What are Boutique Hotels? What is the concept of Boutique Hotels?

Boutique hotels, what are they? Ever heard of these types of hotels?

In the early 80s,   some hotels were opened keeping in mind the personal service which could be meted out to their customers.  These hotels were then called as ‘lifestyle’ hotels.  They were first opened in London and then gained in popularity all over the world.

Boutique hotels are hotels that cater to only a limited number of guests i.e. less than 100 to 120.  But these are very luxurious hotels having large surroundings.  The speciality of these hotels are that they give personal service to each and every guest.  As such the clients are treated as a family member who receives a personal touch in the service he gets.  Mostly boutique hotels are themed hotels and are set according to the environment of the city e.g. in Bath, Boutique Hotels are set up taking into account the Architectural and historical importance of the city.  As such, Boutique hotels in Bath are situated on vast properties and have an historical architecture in their theme.  The focus of these hotels is on peace and comfort to its client which results in giving only the basic facilities instead of techno-savy instruments at its disposal.  Their clients are mainly upper-level sophisticated travelers who opt for personalized service and lavish surroundings rather than the common hotels available aplenty.  The Boutique hotels provide a 24 x 7 service to make their guests more comfortable.

A boutique hotel is individually owned and not a chain-group of hotels and as such their personalized services make them a very popular concept for staying.  These hotels are mainly found at all major travel destinations, differentiating clearly from the other hotels.  These hotels were first established in North America and the United Kingdom but due to their popularity, new Boutique hotels are setting up all over the world in countries like Spain, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Peru, Iceland and Turkey. 

These hotels cater to all types of customers, may it be a businessman, a tourist on vacation or a honeymoon couple.  Because of their personalized and excellent service, these hotels have a regular clientele which prefer these hotels instead of the common hotels.  Also as these Boutique Hotels are theme based hotels, the tourists and vacationers find them to be unique for their stay.

There are some disadvantages also, in terms of Boutique Hotels.  The first is that they have a limited number of rooms available and as such are not available during peak seasons.  Another disadvantage being that these hotels are highly priced in comparison with the normal hotels of the region.  As such only high-ended people are likely to be their customers.  Also the dining options available at these hotels are limited due to small capacity of customers.