Amy Michaelson Kelly, Principal at Hatteras Sky, spoke last week at ALIS DESIGN+ (a division of The Americas Lodging Investment Summit) in Los Angeles. Ms. Kelly shared her legal expertise regarding brand licensing during a breakout session on The New Hospitality: Brand Extensions, Private Enclaves & Wish-List Experiences from Urban Treehouses to Novel Escapes.

Ms. Kelly was instrumental in securing licensing for one of Hatteras Sky’s boutique hotel portfolios in Asheville, North Carolina which pays homage to the The Fitzgeralds, particularly Zelda, who had a special relationship with Asheville. Having vacationed, lived and – in Zelda’s case – died tragically there, the Fitzgeralds left their mark on a city already enamored with their literary works, legendary personalities, and well-documented adventures.

Brand positioning for the five property portfolio celebrates Zelda through all phases of her life from her early courtship with F. Scott and the luxuries of romance, to her intellectual and creative pursuits throughout the 1920s and beyond. In addition, the licensing agreement establishes Hatteras Sky as The Official Hotelier of The Fitzgerald Estate in Asheville. The portfolio’s first hotel, Zelda Dearest, preserves a set of three historic Biltmore Avenue mansions circa 1885-1890 into a 20-key boutique hotel and wedding event space and opened Fall 2023.

Additional panel speakers included Michael Suomi, Principal of the award-winning Suomi Design Works team, whose portfolio of projects include the Eliza Jane in New Orleans, the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, and the Press Hotel in Portland, Maine, as well as Hatteras Sky owned The Radical Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina.

Learn more about The Radical Hotel here.

ABOUT ALIS DESIGN+

ALIS DESIGN+ (a division of The Americas Lodging Investment Summit) is a hub for hotel architecture, construction, and design and it assembles industry luminaries, propelling them to exchange insights, inspire innovation, and revolutionize design’s role from mere cost to a profit generator.

The two-day event, hosted January 24-25, 2024, in Los Angeles, at the J.W. Marriot/Ritz-Carlton, centered around networking and informative sessions focused on the latest trends and issues.

Learn more about ALIS DESIGN+ here.