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Your Destination: The Boutique Hotel
Originally, a boutique hotel was an independent, small property offering accommodation in a more intimate setting in large cities throughout the UK and the US. The term became popular in the 1980s. Since then, some of the large chains have acquired small properties that they operate and advertise as boutique hotels. Generally, a boutique hotel will have no more than fifty rooms; some will have as few as six.
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.
All hotels strive to make their guests feel at home, and this aim extends to the public spaces. Boutique hotels have an advantage over large properties in that their public spaces are small and intimate to being with. It is thus easier to achieve a cozy atmosphere. However, space restrictions call for greater creativity in order to achieve public areas that are functional as well as intimate.
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 big hotel, your room has the basic elements (bed, closet, bedside tables, en suite bath), but it's just like hundreds of others in the chain. Boutique hotels can approach each room as an individual space, just we all do in our homes. The details will vary from room to room, but it is the attention to detail that is important. Whether it's period furnishings, fine linens and draperies, or an ultramodern look with a flat screen TV and internet access, your room will be as unique as a room in your own home.
About the Author If you are looking for Cheap Hotel Rates or other travel savings or information, visit Chris website. He is published all over the net providing travel information to consumers.
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