Written by: Joe LeVine, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Mercer Street Partners Fifteen minutes in a sauna — 160, 180, sometimes 195 degrees, until you’re sweating and starting to question your decisions. Then, immediately, a cold plunge. Submerge to the neck in low-40’s water for one to three minutes, while everything in you says get out. […]
The 17th Annual Boutique Hotel Owners Conference Returns to LA this Fall LOS ANGELES, CA — The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) has entered a new era of storytelling for the boutique hotel industry, declaring 2026 the Age of Wonder. The theme anchors this year’s Boutique Hotel Owners Conference (BHOC), the 17th edition of […]
What three experts on branded residences said about deal structure, buyer motivation, and why this is no longer just a game for the major flags. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — Branded Residences Branded residential used to be a footnote in the hotel development conversation. It is now, in many cases, […]
What the minds behind Public Records and Stylus said about sound, obsession, and what happens when you treat acoustics as architecture. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — High Fidelity: Sound as a Hospitality Vertical The session description for this panel made a claim worth sitting with: a beautiful room used to […]
What three F&B operators said about culture, concept, and the economics of making people want to come back. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — The Other Side of Hospitality: Food & Beverage There’s a version of hotel food and beverage that everyone in this industry recognizes: the restaurant designed for hotel […]
On emerging markets, community as infrastructure, and why the geography of boutique hotel investment has quietly shifted. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — Emerging Markets and Opportunities The panel description for this session opened with a provocation: the investors waiting for calm may be waiting a long time. The ones paying […]
What the investors, lenders, and operators on our capital markets panel actually said about where boutique hotel deals get done right now. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — Capital Market Trends The panel description for this session ended with a question: capital is moving. Do you know where? Thirty minutes later, […]
What three cultural operators taught a room full of investors about the only asset that actually earns loyalty. From the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, June 3, 2026 — Cultural Capital: The Currency You Can’t Buy Pierre Bourdieu argued that society runs on more than money. It runs on taste, knowledge, and the kind of fluency […]
Your go-to guide to the conversations, forums, and gatherings shaping hospitality and travel in the year ahead. Each year brings a new rhythm to the hospitality and travel industry: new ideas, new markets, and new opportunities to connect in meaningful ways. For boutique hospitality professionals in particular, industry events remain one of the most valuable […]
Now with Over 13,000 Global Network Members and the Launch of the New TIEWN Website LOS ANGELES, CA – July 2, 2025 – The 2025 Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference, hosted by the Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network (TIEWN) and powered by BLLA, is back for its most powerful gathering yet on Wednesday, July […]