BLLA's 2026 Owners Conference Draws 200+ Leaders to Westlake Village

More than 200 owners, operators and investors from five countries gathered October 19–20 at the Westlake Village Inn for the Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association's 2026 Boutique Hotel Owners Conference, a two-day working session on how independent hotels stay distinct in a market drifting toward sameness.

Delegates traveled from across the United States plus the UAE (Dubai), India, Costa Rica, Switzerland and Canada. The program ran under the theme The Age of Wonder, with more than 40 facilitators covering guest experience, F&B sourcing, retail strategy and AI visibility for independent properties.

One idea kept surfacing: wonder is a fundable, measurable line of the business, not a happy accident. Builders can budget for it and track it in guests who photograph and share the property.

"What I noticed most was how freely this community gave. People shared what is working, what is not, and what they are still figuring out," said Ariela Kiradjian, Partner & COO of BLLA.

What did owners take home?

On the guest experience. Operators were told to visit a property at dawn, dusk and midnight before running the numbers, and to allocate budgets by revenue stream so a restaurant or spa doesn't distort per-key comparisons. "I want people to show up, and I want people to go and see it for themselves," said Jayson Seidman, Founder & Managing Partner at Sandstone.

On retail. The strongest retail grows from what guests already compliment, not a shelf beside the front desk. Start small with the existing team. Let vendors drop ship larger items to keep inventory light. "When you sell something, you're really having someone be your brand ambassador," said Sky Mitchell, Founder & CEO of Basecamp Resorts & Everwild Nordic Spas.

On food and beverage. Sourcing and storytelling turn a meal into the reason guests book. Meet local growers; bring the farmer's story to the table.

"You don't have to have your own farm. You just need to go out there and meet the members of your community who are feeding us every single day," said Tony Greenberg, Co-Founder of SingleThread.

On AI. Speakers framed AI as already embedded in hotels' daily tools and told owners to start where it hurts most — guest service, labor or revenue. Because guests now find and book hotels through AI assistants, properties should test how they appear there and set rules for what AI handles and where a human stays in the loop.

"AI is changing how travelers discover and book hotels, and independent properties cannot afford to become invisible in that process," said Ira Vouk, Founder & CEO of AI Hospitality Alliance, whose session focused on protecting direct guest relationships as AI agents enter the booking journey.

A room built for operators

Beyond the stage, BHOC functioned as much as an executive social club as a conference. Intimate Mentorship Circles and Connect with Strangers problem-solving tables let attendees test ideas against one another. A Trivia Night turned new acquaintances into teammates.

"BHOC doesn't hand you a formula. It's about curiosity, wonder, and openness," said Tracy Georgiou, Founder of Long Weekend. Rob Bukacek, a financial advisor with Pacific Advisors, called it "more intimate than any conference I've attended."

Sponsors ranged from Capital One Travel and Cvent to SiteMinder, IDeaS Revenue Solutions, PriceLabs and Nespresso.

What comes next

BLLA, founded in 2009, positions itself as the global advocate for independent boutique and luxury lodging, running membership programs plus initiatives like StayBoutique and Boutique Money Group.

"Independent boutique hospitality is not simply a category within the hotel industry. It is a vital force for creativity, entrepreneurship, and meaningful guest experiences," said Frances Kiradjian, Founder & CEO of BLLA, noting the association's 17-year commitment to the community.

The next stop is the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference on June 9, 2027, at the Quorum by Convene, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, with headline partners Convene and Blank Rome returning for a second year. The Owners Conference itself returns October 5–6, 2027, in Southern California.