The Complete Guide to Boutique Hotel
Most tourists are familiar with the names of these well-known hotel chains: Marriott, Hilton, and Wyndham. Many frequent travellers decide to stick with the same chain as they hop between cities so they know what to anticipate. The levels of service, lodging options, and amenities are dependable and consistent. Nevertheless, a boutique hotel occasionally appeals to travellers looking for a more individualised, intimate experience.
There is some debate about what qualifies as a boutique hotel and what isn’t, and chain hotels can provide individualised and exclusive experiences as well. However, sometimes the appeal of boutique hotels is their uniqueness.
In this article, we explain boutique hotels and discuss why many tourists find them intriguing. We analyse the history of boutique hotels, tracing their development to the present day while highlighting some actual instances.
What Exactly Is a Boutique Hotel?
It’s hard to define what a “boutique hotel” is. There is no set list of characteristics, size limit, or any unambiguous standards that define what a boutique hotel is. Even Shlomo Gabbai, who oversees the annual Boutique Hotel Awards, which honour the top boutique hotels, has trouble defining the phrase.
When asked to name the qualities of a boutique hotel by Business Insider, he replied, “There are a limitless amount of recipes, but the primary ingredients I see in a boutique hotel are uniqueness and a great psychological impact.”
Although there aren’t any requirements that hotels must follow, all boutique hotels share a few distinct features.
What Distinguishes a Hotel Boutique?
A costly hotel with luxurious carpeting, eye-catching moulding, a posh spa, and a high price tag? First, we typically associate boutique hotels with high prices. However, in practice, they occasionally cost visitors less than branded hotels.
In comparison to the usual chain hotel, a boutique hotel tends to be much smaller. These little hotels, which often have less than 100 rooms, can be thought of as fashionable establishments that give each visitor a tailored, individual experience. Though they can be found almost anywhere, they frequently choose to be in urban areas like city centres, downtown shopping areas, or other hip spots.
Each chain hotel will likely have large hotel rooms, distinctive aesthetics, and provide a variety of services and amenities. While some boutique hotels may have a spa or gift shop, others might have a coffee shop or a trendy salon. Every boutique hotel offers its visitors a distinctive experience so they may return home with a tale to share. They enable visitors to get fully immersed in a community.
The History of a Boutique Hotel
Inns, wayside motels, and bed & breakfasts are just a few of the small-scale lodging choices for tourists that have existed throughout history. According to Skift, the idea of the boutique hotel didn’t start to take shape until the 1980s.
The existence of boutique hotels was hotly contested in the hotel business in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although it was obvious that a new hotel design, subsequently known as a boutique, was emerging, it was not yet a commonly recognised hotel type.
When hotels that would eventually earn the name “boutique” opened, they weren’t advertised in that way because the phrase hadn’t yet been coined. There is some disagreement over which property was the very first as a result. Most industry professionals concur that it was either the Clarion Bedford Hotel or the Morgans Hotel.
Morgans
Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager founded the Morgans Hotel in 1984. The two entrepreneurs of the infamous Studio 54 nightclub changed careers and entered the lucrative hotel industry. It demonstrated to us that elegance and sophistication could be accessible. The Morgans Hotel featured a particularly contemporary design for the time.
Clarion Bedford
Bill Kimpton founded The Clarion Bedford Hotel in 1981, and it is situated in San Francisco, California. The same year, Bill Kimpton also introduced Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. The properties of San Francisco-based Kimpton are reported to have been influenced by his numerous excursions to Europe.
What Sets Boutique Hotels Apart from Other Lodging Options?
While there is undoubtedly some overlap, there are a few significant areas where you can anticipate boutique hotels to be different from chain or brand hotels.
Size
Most boutique hotels are smaller than conventional hotels, with between 25 and 100 guest rooms, offering a warm, personal experience. Many boutique hotels have common public spaces since they frequently need more scope of big hotels.
Location
Boutique establishments are often found in more upscale surroundings, as opposed to brand hotels and larger buildings, which are sometimes placed next to highways or around a variety of fast-food restaurants for travellers’ convenience. Boutique hotels take pleasure in their stylish surroundings and urban setting, which are frequently found in a city’s urban area.
Services
Hotel chains frequently offer streamlined services. Only made-to-order meals or continental breakfast may be offered by other restaurants with chosen services. There are outdoor saltwater pools at some hotels, while others have indoor pools. Yet boutique hotels offer a wide range of amenities that change according to the location.
