The Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach is site of the 2nd annual Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference.

The upcoming Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference promises to be the ideal meeting place for developers, owners, brand companies and lenders looking to enter or expand in this segment of the industry. The event, which will be held Oct. 11-13 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, will feature speakers and panel discussions on all aspects of development, financing, designing, marketing and operating boutique and lifestyle hotels.

The conference, sponsored by Lodging Hospitality in association with HVS Hotel Management, features two dynamic keynote speakers. At lunch on Tuesday, Oct. 12, hotel industry veteran Scott Anderson will provide attendees with his outlook on the segment. Anderson is group president, Hospitality & Real Estate, for Kohler Co., which among other things, hosted two major professional golf tournaments this year: the British Open and the PGA Championship.

The following morning, one of the seminal leaders of the boutique movement, Chip Conley of Joie de Vivre Hotels, will trace the roots of his company and look to the future of the segment.

Following a welcome reception on the evening of Oct. 11, the conference kicks off Tuesday morning with a general session, “Lifestyle/Boutique Leaders Speak Out,” in which top executives in the segment discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. The panel, which will be moderated by Lodging Hospitality Editor Ed Watkins, includes Janis Cannon, vice president and brand manager for IHG’s Hotel Indigo brand; Raul Leal, president of Desires Hotels; and Fred Kleisner, CEO of Morgans Hotel Group.

Attendees will be able to pick from among seven breakout sessions that will cover a variety of development, operations and marketing topics. “Financing for the Future,” moderated by HVS Hotel Management’s Vicky Richman, will feature a panel of lenders, owners and consultants who will discuss the ins and outs of boutique financing. Another must-attend session, “Food & Beverage: Celebrity Chef of Not,” includes several boutique hotel food and beverage managers and owners, who will explore the pathways to f&b profitability.

In another panel, a group of owners and management experts will present their checklist of what to look for when choosing a management company for a boutique hotel or lifestyle property. The question of whether or not to brand a boutique hotel will be the subject of discussion for a panel of branding experts from IHG, Wyndham and Thompson Hotels.

On the morning of Oct. 13, LH’s Ed Watkins, Kirby Payne of HVS Hotel Management and the session moderators will review the top takeaways from the previous day’s sessions. The conference concludes with a bus tour of three Miami Beach boutique and lifestyle properties.