On October 16th and 17th hoteliers from around the world will flock to the world’s entertainment capital in Los Angeles for INDIE Congress 2019, hosted by the Independent Lodging Congress, which has quickly become hospitality's most glamorous and diverse industry event.  Indie Congress is the cure to boring hospitality industry conferences that have become status quo. The conference features disruptive speakers such as Ace Hotels’ Brad Wilson and JDV founder Chip Conley.

It’s funny that we call hotel chains “brands” because while they have strong parent company brand affinity (e.g. Marriott, Hilton, etc.) the individual portfolio ‘brands’ rarely resonate in the hearts and minds of consumers.  There are exceptions in the luxury segment such as St. Regis and Ritz Carlton but what imagery do you associate when you hear Homewood Suites? How about Comfort Inn? 

Bleeding edge hotel brands are being created in the independent sector with pioneers like Bunkhouse Hotels (Standard Hotels), Sydell Group and Mama Shelter.  Those interested in learning about building real brands would be wise to check out Indie Congress next month since all of the top dogs will be there.

Old school chain operators view hotels like factories that process widgets and those widgets just happen to be guests.  This “factory mentality” worked 20 years ago when all that guests expected was a consistent experience and that dynamic created an explosion of chain hotels.  During that same time period competition has ratcheted up and so have guest expectations.  Today’s guests desire authenticity and don’t want to be treated like factory widgets. It’s no wonder they increasingly want to stay in AirBnBs.

So why did INDIE Congress select LA for the hospitality industry show?

Los Angeles hotel properties are constantly vying to host celebrities, awards show after parties and more.  In order to secure that valuable business they have been forced to learn from Hollywood or perish. Specifically, LA hotels have cracked the code of what it means to create truly unique experiences and build blockbuster brands.

“Some of the strongest hospitality innovation in the world is coming out of Los Angeles where hotels have followed the lead of Hollywood Studios who know how to deliver truly differentiated guest experiences.  Hollywood is increasingly forced to create blockbusters like Avengers Endgame that bring moviegoers out of their Netflix streaming slumbers and into theaters. Hotel brands like Hoxton and Ace are doing the same thing and are wooing guests away from substitutes like AirBnB,” says Hotel Tech Report CEO Jordan Hollander.

Even if your hotel isn’t in Los Angeles you should be taking notes from Hollywood and the entertainment industry - because it’s not so different from ours.

ILC visits 5 hotels over the course of 3 days (pictured: Hotel Figueroa)

Hollywood’s big lesson on how to handle disruption in the hospitality industry

As in home streaming technology continues to improve, Hollywood has increasingly needed to address similar challenges to the hotel industry.  Hollywood and hospitality are both hyper competitive and rapidly changing industries being disrupted by digital distribution and disintermediation.

The explosion of streaming services has pushed content creators to deliver mind-blowing experiences where the rise of alternative accommodations has forced hotel brands to step up just the same or risk fading into obscurity.  At Indie Congress, hoteliers will go behind the scenes with Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s head of television. Marvel is Hollywood’s golden child and Disney’s crown jewel. Marvel’s television division is spending record levels to create cinema like experiences at home with a slew of hit shows like Daredevil, The Punisher and Agent Carter.

Los Angeles has no tolerance for boring hotels and has consequently become a hub for blockbuster experiences.  Petite Hermitage features a Soho House style members only club (only more exclusive) with weekend tarot card readings and jazzy burlesque shows.  The Magic Castle features an invite only black tie magic show and the Hollywood Roosevelt famously hosted Beecher’s Madhouse (now shuttered), a debaucherous nightclub and variety show frequented by the likes of Miley Cyrus and The Kardashians.

Admittedly not all hotels are in markets that can support these kinds of experiences but every hotel team can channel their “inner Hollywood” to bring differentiated, entertaining and memorable experiences to their guests.

Cookie cutter hospitality brands don’t cut it anymore

The irony of it all is that the great brands of tomorrow are being created by independent hotels today.    The next generation of hospitality brand pioneers will share their creativity at Indie Congress with hopes to inspire a generation of hoteliers that say no to ‘boring’ as a brand.  Many of the world’s bleeding edge hotel groups have flagship properties in Los Angeles such as: Nobu, Mama Shelter, Hoxton, Ace, Standard. The list goes on and on. Many of these “Marvels of Hospitality” will also be in attendance at the show.

Hospitality legend Chip Conley imparts wisdom upon INDIE Congress attendees

Indie Congress has strategically chosen to visit many of these spaces during the event and each venue has been hand selected to stop boredom in its tracks.  The conference starts with a ‘saloon crawl’ to edgy venues like the Ace and Hoxton. The crawl was designed to encourage attendees to mingle and share ideas instead of getting stuck in one conversation that happens too often at conferences.  The conference itself will be held in 3 separate and equally stunning spaces. The geography and the flow of the show were designed to help attendees bring Hollywood like experiences to hoteliers from around the world. The hospitality industry too often falls victim to cookie cutter.  Even if you’ve got a 3-star property in Milwaukee you can bottle the ethos of Hollywood and use it to make adjustments that will help you beat out the compset and have fun while doing it.

The hotel industry has developed a pretty twisted sense of the word brand.  Chains are extremely effective at scaling consistency but culture isn’t something that scales easily.  The real hospitality pioneers like Ace’s Brad Wilson, Palihouse’s Avi Brosh and Viceroy’s Bill Walshe will be in LA next month so be sure to get your ticket before it’s too late.