PHOENIX—Hospitality veterans W.A. Headley III and Bryan Guillot on Tuesday introduced a new boutique hotel brand at the Lodging Conference here. Known as Artistry Hotels, the brand will focus on urban developments, mixed-use projects with significant business activity and university campuses.

The hospitality industry is changing rapidly to meet the demands of a new, emerging traveler that places a high priority on their own personal design, service and experiential preferences,” says Headley, CEO of the newly launched Artistry Hotels Partners LLC. “And while Millennials undoubtedly are having a significant impact on the industry,” as they grow in numbers and influence, the Active Boomers at the younger end of that generation are as well. “Regardless of age, this 'new,' discriminating US travel consumer has become the driving force behind what defines today's 'lifestyle hotel.' ”

The new brand's focus is “service, people, integrity and innovation,” says COO Guillot. “With Artistry Hotels, our goal is to establish a new definition of what the true 'art of hospitality' really means to today's traveler, and how that is realized through the highest standards of service, our business practices, the Artistry guest experience and the brand's commitment to social responsibility.”

Headley and Guillot lead a seasoned team of hospitality executives, experts in all phases of hospitality development and operation, and who each have more than three decades of hospitality industry experience with such top-tier lodging companies as Westin Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels, and Wyndham Worldwide. For instance, Headley, who most recently was co-managing partner and CIO of Flagship Investment Group LLC, has provided construction, development and consulting services to hospitality companies including Starwood Hotels, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham Worldwide, Embassy Suites and Hilton. Guillot is founder of Thomas Lee Group, an Orlando-based hospitality and gaming marketing company, and previously was chief marketing officer for Baha Mar Resorts, the planned Bahamas mega-resort and casino.

Artistry Hotels has also tapped veteran hospitality design firm WATG and its new Chicago-based Urban Architecture Studio practice, to shape its “art as architecture” brand concept, based on its expertise and focus on high-rise and urban mixed use projects. It's intended to support a concept that revolves around locally curated experiences.

Instant Insights /

Boutique Brand Seeks to Redefine 'Art of Hospitality'

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