This Week's BLLA Commentary
Stay Boutique Live Rewind Series: Issue 6 & Boutique Community News
This week's commentary is the sixth "Stay Boutique Live Rewind" series where we cover what was said on stage at a recent Stay Boutique Live event!
During this week's series, we get to explore The Idea Behind Boutique Micro Hotels by hearing from Javier Egipciacothe Managing Director of Arlo Hotels.
Arlo Hotels managing director Javier Egipciaco stressed the importance of innovative non-hospitality partnerships and an enthusiastic hotel staff while announcing expansion plans during an interview at the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association’s annual Boutique Hotel Investment Conference.
Egipciaco, whose company specializes in micro-room hotels whose average room size is about 150 square feet, spoke about working with "urban camping" specialist Tentrr and independent candy shop operator Dylan's Candy Bar, saying that associations with those companies helped solidify a boutique reputation for the nascent hotel brand. He specifically discussed installing Tentrr "glamping" tents at Arlo's SoHo property during the winter time, when the hotel's courtyard is usually unused.
"We replicated a campsite inside New York City, and people wanted to have full dinners inside of these tents. That's something we didn't anticipate at all," said Egipciaco, alluding to the Tentrr partnership. "Dylan's Candy approached us. It's been a collaborative partnership."
Arlo Hotels opened its first hotel, a 320-room property, in New York City's SoHo district in September 2016. The company added a 250-room property in New York's NoMad neighborhood last year. Both hotels opened at sites that were previously earmarked for Two Roads Hospitality’s Tommie micro-room badge.
"We employ individuals who live the brand," said Egipciaco, who worked with Hersha Hospitality and Hyatt Hotels before joining Arlo Hotels in 2016. "Everything’s fair game. Even if someone's done it before, it's how you execute it."
Egipciaco also spoke of the company's expansion plans, saying that its project at New York City's Hudson Yards development will have almost 500 keys. He referred to the property as "Arlo 2.0," adding that the rooms will be slightly larger.
"The hotel will have a nine-story atrium, a Beekman feel," said Egipciaco, referencing Thompson Hotels' historic and recently reopened Beekman in downtown New York. "One-hundred and fifty square feet is nice, but the smallest there will be 180 square feet."
He added that Arlo Hotels is looking to expand into cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, Miami and Washington, D.C.
"We'e drawing a lot of attention from developers," he said.
Watch Callie Peck from Sideways Agency interview Javier on-stage at Stay Boutique Live, The Investment Edition.
We're hosting our next conference in Los Angeles and it's a "must-experience" event. We'll be in a 60,000 sq ft space in Downtown Los Angeles with so many chances to meet, learn and explore what the boutique community has to offer.
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