In hotel industry, change is a constant. If a couple of years ago international hotels captured the traveler’s preferences, nowadays guests are looking for a personalized lodging experience which takes care of details and offers a quality service.
This way appeared boutique hotels, places that mixes a first level hotel management with a private and intimate ambient by fitting clients needs.
The category was created by Ian Schrager in the 90’s when he tried to describe the kind of experience offered by his hotel, the New York Paramount, one of the finest in the Big Apple.
Although there isn’t a clear definition, we can say that a boutique hotel has the following 7 features:
- Limited number of rooms. The number of rooms ranges between 20 and 150.
- Limited space for events. Events should not exceed 10 or 15% of the weekly demand. If this percentage rises, the hotel begins to lose its personality.
- A small lobby. Lobbies are smaller than those of conventional hotels. Thus, the guest experience will be much more intimate.
- Personalized service. It’s impossible to provide a boutique service without being careful of details and attention to passengers.
- Cultural heritage conservation. Boutique hotels are often placed in old houses that have been remodeled to give them a new use while maintaining architectural harmony with their environment.
- Sense of aesthetics and technological leadership. Most of these hotels are known for its eclectic design and, also, for providing technological services to its customers as free wi-fi, videoconference rooms, etc.
- Location doesn’t matter. If a boutique hotel has all the features mentioned above, guests will not mind traveling a few miles to stay there.
Excelente articulo. Un hotel boutique es como el arte: difícil de definir, pero se reconoce cuando se ve. Un establecimiento boutique debe ofrecer una experiencia de alojamiento única en su tipo, con una personalidad individual.
Los hoteles boutique crean un punto de referencia para intereses compatibles y específicos. El punto de referencia es una combinación de diseño y servicio. Cuando el huésped llega a estos establecimientos se siente inmediatamente en casa y encuentra que el personal lo aprecia.
The seven features mentiond above substantially captured what i believe are the attributes of boutique hotels save for the location, which in my mind matters.
Cheers.
Hi Edward,
Thank you for your comment!
I agree with you, a Hotel boutique needs to be placed in a touristic destination that worth the visit and with a “good” standing (hotel boutique niche market).
But when we say “the location doesn’t matter” we meant that a Hotel Boutique can be located far away from the touristic center of a destination and still get numerous reservations. The experience of this kind of accommodation goes beyond just a place to stay – the architecture, service and even the activities expended in those establishments sometimes become a destination for themselves.
There are hundreds of examples of Hotel Boutiques in the world that are completely isolated and are successful (Castles in Est Europe, Haciendas in Latin America, Lodges in Africa…).