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.

As Principal of Sigma Hospitality, Jagruti Panwala provides guidance on budgets, franchise affiliations, PIP requirements and capital expenditures.  Jagruti currently serves on the AHLA Board of Directors.  She also serves as the Immediate Past Chair of AAHOA and was the first Chairwoman in the association’s 30 year history.  This experience has given her unique opportunities to learn the needs of others in the hospitality industry.

Jagruti helps lead advocacy efforts aimed at protecting the interests of hotel owners. Her advocacy work includes testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions in 2014 about the harmful impact of over-regulation on small businesses. She also testified before the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access in 2018 about the impact of the travel and tourism industry on the American economy. She serves on the Department of Energy Better Buildings Summit Steering Committee.  She has given countless speeches and lectures at Legislative Summits, industry events and Universities across the country on varying topics and volunteers her time when and where she can in order to highlight female empowerment.

Born in Surat, India, Jagruti immigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1991. She earned undergraduate degrees in both finance and economics in 1998 and that same year also founded Wealth Protection Strategies Inc., an investment management company specializing in succession planning, where she currently serves as President and CEO.

Jagruti is a second-generation hotelier. She and her husband, Ahmed have two children and reside in suburban Philadelphia.

Rami is the Founder & CEO of Life House, which is a company and vision derived from a perfect combination of valuable professional & personal experiences. After working for some of the best firms in the industry – from a Director at Sydell Group to a Vice President at TPG, Rami learned the nuances of the hotel business from operations & branding to financing & tech. Rami saw an opportunity to creatively solve a real estate problem and a consumer problem in the multi-faceted ecosystem of hotels and real estate and had the perfect combination of experience and creative thought to execute on the vision of reinventing the hotel business and the process of creating high-touch, locally-rooted lifestyle hotels that add meaning to travelers lives and increase risk-adjusted profitability to hotel owners. 

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.

Founder and President Jennifer Hawkins is a public relations and communications specialist with expertise earned promoting some of the finest hotels, resorts and hospitality brands in the world. Her combined passion for travel, media and entrepreneurship drive Hawkins International, which has grown steadily over nearly 20 years while offering insight and innovative services to meet client needs. Jennifer’s talent for trend spotting, embrace of digital and social media, and solid leadership have fostered loyalty among top editors and hospitality brands.

Since launching Hawkins International on her own in 2002, Jennifer has focused on building a strong client list while growing the firm in staff and square footage. Even as Hawkins International’s portfolio blossomed, its office expanded, and its staff increased to 20+ professionals, she has steadfastly maintained the firm’s boutique stature, the better to maneuver, innovate, and personalize services in ways more sizable agencies cannot. She has further positioned Hawkins International as a go-to resource sought by key media influencers for trends and keen insight on the travel industry and other luxury sectors.

Jennifer fell hard for travel as a youngster while backpacking through Europe with her father. Her continued passion has taken her to more than 50 countries across six continents. (One of these days she’ll make it to Antarctica.) Prior to Hawkins International, she headed public relations in the U.S. for Orient-Express Hotels, helping the company achieve new heights of media awareness. A graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Social Ecology, Jennifer is socially committed to her community and in her spare time works with the Girl Scouts, Urban Dove and others. Likewise, many Hawkins International staffers regularly join efforts to enrich their communities and support local and national causes. Jennifer lives in Chelsea with her husband Jon, who is also an entrepreneur in NYC, their two kids, and their beloved dog Sunny.

Mark Keiser is Chief Development Officer for SH Hotels & Resorts. In his position, he is primarily responsible for the growth of the Baccarat Hotels, 1 Hotels and Treehouse Hotels brands.
Mr. Keiser most recently was a leader on Starwood Hotel’s development team for over ten years and was responsible for its managed and franchised development efforts for the nine brands in the western half of the US. Prior to that role, Mark held varying leadership roles including leading Starwood’s luxury development activities across the US, Canada and Caribbean, and Starwood’s real estate investment activities on the East Coast and in the Caribbean. Before joining Starwood’s development team, Mr. Keiser gained a diverse range of experiences in the hotel industry working for the financial services firm, Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. as well as at the hotel companies Wyndham International and Prime Hospitality.
Mark Keiser holds a BS in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and is a former member of its Young Alumni Dean’s Advisory Board and an active member of the Recreational Development Council of the Urban Land Institute.

An advocate and educator in business leadership, equity, and diversity. A female leader of color, speaker, educator and mentor, who exemplifies what is possible for those who are determined by design.

The voice of design impact and change – Kia weatherspoon, NCIDQ, ASID has spent the last 15 years defying every design stereotype. Her presence and leadership create ripples, prompting housing developers, agencies, and industry partners in these communities to do better.
Kia has presented, moderated and been on panels across the nation. Kia has also been featured in Fast Company, Boutique Design, At Ease, Globe Street, among many others. Video samples of Kia’s work and featured articles are available upon request.

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.

Dan Daley is COO of Relevant Hospitality where he is responsible for  overseeing and managing every facet of the company’s hospitality platform including: acquisitions, development, asset management, and operations.  He has more  than  15 years of experience  working for a number of the world’s most boutique  hospitality brands. Prior to joining Relevant Group, Dan served as an executive with  Ian Schrager Company, helping to launch the PUBLIC brand.  Earlier in his career he held various managerial and executive positions with Dream Hotel Group, TAO Group, and Gerber Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University.

Ross Walker is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of  FOUND Places & Hawkins Way Capital and its affiliated funds. Since co-founding the company, Mr. Walker has served on the Investment Committee where he leads the firm’s real estate acquisition and development, asset management and property management activities. Prior to forming Hawkins Way Capital & FOUND Places, Mr. Walker served as a Partner at Wolff Urban Development, a real estate-based family office, which included professional sports team ownership activities (Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes).

Mr. Walker graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Subsequently, Mr. Walker served on Stanford University’s Board of Trustees and now serves as Trustee Emeritus. Mr. Walker is also a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council and YPO.

Jack Westergom is Managing Director and founder of Manhattan Hospitality Advisors.  Mr. Westergom is a veteran hotelier whose background includes asset management, hotel/resort operations, international marketing, investment relations and real estate development including many of the top 25 hotels and resorts in the world.

MHA divides its practice into three areas of expertise, (1) management/asset management, (2) lender relations and (3) construction project management.  MHA’s partners have been involved in the construction of over $4.5 billion worth of new hotel assets and have been engaged in over 160 hotel, resort and golf-related assets.  MHA specializes in developing, opening and operating luxury and full-service assets, including such prestigious projects as the Four Seasons Resort Maui, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, Renaissance Las Vegas, Bryant Park Hotel, the Shore Club in South Beach, the Rosewood Resort in Fiji, Rosewood Celeste Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico, Resort at La Punta Papagayo in Costa Rica and The Bluff Resort in Cayman Brac.

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.

“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.”

Dan joined HWE in June of 2019 as President of the firm’s hotel group.  He is charged with leading a team that executes institutional-grade hotel and resort property transactions globally. During his career, he has completed nearly $30 billion in investment sale, debt, and structured finance transactions.

Previously, Dan served as senior managing director and head of the hospitality practice group for HFF, joining the firm in 2007 to build a dedicated hotel platform. Prior to HFF, he was a co-founder of Regent Street, an affiliate of The Plasencia Group (TPG), a boutique firm specializing in sale, financing, and advisory services for distinctive hotels and resorts throughout the Americas.

Peek is a member of the Urban Land Institute and its Hotel Development Council, the AHLA Investment Roundtable, advisory board of the Cornell Real Estate and Finance Center, and the Cornell Hotel Society. Dan is a recipient of the industry’s prestigious “Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year” award.

Opening General Manager of The Wall Street Hotel, New York City. An independent luxury hotel, owned by the Paspaley Group and a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Previously, Regional General Manager of Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch, first European hotel of Nobu Hotels global portfolio. Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch opened last July 2017.
Prior to moving to London, Vega was the Vice President of Luxury Hotel Operations of Caesars Palace and concurrent General Manager of Nobu Hotel’s first hotel. Accomplished hotelier whose skills have been honed by close to 30 years in the hospitality industry. Established roots in the industry with established five-star luxury hotels namely Inter-Continental Manila, Mandarin Oriental Manila, and Mandarin Oriental Macau.
Master’s Degree in Hotel Administration from Royal Melbourne Institute Technology and currently lives in Brooklyn New York with her husband, Phillip, and youngest daughter Maria. Total of three children, Rafael and Meredith living in Las Vegas and San Francisco.

At age 28, Rob entered the hospitality world with the purchase of his first lodging property in Kennebunkport, Maine. Now, 13 years later, he is involved in the ownership and management of 24 distinctive boutique hotels and several restaurants in the North East of the United States and in California. Along the way he has served as a consultant/owner’s representative for several significant hotel and resort projects throughout the North East. In 2012 Lark Hotels was formally born. Lark is Rob’s passion – creating and operating playful, design-driven boutique properties that pay homage to their locations and create a deep feeling of nostalgia by providing unique experiences and service for guests – resonates deeply with him.

Not a back office CEO, Rob has been recognized for doing whatever it takes – whether it is cleaning toilets, making beds, hauling furniture or installing wallpaper. It’s true, more of his time lately is spent developing the strategic vision for Lark Hotels, creating budgets, forecasting revenue projections and evaluating projects, however he, along with the rest of the Lark leadership team, is in regular touch with each property on an ongoing basis.

Over the last decade, he has become an expert in revenue management, creating operational efficiencies, repositioning properties, branding, and project evaluation. While other developers and operators can be hesitant to commit to seasonal markets or smaller properties, Rob has a particular affinity for these resort destinations and knows how to maximize a short season.

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.

Chris King, Salamander Hotels & Resorts’ Chief Development Officer, is responsible for creating and implementing new business development strategies aimed at growing Salamander’s portfolio through third party managed hotels and resorts in the US, Canada and the Caribbean. Prior to Salamander, Chris spent four years with Brookfield Asset Management in Washington, D.C., where he was Vice President of Real Estate Investments and oversaw $2 billion in hotel transactions. Chris is a veteran of DiamondRock Hospitality Company and Marriott International. As Vice President at DiamondRock, Chris was heavily involved in capital markets, oversaw investor relations and played a key role on the acquisitions team that acquired 34 hotels over 10 years. As Director of Development Finance at Marriott, Chris worked on over 100 hotel development projects worldwide and collaborated on a 10 year international development strategy. Chris has also served as a consultant for Access Holdings in Baltimore and Navigant Consulting in Washington, D.C.

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.

“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.”

”

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.”

”

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.”

Boutique inspires the hospitality industry to become progressive in thinking, collectively moving forward the consideration between human connection and travel experiences.  Boutique further encourages a passion for the work hoteliers and partners do together long term – bringing a genuine sense of authenticity into the heart of hospitality services and design. 

Cara Federici is founder of tech theory group, a high-performance technology advisory firm, designing and delivering best in class managed IT & infrastructure services. In collaboration with tech theory group, Federici is CEO of The Madison Melle Agency, a lifestyle consultancy and creative studio headquartered in Los Angeles with teams across the globe. Bringing more than 15 years’ experience as a seasoned brand creator and implementer, Cara Federici, and her firm, The Madison Melle Agency, are responsible for ideating and bringing to life some of the country’s most exciting, forward-thinking lifestyle brands.  Federici’s current portfolio includes an array of development companies, media and technology brands, mixed-use assets, management firms, and individually owned properties – including highly sought after,  world-renown thought leaders and their teams.

Federici’s collective experience is derived from having worked under some of the world’s most notable names within their respective industries, including The Kor Group, Proper Hospitality, Palisociety, Standard Hotels, JRK Property Holdings and Cachet Hotel Group. Prior to starting The Madison Melle Agency, Federici excelled across several positions in the hospitality industry, from Vice President of Global  Brand Management and Vice President of  Operations to General Manager and Vice President of Room Sales, Marketing and Revenue. Federici studied at Parsons School of Design and graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. from Tulane University. Federici also holds a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments & Asset Management from Cornell University.

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.

Current Responsibilities

Kevin Davis is a Managing Director in JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group in New York, where he is responsible for raising debt and equity capital for hotel owners, and is one of the leaders of the Hotel Investment Banking group. In this role, Mr. Davis works closely with the lending community, including banks, life insurance companies, debt funds, mezzanine providers and CMBS lenders, as well as institutional owners of commercial real estate.

Experience

Since joining JLL in 2013, Mr. Davis has been involved in almost $10 billion of financings which include ground-up construction projects, value-add/transitional assets and stabilized properties. Notable transactions include the financing of the JW Marriott Essex House, the Standard High Line, the One Hotel Central Park, Loews Regency San Francisco and the Ritz Carlton St. Thomas. Representative clients include ADIA, Ashford Hospitality, Barings, Blackstone Group, Highgate Hotels, Rockpoint Group, Starwood Capital and Walton Street Capital, among others.

Positions

Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Mr. Davis spent almost a decade as a lender at Merrill Lynch and UBS, where he was involved in sourcing and executing over $7 billion of first mortgage and mezzanine financings for securitization and balance sheet. In this role, Mr. Davis was actively involved in loan origination, loan structuring and closing. Mr. Davis also spent three years as a partner and co-founder of FundCore Finance, a high yield lending platform that made opportunistic investments following the financial crisis.  Previously, Mr. Davis worked as an attorney in Washington, D.C., where he covered banking and securities policy issues for members of the House and Senate Banking Committees.

Education and Affiliations

Mr. Davis holds a B.A. with Honors in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

JF Capital Advisors is a strategic and capital structure advisory firm focused on the hospitality industry. Jonathan Falik founded JF Capital Advisors in 2004. Previously, Jonathan was a Senior Managing Director and Head of Hospitality Capital Markets at BGC Partners. Simultaneously, he was the Head of Investment Sales at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. Prior to that, Jonathan was a Managing Director and Head of the Hospitality Investment Banking group at Cantor Fitzgerald. Jonathan was the CEO of Eagle Hospitality, a private hotel REIT, which was acquired by JF Capital and its partners in 2007.

As both an advisor and a principal, Jonathan has worked on numerous completed M&A and financing transactions involving well over 2,000 hotels and over $25 billion of transaction value. He has extensive experience with acquisitions and dispositions of public and private companies, asset management restructurings, portfolio sales and single asset sales, equity and debt financing, high yield financing and mortgage financing. He has extensive hospitality experience as an agent, advisor, principal, owner, borrower, guarantor, franchisee, lender and asset manager.

Jonathan graduated from Rutgers College with a degree in economics and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Jonathan has lectured and presented at numerous hotel industry events. He is a founding member of the Columbia Business School Real Estate Circle and has been an adjunct professor of Real Estate Finance at NYU’s Graduate Real Estate Institute.

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. 

Kevin Rohani is the Senior Vice President of Development for sbe, a leading international hospitality group that develops, manages and operates award-winning global hospitality brands. Rohani is responsible for the sourcing of new hotel and branded residence projects in targeted global markets while leveraging his extensive owner, investor and developer relationships. Rohani started his career in hospitality with sbe back in 2010, where he focused on hotel operations and development aiding in the opening of SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and SLS Hotel South Beach among other projects. He has experience in portfolio expansion, hotel operations, development, design and architecture. Kevin also supports sbe’s residential platform with 1,300 branded residential units sold to date, valued at $2 billion, with another $2 billion in the pipeline. Rohani served as Vice President of Development at Dream Hotel Group focusing on global hotel opportunities in Europe, Central America, Canada and the USA. Prior to his time at DHG, Kevin worked for Gensler, an award-winning global integrated architecture, design, planning and consulting firm. Rohani resides in LA and works closely with the sbe and Accor teams internationally.

Rani Gharbie is the Head of Acquisitions & Development for Pod Hotels, a BD Hotels company, where he is responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and working closely with capital partners and strategic investors to increase equity positions and funding for future projects. BD Hotels is the largest owner of independent hotels in NYC with a portfolio of 28 properties valued at over $2.5B, including flagship hotels such as The Bowery, The Mercer and The Greenwich.  

Formerly, Rani oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels. Prior to that, Rani was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based real estate development and investment firm. Prior to Cedar Funds, Rani was regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he was responsible for actively expanding IHG’s premier hotel brands and contributed to the growth of 20 hotels worth over $1.8B in real estate value. Prior to IHG, Rani was with Jones Lang LaSalle where he advised investors on development and investment projects valued at $4.2B across all real estate asset classes.

Rani is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia GSAPP’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches Private Equity Development – Hotel Focus.  He holds a Master’s Degree from the same program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University. Rani is a regular guest speaker at key industry conferences and is an avid traveler, runner, cyclist, golfer and Vinyasa Yogi. He currently resides in New York City with his wife Alisha and their son, Reece.