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Sector trends and perspectives on tap at investment summit.
By Matthew Hall
At first blush, the annual Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) would seem to be mainly a big-brand affair, with the speaker podiums and exhibit hall dominated by such hoteliers as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Carlson and Starwood. But upon closer inspection, it turns out the boutique sector is amply covered and represented throughout the event. I experienced that again when I recently attended my second ALIS conference, this time at the JW Marriott and Nokia Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles.
Among the boutique-related news/developments I encountered while there:
* Keynote speaker Donald Trump spent much of his talk detailing the appeal of his seven-member Trump Hotel Collection, which is run by his adult children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric. “The Hotel Collection is a labor of love for us, and we’ve worked hard to create something special at each one,” said the Donald. Never one for the understatement, Trump said that for all the uniqueness of each property, they also all share several attributes, including “pre-eminent locations, great architecture, captivating views, world-class dining and incredible furnishings.”
* Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality (and the subject of the cover story Boutique Design’s November+December 2011 edition) received the 2012 International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) Pioneer Award at the show. The society bestows that honor on those in the lodging community who have demonstrated leadership in the following areas: active involvement in the industry, extensive contribution to the field, and personal/ organizational attributes and qualities.
* The Mondrian Soho in New York was one of three finalists in the ALIS’ Development of the Year Award. The 270-room Mondrian Soho—whose lobby/reception area won a 2011 Boutique Design Award—was developed at a cost of $250 million by Cape Advisors Inc., and is managed by Morgans Hotel Group. (The winner in this category, as revealed at the show, was the 1,005-room, $320 million JW Marriott Indianapolis, which was developed and managed by the White Lodging Services Corp.)
Then there were those unexpected, “you-had-to-be-there” moments that often occur during conferences of this sort. My favorite at this year’s ALIS took place during a breakout session titled “What’s New and Unique,” when Yotel ceo Gerard Green dissed the Marriott exec sitting on the panel for the $12-a-day Internet access fee that the event’s host hotel was charging its guests. “Everyone says free wi-fi is a given these days, but that’s not the case here,” Greene noted.
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