HOTELS

This is a subject that I have been carrying around and toying with since I (then an outsider with a completely different background) opened my own small 3 suites hotel...B@B if you say so... There is a class of luxury B@B 's emerging that can compete with the top of the 5* hotels. I am inclined to call those the Real Boutique Hotels. Or would you have a better name?

There cannot be just one definition of boutique. It is like the concept of luxury - constantly evolving. The best we can hope for is to follow brands like Small Luxury Hotels www.slh.com (beating Ritz C and Four Seasons in independent surveys!) or Design Hotels www.designhotels.com - these are the brands that are finding and representing the finest of independent "boutique" on the globe. In fact, if you take this one step further, "boutique" is actually a red herring. It was originally used for smaller independent hotels to differentiate themselves from the chain hotels: The real argument should be what defines a luxury hotel?

Interesting comments. I find the above definition to be to accurate but too narrow. There are some hotels that are small, unique hotels but have over 300 rooms and I would still consider them boutique. To me, boutique means an intimate, one-of-a-kind design that caters to a more fashion-focused demographic. One element that was missed here, that I also believe is important, is community. A boutique hotel should reflect the city it's in, and give the guest the sense of the city's character. Isn't that the point of travel anyway--to feel like you're somewhere new? Perhaps this is why the lines are so blurred. The 'boutique touch' is something that every hotel should strive to have really. The bottom-line is that boutique is more about guest experience and less about fitting into a box, or a rigid definition.

Though to a certain extent I would agree with the i-escape and jeffs points to consider when branding a hotel 'boutique', Rebecca's last point does make sense since a true boutique hotel SHOULD reflect the city/town/village. Im also not so sure about any hotel having less than 50 rooms being considered as B&Bs... The Luxury factor has alot to do with the term Boutique. At the same time I think you should have atleast 10 rooms to call it a hotel and not an inn.

I fully agree with Jeff Weinstein. www.hoteljosef.com and www.maximilianhotel.com both, Prague, designed by Czech designer Eva Jiricna will become members of i-escape.

I find this attempt to define Boutique Hotels rather amusing and somewhat ridiculous. It will certainly help i-escape's business model, but hardly makes sense. Looking at traditional boutique's, as in shops, there is hardly any true element that would allow us to give them a collective definition other than possibly being small. But design and style, ownership, service are all elements that have uncountable facettes and aspects. All of which are correct in their own right, even if duplicated in various forms. Who can even dare to judge on what is stylish apart from the end consumer. Why would global operators not be able to operate boutique shops or hotels? If not independantly owned, does that exclude unique design and personalised service. Strange assumptions in my view, especially in a world that embraces change, innovation, fun, interactivity, authenticity and so many other elements that might be much more important than any of the included criteria.

However, the inventor of a boutique hotel does not seem to care about it anymore. Is it really necessary to define it?