Skift Take
Commune sits squarely inside the growing boutique and lifestyle sector, putting it in a prime position to discover and adapt to guests' changing expectations faster than large hotel corporations dipping into the segment with a newborn brand.
Editor’s Note: This interview is part of Skift's CEO interview series. This series is with hospitality CEOs talking about the Future of the Guest Experience and the evolving expectations and demands of hotel guests. Check out all the interviews as they come out here. Also, enjoy the previous series on the Future of Travel Booking, with online travel CEOs.
Commune Hotels and Resorts is a relatively new hotel company, which formed in 2011 when boutique hotel brand Joie de Vivre merged with luxury lifestyle brand Thompson Hotels. In addition to the two founding brands, Commune recently launched tommie, a value-oriented that combined the luxury and bespoke lifestyle elements of the former brands.
Niki Leondakis, the company's current CEO and one of very few women leading a hotel corporation, joined Commune in 2012 after serving as COO and president of Kimpton Hotels & Restuaurant. Her experience puts her in the center of the lifestyle hotel sector whose growth was eviden