Hotelier Henry Kallan Receives the 2025 BBLA Award
Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association is pleased to present the 2025 BBLA Award for Unparalleled Service to the Czech and Slovak Communities to Henry Kallan, one of the most innovative and successful independent hoteliers in New York. He will be honored on September 25 at the 2025 Annual Gala: Truth Prevails.
“Henry is a well-known and remarkably generous member of our Czech and Slovak community. He has long been an active supporter of the American Fund for Czech and Slovak Leadership Studies, which provides opportunities for gifted students.”
Joseph Balaz continues: “Over the years, he has also mentored many compatriots in the hospitality industry, helping them gain valuable experience in the United States. Upon returning to their homelands, these individuals have gone on to build successful and distinguished careers in the field.”
HENRY KALLAN, president and owner of the Library Hotel Collection, is regarded as one of the most innovative and successful independent hoteliers in New York. His story is a prime example of the American Dream. When he arrived in New York City, his first hotel job was a busboy at The Gotham Hotel. With hard work and dedication, Kallan quickly rose through the ranks into management roles at various hotels. At the astonishing young age of 28 he became the general manager of the Gotham Hotel, known today as the Peninsula Hotel.
At Warwick International Hotels, Kallan worked closely with the owners to develop hotels and resorts around the world. In doing so, he recognized his talent in developing successful hotels which led him to create Hotel Wales (1992), one of New York City's first boutique hotels which paved the way for guest value and experience. As the originator of the clubroom and rooftop garden concept, this fueled his passion to develop a hotel brand that focused on this ideology. The Library Hotel Collection, which Kallan later developed after selling his interests in Hotel Wales, brought this concept to life. Throughout the 1990s, Kallan grew the Library Hotel Collection with the opening of Hotel Elysee (1992), Casablanca Hotel (1996), Hotel Giraffe (1999), and the Library Hotel (the namesake of the collection) in 2000. With the success of his U.S. hotels, Kallan returned to his European roots and opened the doors to Aria Hotel Prague (2003), followed by Aria Hotel Budapest (2015). Kallan's latest venture expands into Canada with Hotel X Toronto, which opened in March 2018.
Kallan has built the Library Hotel Collection brand based on his core principals of value, guest experience and the ideology of being genuinely kind. The veteran hotelier, who has a keen eye for architecture and design, brings his impeccable flair for quality as well as his gracious charm and a unique sense of hospitality to his properties.
When Kallan is not building and running the hotel collection, he enjoys time with his family.