The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) will hold its 2026 Boutique Hotel Investment Conference on June 3 at 237 Park in Midtown Manhattan, marking a new partnership with Convene Hospitality Group and the 14th year of the event.
Founded in 2013, the conference has served as a gathering point for owners, investors, developers and operators in the boutique hotel sector. BLLA said the collaboration with Convene reflects a broader shift as hospitality principles extend into commercial real estate and other non-traditional environments.
“We have watched this sector go from underestimated to undeniable,” said Frances Kiradjian, founder/CEO, BLLA. “The investors, the developers and the capital that once looked past independent hotels are now chasing them. Convene represents the next frontier of that story—hospitality thinking applied beyond the hotel walls, and we could not be more excited to tell it together on June 3rd.”
The one-day conference will take place at Convene’s 30,000-sq.-ft. venue, which includes seven meeting rooms, in-house culinary programming and technology infrastructure for main-stage sessions and breakout discussions.
Programming will focus on both financial and cultural forces shaping boutique hospitality, including evolving financing structures, sustainable growth models and changing guest expectations. Sessions will also explore experience-driven trends such as listening bar culture and sauna culture.
“The most interesting deals we have seen come out of this conference were never just hotel deals,” said Ariela Kiradjian, partner/COO, BLLA. “They started as a conversation between two people who had never been in the same room before. That is what we are building toward—a conference where the boundaries between hospitality, capital, real estate, and experience start to disappear.”
BLLA said the selection of Convene as host venue aligns with the company’s focus on integrating hospitality-driven design and service into office buildings, mixed-use developments and event spaces.
“Hospitality is a fundamental driver of value in commercial real estate today,” said Ryan Simonetti, CEO/co-founder, Convene Hospitality Group. “We’re seeing the boutique mindset traditionally reserved for hotels successfully migrate into non-traditional venues like office towers, mixed-use developments and special event venues. At CHG, we’re leaning into that shift, and there’s a lot we can learn from one another. I look forward to discussing how we can collectively explore new industry territory with the visionaries at BLLA.”
An evening event will follow the conference at NeueHouse Madison Square, part of Convene Hospitality Group’s portfolio, with additional programming extending the day’s discussions.
