Last week’s announcement by the Aparium Hotel Group for a boutique hotel in Covington, KY was something I heard whispers about at the Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference in Miami Beach a few weeks ago. The 107-room, $25-million project is one example of the continued growth of the boutique and lifestyle segments of the hotel industry.
The 300-plus attendees of the fourth LBHDC at the Fontainebleau were further evidence. They included a mix of veterans like Richard Millard and Jason Pomeranc, some fresh faces who came looking to break into the hotel industry and even some major hotel developers like Mitch Patel, president and CEO of Visions Hospitality Group, who came looking to learn how to turn the dream of developing an independent boutique into a reality after a lifetime of doing franchised hotels.
The conference had something for everyone, including an engaging lunch keynote conversation with “Hotel Impossible” star Anthony Melchiorri, who spent an hour discussing his TV show and answering insightful and sometimes offbeat questions from the crowd.
If you weren’t able to attend, or want to take another look, check out this photo gallery of the event.
And here are the stories we’ve written about the event: Independent and Boutique Hotels Gain Mainstream Acceptance Nothing Takes the Place of Face-to-Face
Be Strong If You Want to Finance a Boutique Hotel
Independent Hoteliers Share Best Practices
Boutique Hoteliers Must Be Passionate About F&B
Booming Boutique Business Meets in Miami Beach Aparium Hotel Group Plans Boutique in Kentucky
LH wasn’t the only media outlet covering the event. Hotel News New, the Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Business Examiner have already published several stories, the Real Estate Guys aired a couple radio interviews they recorded on site (download Property Possible and Hotel Impossible here) and Planet Fashion TV had camera crews at the show.