategies with the founder’s son, building it from eleven properties to fifty two to 52 properties in ten years. With total revenues of over US$600 million, and was one of three directors charged by the board of Orient Express Hotels to collaborate with the investment community during the company’s successful IPO on the NY Stock Exchange in 2000. He had overall responsibility for financial results, all operations, acquisitions, finance, real estate development & asset management, international marketing of the company and joint venture partnership relations.

New revenue enhancing product developments include completing eleven off market hotel and resort acquisitions, designed and developed eight spas, nine restaurants, bars, retail boutiques and conference centers. Operating and legal knowledge based on acquiring, establishing and managing seven US, two Mexican, two French companies and a Dutch FWI development company. Established Regional Office specialists’ roles to maintain a flat, more entrepreneurial organisation – marketing, public relations, financial management, project management, human resources and training, central reservations, yield merchandising and database development. Implemented common systems architecture for property management, accounting and reporting/forecasting tools.

In addition to Orient Express, Andrews has held senior management positions in the formative years of Omni Hotels, including serving as a general manager and Regional Vice President of Operations and as VP of Asset Management which entailed overseeing the company’s strategic growth plans with Hong Kong-based ownership, Wharf Holdings, and began his career with hotel management positions with London-based Lex Hotels. Andrews studied at the University of Colorado and Columbia University, but is perhaps most proud of his honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University, given in recognition of his contributions to developing their culinary apprenticeship programs. He’s acquired, repositioned and operated resorts, boutique and large luxury hotels and acclaimed restaurants across the globe, helping elevate the standards of hospitality excellence worldwide. Today he loves nothing more than honing the finer points of Easton Porter Group’s boutique properties, because that’s what three decades in the hospitality industry has taught him: every detail counts.

Eric Jafari leads edyn’s pan-European real estate development platform and the broad creative direction of our brands, and was one of the original co-founders of Locke. His multi-disciplinary team comprises acquisitions, asset management, construction, design, investment finance & planning. Eric previously served as the Managing Director of Union Hanover Securities where he founded Urban Villa and oversaw a £500m Hotel development platform. Born in Los Angeles, raised in Paris but living in London, Eric would tell you that his nomadic nature and insatiable curiosity explain his passions which range from travel to food and wine, to wellness, learning and of course his family. We think he just enjoys ‘la dolce vita’.

Hilda Delgado is currently Chief Financial Officer of Viceroy Hotel Group, a leading luxury and lifestyle brand and hotel management company recognized for its collection of boutique luxury and urban hotels across the U.S. and internationally. 

Prior to her role at Viceroy, Ms. Delgado was Treasurer and Senior Vice President of Finance at RLJ Lodging Trust, when at the time, it was a $7 billion dollar public real estate investment trust that owned more than 150 premium branded focused-service and compact full-service hotels in 26 states and the District of Columbia, operating primarily under the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt brands.  

She was responsible for overseeing corporate finance, investor relations, financial planning and analysis, treasury, tax, and closing property transactions.  She was also responsible for bridging various disciplines including, accounting, asset management, and design and construction. 

During her tenure at RLJ, the company experienced significant growth, tripling in size since 2011. Hilda played a lead role in the company’s initial public offering in 2011, establishing its public company framework, and its recent public merger with FelCor Lodging Trust in 2017, the first public to public REIT merger in the lodging industry.

Prior to that, Hilda was Vice President of Corporate Finance at Rexford Industrial, where her responsibilities included strategic planning, capital markets activities, and investor relations.   Prior to that she was a Finance Manager for Cumming Corporation, an industry-leading project management company servicing complex commercial real estate projects in office, retail, hospitality and healthcare worldwide. Hilda started her lodging career with Eagle Hospitality Properties, a publicly traded hospitality REIT which was later privatized by a joint venture in 2007.

Ms. Delgado graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and is a Certified Public Accountant.

As Chief People Officer, Jim is poised to frame out the next chapter of Highgate’s culture, drive the Company’s learning platform, advance Highgate’s leadership development and spark creative solutions.

Most recently, Jim was employed as Vice President, Leadership Development at Forbes Travel Guide, along with managing his own consulting practice. Jim began his career with the Walt Disney Company in 1985 in its management training program. From there, he began his operations journey as the General Manager at the Holiday Inn in New Haven. He then spent the next decade with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and then W Hotels Worldwide, The Ian Schrager Company, André Balaz Properties and Loews Hotels.

Jim is also a recognized authority on using the Enneagram as a means of understanding interpersonal workplace relationships. Over the past 20 years, Jim has taught hundreds of courses on the Enneagram and emotional intelligence and has delivered keynote speeches and seminars on this topic across the globe. He actively works as a professional coach with clients ranging from American Express, Chanel, Geico, XL Construction, and a United States fighter pilot.

Jim is a passionate and often-quoted voice for Spa and Wellbeing as a personal lifestyle, a multi-billion-dollar international industry and a community of possibilities.

As the Enchantment Group Director of Wellbeing and General Manager of Mii amo, he stewards the concept and focus for the companies various spa offerings including The Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia and in the Bahamas at The Cove Eleuthera as well as daily leadership of the company’s flag-ship and award winning Mii amo Destination Spa in Sedona, Arizona. 

Mii amo has been consistently acknowledged for operational excellence and co-creating transformative experiences for guests since opening in 2001. Under Jim’s leadership, Mii amo has returned to the top of many “Best List’s” and Acknowledgments. 

Jim’s 44-year hospitality career has included leadership roles at prestigious and industry leading properties including Rancho La Puerta, Miraval, Meadowood Napa Valley, Sea Island Company and the iconic Glen Ivy Hot Springs. 

He is a strategic, hands-on executive specializing in refocusing organizations by reconnecting to the core vision, recovering mission, centering the brand, stabilizing operations, nurturing the team and together delivering memorable and emotional experiences that establish new benchmarks of operational and organizational expectations. Jim has been consistently recognized for elevating team engagement and performance in exceeding service expectations for guests, fellow teammates and the community alike.

As a Past Chairman of the International Spa Association Jim continues to be an active and engaged member of ISPA and received the Association’s Dedicated Contributor Award in 2014. He is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. 

Jim is invested in Spa and Wellbeing as more than just a business or industry but as an integrated community of possibility and a personal lifestyle.

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.

Phil Hospod is the founder and CEO of Dovetail + Co, an owner, developer, and operator of genuine and imaginative hotels. Dovetail pairs unique opportunities with best-in-class design, real estate, and hospitality practices, launching with The Wayfinder Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island; Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills; and a capsule hotel under development in Manhattan.
Prior to founding Dovetail, Phil was Vice President of Development for The Sydell Group, where his notable achievements include the Freehand NYC and Line DC, both award-winning and market-defining projects. Phil is passionate about creating spaces with soul, celebrating local communities, and delivering for all stakeholders. A hotel junkie at heart, Phil is particularly interested in projects that challenge the imagination.

Originally from Montreal, Phil studied at the Richard Ivey School of Business, Canada’s premier business school, and earned a master’s degree in Real Estate Development at Columbia University in NYC. When not traveling, Phil resides in NYC with his wife, 4-year-old daughter, and one-of-a-kind terrier mix.

Amber Asher serves as President and General Counsel of Standard International. She started her work with The Standard almost 8 years ago as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Andre Balazs Properties. In 2013, she led the sale of a majority stake in the brand to Standard International, where she became Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Over the past 4 years with Standard international, Ms. Asher has led all corporate transactions including the purchase of a majority stake in The Bunkhouse Group, the formation, launch and VC investment of One Night, and the capitalization of the company by Sansiri in addition to negotiating all agreements for new hotel developments and overseeing all legal matters for The Standard, Bunkhouse and One Night. Amber also serves as General Counsel and sits on the Boards of Bunkhouse and One Night and is Secretary of the Standard International Board. Prior to joining Andre Balazs Properties in 2011, Amber served as the Associate General  Counsel and  Senior Vice  President of Morgans  Hotel  Group where she oversaw all legal matters related to development, operations, intellectual property, employment, food and beverage, and financing. Amber began practicing law at Latham & Watkins LLP in 2001 in the Finance and Real Estate Department where she focused on all aspects of commercial real estate law with a particular concentration in real estate finance, corporate transactions, leasing and hospitality.

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.

Nile Tuzun, a highly accomplished hospitality design and development executive, an award winning photographer, creative director, art advocate, and citizen of the world, has developed a solid reputation for uncompromising excellence in the world of international hospitality design. Her work over the past 22 years has influenced and raised the bar for the hospitality experience worldwide with her lifestyle and interior design company Studio Nilebrand as Founder and Chief Creative Storyteller.

Nile brings a design-focused background to her work, typified by in- depth collaboration with valuable ownership groups, distinguished guests, global divisional team members, internal cross divisional team members and operational team members providing hospitality design and management and operational consulting services. Nile maintains close working relationships with the world’s leading architects and designers as she strives to realize design standards unique to each project. With a very confident philosophy regarding hotel, mixed-use residential, creative office space, spa and restaurant design and operations, Nile has and continues to support the future of design by participating as an expert panelist for seminars, design forums, charity events and guest academic lectures and critiques at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and Academy of Art University. Her strategic implementation of design and her understanding of the global marketplace, drive her to realize her goals with conviction and with the utmost professionalism.

Nile is also part of The Young Society Leaders (YSL) which is a program that convenes a select, diverse group of the American-Turkish community’s most outstanding young leaders, in their 30s and 40s. Nile recently became a board member at The Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network (TIEWN), a global networking association with over 10,000 members. 

Nile, born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey holds a Masters of Architecture. Nile is working towards her executive degree in Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate (AMDP) at Harvard University to be completed in 2022 and she will also attend Yale School of Management, Women’s Leadership Program to be completed in November 2021.

Omar Palacios is Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Partner of Geolo Capital where he has management responsibility of Geolo’s asset management and finance activities.

With years of international and domestic financial planning and operations experience, including nearly 20 years in the lodging sector, Palacios has served in a broad range of leadership functions in finance, treasury, accounting and corporate development roles.

Palacios oversees the Geolo’s team financial planning, operations, and analysis processes and forecasting of viable cross-market investment opportunities.

Prior to joining Geolo, Palacios served as Chief Financial Officer for Playa Hotels & Resorts where he led the company’s refinancing and recapitalization efforts. Additionally, he served as Chief Financial Officer for One&Only Resorts and held various key titles within the finance, treasury and investor relations sectors at One&Only’s parent company Kerzner International, where he led the company’s capital financing initiatives in a $3.6 billion public-to-private transaction.

Palacios is a member of the University of Miami’s President Council and the Dean’s Advisory Board of Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Business.

Jayson Seidman is the Founder and Principal Managing Partner of Sandstone and its various affiliates, Drifter Hotels and The Basic®. Jayson has accumulated years of experience  working for Goldman Sachs, LNR Property (now Starwood Capital), Credit Suisse, and most  recently as the Head of Development for SHVO in New York. He has gained key knowledge  concerning the financial implications and methods for developing ground-up or  repositioning a property through pragmatic creative approaches, smart sustainable design,  and problem mitigation.

His wide-ranging real estate knowledge includes a strong background in hotel finance,  operations, design development, asset and portfolio management. He also possesses insight  of acquisitions, as well as the structuring of capital for complex real estate transactions.  Recent projects include 3 hotels in New Orleans; The Columns, The Drifter, and the Hotel  Saint Vincent. In addition, his 4 Texas hotel properties; East Austin Hotel, The Thunderbird Marfa, The Basic Marfa, and Hotel Ranch Motel in San Antonio (currently under renovation).

President of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection, Jennifer Barnwell, has teamed up with multiple visionaries to launch this one-of-a-kind platform in November 2020.  Curator Hotel & Resort Collection provides independent boutique hotels the power to compete together while allowing its members the freedom to retain what makes their hotels unique. Previous to moving over to Curator, Barnwell was Senior Vice President of Asset Management of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, a leading lodging real estate investment trust which was formed and went public in 2009.  She oversaw hotels on the west coast in San Francisco and Los Angeles and had a team of three Asset Managers reporting to her. Prior to joining Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Barnwell was Senior Vice President of Peninsula Real Estate LLC, a private real estate investment fund based in New York.  While at Peninsula Real Estate LLC Ms. Barnwell was involved in all aspects of the fund including formation, acquisitions, and asset management.  Previously, Barnwell was Vice President of Tishman Hotel & Realty LP where she was involved in Tishman Hotel & Realty’s many activities including acquisitions, management, asset management, development, and brokerage.  Jennifer holds a B.S. from The School of Hotel Administration of Cornell University, graduating with Distinction.

Rani is currently SVP Acquisitions at Life House, spearheading their urban growth efforts, institutional capital partnerships, and strategic venture with Kayak Hotels, part of Booking Holdings. He also is a Partner and Head of Hotel Investing at GEI, a NYC-based special situations real estate investment platform.

Prior to Life House , he oversaw development and acquisitions for Pod Hotels and Virgin Hotels in North America, launched Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel & real estate assets, and held various senior roles at IHG and Jones Lang LaSalle. Throughout his career, he oversaw and contributed to the growth of 20 hotels worth over $1.8B in real estate value, and advised investors on $4.2B worth of real estate investments.

Rani also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Master’s in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches in the Spring Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Master Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School, Canada, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from Glion Hotel School, Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University, New York.

Rani has lived on three continents and speaks three languages. He is an avid traveler, runner, cyclist and swimmer. He currently lives in New York City with his wife Alisha and son, Reece.

Dee Patel is the Managing Director of The Hermitage Hotel, where she is responsible for running all company facets and strategic direction of the iconic property, as well as various real estate entities.  Starting in the rooms division, Patel quickly rose through the ranks, and was named General Manager in 2014 and then Managing Director in 2019. She is the first female to serve in both of these leadership roles in the hotel’s 112-year history. Prior experience included management positions at The Hermitage Hotel’s sister property, Keswick Hall & Golf Club in Charlottesville, Virginia.

With more than a century of serving as a Nashville icon, The Hermitage Hotel has garnered numerous awards under Patel’s leadership, including the designation as a National Historic Landmark (the only hotel in the state of Tennessee to hold this distinction) and the 2020 Historic Hotel of the Year by Historic Hotels of America. Other awards throughout the years include Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Award for the Top Hotel in Nashville, “Top 500 Hotels in the World” by Travel + Leisure, as well as “Top 10 Historic Hotels in the U.S.” by USA Today. Additionally, Patel manages the hotel’s partnership with The Land Trust for Tennessee, an alliance that has raised over $1 million for the preservation of historic Tennessee lands.  

In addition to her work with the hotel, Patel is a prominent and highly active member of the Nashville community and the hospitality industry. She has received been named to notable lists including Nashville Post’s 2021 Most Powerful Women, Nashville Lifestyles’ 2021 Women in Business, and Nashville Business Journal’s 2021 40 Under 40, as well as receiving the top accolades of Asian American Hotel Owners Association’s Outstanding Woman Hotelier of the Year and Tennessee Hospitality’s 2021 Hotelier of the Year. In 2020, Patel was named President by the Nashville Chapter of the Les Dames d’Escoffier International and was part of the Leadership Nashville Class of 2020. Equally committed to be an influential voice and advocate for women and diversity, Patel is a member of the International Women’s Forum of Tennessee and organized Nashville’s plans for the 19th amendment centennial celebration in 2020.

Patel resides on a number of civic boards, including the Nashville Downtown Partnership, the Nashville Civic Design Center, Centennial Park Conservancy and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.  A founding member and treasurer of the Historic Capitol Corridor Foundation, Patel aids in the protection and preservation of the historic, cultural, and architectural integrity of the downtown Capitol corridor. Dedicated to providing exceptional service and hospitality, Patel is on the board of directors for esteemed industry organizations such as the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association, Historic Hotels of America, and the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association.

In her personal time, Dee enjoys family travel, exploring new cuisine, and spending time with her husband and their two children. 

Jorgan von Stiening is the president of Palisociety, a vertically integrated Los Angeles based independent hotel and restaurant group, which owns and operates hotels under five distinct brands: Palihouse, Palihotel, ARRIVE, Le Petit Pali, and the Independent Collection. Founded by Avi Brosh in 2008, Palisociety currently operates 16 hotels and 23 restaurants across the US, with an additional nine properties currently under construction. Since joining in 2018, Jorgan has overseen the company’s exponential expansion into a national hotel platform with over 1,000 employees, led its highly successful business development and growth strategy, and overseen the acquisition and integration of ARRIVE Hotels.

While Jorgan’s passion for food, cocktails, and design led him towards the boutique hospitality space, it was his dedication to brand building and team leadership that led him to Palisociety.

Originally from New York, Jorgan received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Binghamton University. He spent his early career advising on US and Caribbean hotel transactions and developments at EY, where he worked in their New York and Miami offices. In 2018, Jorgan relocated to Los Angeles with his husband and dog to join the Palisociety team.

Tapping into over a decade of experience earned at leading luxury lifestyle hotels in New York and Los Angeles, Vaughn Davis is a proven leader in launching experiential luxury hospitality brands in new markets. He is a forward-thinking modern day savant with exceptional vision and consistent attention to detail, as proven through multiple successful hotel openings in North America and large scale projects with Dream Hotel Group, Gansevoort Group, Hyatt and Two Roads Hospitality.  As General Manager at Dream Hollywood, Vaughn is responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of Dream Hotels’ 178-room west coast flagship and its six bustling dining and nightlife offerings located in and adjacent to the property.  Here he has introduced ground-breaking developments, introducing Alfred the delivery robot, mobile and contactless services, and a first-of-its-kind NFT art exhibition with The Crypt Gallery.  Drawing inspiration from previous tenures in fashion and entertainment, along with a Political Science degree from Hofstra University, Vaughn knows how to propel travel and hospitality forward in changing environments. Through his roles on the Diversity and Inclusion Board at Los Angeles Tourism and as Treasurer for The Hollywood Partnership, Vaughn also works to enhance the experience within the broader community of Los Angeles for all individuals, whether they are here to live, work or visit.  His ongoing commitment to community service and leadership drive his unique vantage point and overall philosophy toward building and guiding successful teams and ventures.

Yellow& is a dynamic creative consultancy working directly with impassioned C-level leaders,  visionaries, and fearless entrepreneurs – intertwining the power of a multi-disciplinary mindset with  innovative human-centered design to realize brands with meaningful business and social impact.  

Most recently, Denise was Creative Director for Lifestyle Brand at Gensler, working deeply in  the realm of Brand Strategy and Brand Design for Hospitality, Lifestyle and Real Estate, strengthening the synergies between brand development, placemaking, architecture and interior design.  

Formerly, the Founder + Visionary behind Korn Design, an award-winning brand strategy and design 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. 

A design industry speaker, mentor and activist, Denise is recipient of the distinguished AIGA Fellow  Award for contributions as a design visionary and youth advocate; a prestigious James Beard Foundation  medal for design and her work has been honored by AIGA, Communication Arts, Hospitality Design,  Interior Design Magazine and Graphis. 

Actively involved in civic engagement at both locally and nationally for over 30 years. A champion of  diversifying the creative economy, Denise founded Youth Design (2003), mentoring the next generation  of urban talent fostering access and career opportunities in design. She was honored by the Boston  Business Journal as a 2015 Leader in Diversity and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for  Massachusetts College of Art and Design, as a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College’s  Lewis Institute and Cornell University’s School of AAP Advisory Council.

A luxury-lifestyle entrepreneur, brand creator and Chief Executive Officer, Cara Federici, and her  firm, The Madison Melle Agency, are responsible for ideating and bringing to life some of the most  forward-thinking hospitality, real estate, media, and technology brands. With robust creative acumen  and extensive design, marketing, technology and leadership expertise, Federici’s proven track record  of success is derived from collaborating with a multitude of the world’s most notable names in their  respective industries, including Fast Company, Standard Hotels, Palisociety, InterContinental Hotels  Group, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and Proper Hospitality. At the forefront of innovation, Federici  launched Tech Theory Group in 2020, a high-performance technology advisory firm, designing and  delivering best in class managed information technology solutions and infrastructure services. The  Madison Melle Agency and Tech Theory Group are published regularly in national and industry  press publications and are honored to work with a stunning portfolio of clients who have been  featured in Forbes, Travel & Leisure’s It List, Business Insider, New York Times, Condé Nast  Traveler, The Washington Post, Vogue, and more.

Bringing more than 25 years of experience as a seasoned hotelier, hotel concept creator and project implementer, Ronit Copeland, MBA and her firm, Copeland Hospitality, are responsible for bringing to life some of the most exciting, forward-thinking  Boutique & Lifestyle hotel brands in Tel  Aviv’s Real Estate &  Hospitality Landscape. 

Copeland’s collective experience is derived from having excelled across several positions in the hospitality industry.Previous to opening a decade ago her full service Hospitality consulting firm,  Ronit Copeland served as Vice President- Israel , Marketing & Business Development in Global Brands including Marriott , Starwood, Hyatt & Hilton and Tamares Hotels & Spas with their respective portfolios in Israel and southern Europe.

Ronit Copeland is considered to be an expert in the Lifestyle Hotel & Real Estate Sector and has led over 85 Hotel projects mostly in development ,concept building and Global branding affiliation stages.

Just some of the selective work & projects/clients by and of Copeland:

The Norman Tel Aviv- Small Luxury Hotels of the World – Publica Autograph Collection in greater Tel Aviv , Jaffa- Luxury Collection  Marriott in Jaffa  , Indigo Tel Aviv by IHG , LG Budapest, Cramim Spa Lifestyle Resort by Isrotel  , Waldorf Astoria Hotel Jerusalem – Guerlain Spa  Development , Victor Group NY , Pillar Investments NYC,  Brown House Hotels Germany,Realti Real Estate Fund, REIT1 Fund and many others.

Copeland Hospitality advises and guides clients through every step of a projectʼs  development stage , to launching  or turnaround process. Copeland  works hand-in-hand with clients to deliver a seamless guest experience from start to finish.  

Copeland’s offices are based in Tel Aviv where Copeland creates a strategic team for each unique project as they continue to shape the landscape in Israel and major western Europe Countries with projects in Germany, Hungary  & Spain Ronit Copeland has taught Hospitality courses in Ben Gurion University & Hadassah Educational Institution. Copeland served as an Advisor in the founding stage of BLLA.

Ronit Copeland is passionate about adopting innovation , creativity and execution across the hospitality industry.  

Ronit lives near Jerusalem and is married to Scott and mother to Yael(27) , who is a musician.

A native Tucsonan, it is Moniqua Lane’s deep connection to and reverence for Tucson’s history, culture and unique geography that informs the operational and aesthetic style of Motown Development, with a focus on innovative, small scale hospitality and multi-family development strives to create meaning through place. Of MoTown’s two principals, Moniqua brings experience developing, branding, marketing, and operating independent, boutique properties, both existing and ground up.  MoTown’s first project, The Downtown Clifton Hotel, has been in operation for five years, recently completing a major expansion — tripling in size — in the summer of 2019. 

Ms. Lane creates, communicates and directs the hotel’s vision and direction; directs and evaluates the hotel management team; formulates and implements strategic planning; manages financial activities, particularly budgeting and market forecasting; and participates in industry and civic groups and activities on behalf of the hotel.  Ms. Lane is currently breaking ground on her second project, The Citizen Hotel, a 10-room boutique hotel with which will include an on-site wine cellar operations and a high-end wine and cocktail bar located in downtown Tucson.  The Citizen is set to open in Fall 2021.  Ms. Lane is also in the early stages of a mixed use commercial development located in an up and coming area in South Tucson. 

Hemal’s passion for defining and delivering the authentic meaning of luxury hospitality is in his DNA. He believes that the modern-day luxury traveler is looking for sustainability in travel and to contribute in some form or other to the environment and community. “Nothing unites the world like travel, and nothing more so than #travelwithpurpose – taking the opportunity to experience cultures and interact with communities on a more meaningful and positively impactful level.”

Hemal is currently leading the team at Alila Villas Uluwatu which has won many accolades and awards with the most recent being the top 5 resorts in Indonesia in Travel and Leisure.