The Definition of a Boutique Hotel

By Chris Linch

Small and often luxurious small hotels began to be called "boutique hotels" in the 1980s. Generally, they were independently operated and offered from six to as many as fifty rooms. Many such independent still exist, but some chains have begun to market their smaller properties as boutique hotels also.

In a large chain hotel, staff are unlikely to remember your name, where you're from, or why you're there. By contrast, boutique hotels have both fewer rooms and a higher staff-to-guest ratio, so they offer highly personalized service. Since many boutique hotels are exceptionally luxurious, they appeal to travelers seeking a different experience, whether they crave luxury, a bit of eccentricity, or both.

In a boutique hotel, the hotelier is usually the owner. They seek to make their guest feel at home, to provide comfort and pampering without being intrusive. That balance is not always easy to achieve in a small hotel setting. It calls for impeccable standards of service, along with the careful attention to design elements.

The public spaces of any hotel are an important feature of their character, and they greatly affect the degree to which guests can be made to feel at home. In boutique hotels, where space for public areas is limited, it is easier to create cozy atmosphere. Nevertheless, small public areas call for heightened creativity in the use of the space available.

In the public areas of a boutique hotel, some guests will want to relax in their own space and others will want to chat together. The space should accommodate both through the arrangements of furnishings and lighting. Comfortable furniture will encourage guests to relax and put their feet up, in keeping with the less formal nature of the boutique hotel.

In a large hotel, one room is much like another. Sometimes the basic elements are identical throughout the chain: the bed, the closet, the bedside tables, and the en suite bath. It's the details that make a house a home, and the same is true of a boutique hotel. Your room might have unique antique furniture and high-quality linens and drapes. It might have a flat screen TV and internet access. The bathroom might have a custom design. Whatever the features, your room will not be quite like any other room in the hotel. - 30229

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