Boutique hotels’ popularity has been growing over the years. Some of these properties are themed, whilst others support an underlying philosophy such as eco or sustainable tourism. Customisation is one of the properties which have made them popular. Frequent travelers are keen to experience something new as they seem to have tired of similar looking hotel rooms and spaces. Though there are characteristics which are common to most boutique style properties the definition of boutique has become increasingly broad. The essence of boutique has come to mean personalized service. Ashok Malkani examines several aspects of what makes these hotels popular and what is their future.
Large hotels may be overwhelming in size but a boutique hotel has its own awe inspiring beauty as well as service par excellence. It has been found that millennials love boutique hotels. They search for customised experiences which, they feel, are offered by boutique hotels as compared to the experiences that are historically provided by the bigger chains. As one of the regular travellers commented, “We, of the younger generation, prefer staying in a unique location which is more memorable than staying in a chain hotel as they typically offer the same look, feel and interiors all across the world. Boutique hotels, on the other hand employ several techniques to remedy this, including furniture and design of the guest rooms.”
Today’s popularity of boutique hotels is because a part of the society has moved away from the mass-consumer concept to ensure that travellers can once again feel special, experience opulence at its best and enjoy personalised services.
History
Boutique hotels are not a new phenomenon. In fact, if one looks down the corridors of time, it is believed that these hotels are, in reality, the beginnings of hospitality industry which started when Joseph and Mary arrived at the Inn in Bethlehem and the clerk told them that their reservation had been lost. The first wave of facilities offering guest accommodation can thus be traced back to biblical and medieval times.
It is believed that César Ritz a 58-room was one-of-a-kind boutique hotel at Place Vendôme in 1705. The first hotel chain formed in the early 1920s; every hotel before that was a boutique hotel. Fast forward to 1960s and 1970s when America and the Western world further commoditised accommodation and a wave of hotels sprang up and littered the skylines.
What makes a Boutique Hotel?
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