Successful independent hotels deliver a story that piques guests' interests and offers a distinctive style that resonates throughout the property, said Tim Dixon, owner and developer of The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee. "[A]ll things equal in the independent and the brand business, an independent needs to think about transcending their guest. ... [W]hen you approach an independent or an experiential hotel, boutique hotels, you need to have a story. Every single part of that hotel experience has to have continuity," Dixon said during AH&LA's Hospitality Leadership Forum at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York.