With many years in hospitality and travel under her belt, Frances Kiradjian is a seasoned professional whose passion and knowledge show through the organizations that she’s built over the past 30+ years. In 2009, Frances created the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (now the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) to give a voice to independent, upscale hotel properties, who at the time had no representation in the industry. Frances took notice and ensured that these boutique hotels had the means to compete on a level playing field with major hotel companies. Frances runs the 5 divisions alongside her daughter, Ariela Kiradjian.
Today, BLLA serves hundreds of worldwide members including independent boutique hotels, small brands, and the vendor suppliers that sustain them. What started as a platform for boutique hotels has recently turned into a haven for all boutique businesses, including restaurants, bars, nightlife, wellness, retail, and more, making our community inclusive on a grand scale globally. Through a very closeknit community of members, extremely well thought out conferences and global events, and promotion of the leaders and spaces through very high-end printed and digital magazines and exclusive sites, BLLA, and its divisions - Stay Boutique™, Boutique Money Group, and BLLA Events, our community is together - creating collaborative opportunities for all the members as they share the same boutiqueloving customer.
Additionally, Frances founded the Travel Industry Executive Women’s Network (TIEWN) in 2008 to unite women in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, 15 years before most women’s groups you see today. The 13,000 members unite annually for The Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference in Los Angeles to discuss the progress of DEI in our industry and create pathways of mentorship and discussions of legacies that have been created along the way. The network continues to improve the progress for women into the C-suites of today’s travel related companies. In addition, boutiques share this philosophy: “Boutique is not a thing, it’s not a store, it’s not a room—it’s an experience. It’s something that incorporates all five senses in our current culture.”
Although Kiradjian has extensive experience in the travel industry, her focus has primarily been held in the hospitality and lifestyle sectors. She created and developed the first travel agent centric hotel booking portal, which combined multiple hotel inventories and allowed for mark-ups of a net rate. This has continued to serve as an important business model for travel-related technology companies today. Kiradjian began her career in the travel industry as a national accounts manager at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, where she managed top global accounts including Baxter Healthcare, Toyota, and Disney.
Kiradjian is a graduate of the University of Southern California, (USC) from the highly respected Marshall School of Business. Fran heads up the BLLA Board of Advisors and the StayBoutique Board of Advisors as well as participating as a Board of Directors member of St. Justine’s Luxury Hotels (along with other well-known hospitality industry icons).
About BLLA
The official organization for the world's boutique lifestyle leaders promoting connection, education, and advocacy. As a pioneer in forecasting the boutique movement, the BLLA's network has grown beyond its hotel foundation to welcome more passionate entrepreneurs, businesses, and purveyors that amplify the boutique lifestyle. The corporate manifesto. BLLA is a catalyst for trends and the future of the boutique lifestyle. BLLA.org / TIEWN.com / BLLAEVENTS.com / BoutiqueMoneyGroup.com / Stay-Boutique.com.
Now more than ever, stakeholders in the global hospitality industry need to unite, support each other, and stand behind initiatives that promote and advocate for the industry.
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