Last week, I surveyed Hotels Above Par readers, our friends in PR, and fellow travel writers and editors to help me define the word we all use but rarely agree on: boutique. I wanted to know what actually separates a boutique hotel from a regular one, and whether a property can still earn that label if a massive hospitality company is the one running it. And some of the answers weren’t at all what I thought they'd be. The room-count question came out about how I expected. Most respondents drew the line somewhere under 50 or 75 rooms, with "1-25" and "25-50" the most popular answers by far. It turns out that size still matters to most people. But when asked if a hotel can still count itself as boutique if it's part of a larger group, like the Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, the answer was a bit surprising—and deeply annoying as a researcher. To be honest, I expected an overwhelming "no, a big company can't own a boutique hotel." Instead, the vote split exactly down the middle: 50 percent of respondents said yes, a hotel can belong to a larger group and still count, and 50 percent said no. Not a majority. Not close to a consensus. A dead-even tie, making it impossible to draw real scientific conclusions. However, what this does hint at is that the industry may be shifting its understanding of "boutique,” moving away from ownership structure and toward something harder to put a number on: the vibe. "A hotel can have 25 rooms and offer an experience that is entirely generic and forgettable, or it could have 150 rooms and deliver a deeply personal stay through distinctive design touches, authentic storytelling, a curated collection of locally relevant amenities, and genuine hospitality," Rana Kay, founder of the PR firm Verdien, says. "Often, people believe that boutique refers to a hotel's size, but it's really about communicating a true 'sense of place.'" Respondents kept circling back to a few themes: family-owned, distinct details, and an attentive staff who never forgets your name. "Personality above all sells the property, quality branding, clear ethos and intentionality," Erik Johansen of Night Flight Consulting says. "That all adds to that level of intimacy that makes a boutique property shine. It should feel similar to finding the hidden gem restaurant or cocktail bar in that city or destination." Writer Julie Wolfson, for example, loves those fresh flowers or real plants that often adorn boutique properties. “Nothing feels more corporate or sad than fake foliage in a hotel room,” Julie adds. For writer Wendy O’Dea, it’s all about finding a spot that shows it cares, and usually, that’s a boutique property. “When my daughter was accepted to college and went for her visit, The Beatrice Hotel left a congratulatory note and a book on the university’s history in our room,” Wendy says. “That was a small gesture that had a big impact, and we’ve stayed there many times since.”
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But, again, a solid half of respondents weren’t quite so willing to hand the word over to the big brands. "Corporate brands have caught on that consumers want feelings of intimacy and 'boutique-ness' at hotels, and they try to copy what so many great, independent hotels have worked so hard to curate," the anonymous respondent shares. "You can't just emulate these things; they are born out of love and care, not for the bottom line but for the experience." And then there was Adam Erace, one of our favorite travel writers in the game, who gave me the best argument for why boutique will always come down to the people, not the parent company. “I recently spent four magic nights at Palazzo Avino in Ravello, Italy, which is my ideal example of a boutique: about 50 rooms, personal service and a distinct design sensibility that's channeled through everything from the in-room stationery to keychains to the pool umbrellas,” Adam says. “But the X-factor is the actual Avino family, whom you see and interact with throughout your stay and who infuse the property with a radiant sense of Italian style, warmth and hospitality.” And, as Adam notes, you’ll likely find Don Avino “just hanging out on the terrace with a cigarette and the family dachshund, Richard” any time you visit. As for other boutique spots that got rave reviews, The Truitt in Kansas City, Hotel Jackson in Jackson Hole, La Colombe d'Or in France, Palacio Principe Real in Lisbon, the Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis, and Casona Roma Norte in Mexico City all made the cut with our HAP community. So maybe it isn’t about size at all. But that hotel better have one hell of a personality to make up for it. |
