After 16 years, downtown-based Blvd Hospitality has rebranded as JB Hotel Group, so named for Co-Founder and Chief Executive Jon Blanchard, with headquarters now in Santa Monica.

The change is not in name only but also signifies a shift in focus for the firm, which is now looking toward developing independent lifestyle and luxury hotels.

In its tenure, Blvd was responsible for the following downtown hotels: Ace Hotel, the CitizenM hotel, Soho Warehouse in the Arts District and Hoxton Hotel. CitizenM was the first approved high rise modular construction building in the city of L.A.

The firm also acquired and redeveloped The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica which re-opened in 2023 and served as the catalyst for the rebrand, as the experience working on an independent hotel resonated with Blanchard’s interests.

“Since then, the focus has really been to kind of turn a page and move to the next chapter, which is less focused on wonderful, branded hotels and more focused on independent lifestyle and luxury hotels, not just locally, but also nationally and globally,” Blanchard said.

In observing more consolidation plays in the hospitality sector with small and mid-sized hotel brands being acquired by the giants such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Hyatt Hotels Corp., Blanchard wanted to hold space for the independent hotels that can truly be tailored to a community.

“When you look at the community that you’re opening in – the art, fashion, music, etc. – these one-off or independent hotels can really capture a lot of that,” Blanchard said.

Markets of interest

Blvd had a history of developing in what Blanchard deemed “overlooked markets.” While JB Hotel Group will still follow that strategy to a degree, there’s a new focus on “what is not being offered in that particular market…where we think that we can bring something to complement the area and complement the other hotels in the area, offering something that we believe is different,” Blanchard said.

The first project in the works under the rebrand is a 125-room hotel in Anaheim, located just outside of the Disneyland entrance. More details will come in early 2026 for this ground up development which is expected to complete construction sometime in 2027 though the firm said the idea is to “reimagine the modern family-friendly stay” in a release.

While the hospitality sector in L.A. has been making some strides in recovering from Covid, an April report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association found L.A. is rebounding slower than other major U.S. cities. Even still, Blanchard sees opportunities created by various hotel closures since the pandemic.

“There is some real opportunity there to come in and give (some of those markets) some life again and bring them back,” he said. “L.A. is one of the greatest cities in the world and the more that we continue to invest in it and continue to build, it’s just going to continue that story for L.A.”

Aside from local projects, JB Hotel Group plans to look at Orange County, Santa Barbara, Scottsdale, Arizona, parts of Florida, Nashville, Dallas and Houston. First focusing domestically over the next few years, Blanchard mentioned possible expansion into European markets for luxury boutique hotels.

The initial push for the firm will not be quantity of projects but rather “on the branding, the storytelling” and operating the hotels – an area Blvd did not always get to explore in depth due to the nature of developing alongside established brands.

“When you’re developing with a brand, they’re bringing the management, the brand, the assets, the culture, etc. with it,” Blanchard said. “(Meanwhile) when you’re opening up something new each time, that takes a lot of new focus and creativity.”