Are Boutique Hotels Boutique Anymore?

Sad to hear about Kimpton, frankly. As for W, Andaz, Edition and the like, I don't know anyone outside of people who work for marketing at Starwood, Hyatt and Marriott who would consider those hotels "boutiques."

For me the future of boutique hotel chainlets is Ace, which is doing a fantastic job of building a loyal clientele of people who want genuine quirk from their properties. The Ace Palm Springs has a hippie vibe, the Portland Ace has a grungey vibe, and the New York Ace has a glam, hip vibe that few other NYC hotels can replicate. The newest Aces - in L.A. and Panama - are actually full blown luxury hotels, too. The only requirement for an Ace seems to be that they be in genuinely historic buildings, or in the case of London or Palm Springs (where the structures are more mid-century), buildings with a "soul." It's hard to feel a new-build Kimpton or W comes with soul attached.

@Nick - if you get a chance, read the article that Ben referenced in his post. There is discussion about ACE, et.al., and the author's assertion is that they will only remain "boutique" to the extent that they remain small and thus have a "mystique" associated with being "limited". I don't know that I will go that far, but there is some logic in it when you are trying to brand differentiate yourself.

One of the most successful ways in which Kimpton differentiated their managed properties is to contract out their restaurant to a chef, either known or up-and-coming, who is well respected for his or her individual style, often using local ingredients. Chains could (and on occasion do) emulate this. Another practice, though, that can't be copied concerns the complimentary wine served during the cocktail hour, as this was made interesting less for the free wine than for socially interacting with a mix of younger demographic, more cultured people of taste than the traveling sales reps, employees from large firms with contracted rates or (yes) those to whom earning and burning points is of utmost importance or who, in fact, prefer standardized environments as that's how they prefer to lead dull lives devoid of even positive surprises.

You still find many non chain boutique hotels in Europe which are amazing. I never stay at chain hotels in Paris for example since you can get boutique hotels that are equal or better than top chain hotels there and you get a very personalized attention.

@KahunnaTravel - great point. Obviously, a boutique is no longer a boutique when it has 40+ properties. Kimptons managed to keep the boutique sensibility by branding and styling most of their hotels independently.

Maybe that's just it - boutiques are the opposite of chains, so if you own/operate a boutique hotel, you're going to lose that when you decide to expand.

I think soon there will be a new term for the likes of W, and Andaz. For now they are fleetingly and vaguely referred to as "the hip and chic sister-property of X brand".

The problem here is thinking only of chain boutique hotels. There's a Hyatt in Kathmandu. There's also an amazing boutique -- in the truest sense of the word -- hotel called the Kantipur Temple House. If I were into points & miles when I visited Kathmandu I probably would have stayed at the Hyatt. Instead, I stayed at the other place, and am really glad I did. The uniqueness, charm, and personalized attention couldn't be beat. So, yes, the boutique hotels might be trending toward consistency, but only because you're focusing only on chains.

"true to their “boutique” routes" Think you meant roots. 😉

@ Lisa -- Whoops, good catch, thanks. Fixed!

Boutique hotel and chain hotels are oxymoron's.
When you go above 2 or 3 hotels under the same ownership/management it becomes hard to deliver anything but cookie cutter experience, if you also want to ensure good service to you guests.

W hotels are often beautiful, but boutique? NO

When you go over 30 rooms that whole boutique feel is hard to get, and it becomes hard for staff to really give a personal service to guests as you will be dealing with different members of staff and not just a few that will know your face.

W Barcelona is great, but this is boutique hotel:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/casa-camper.en-gb.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187497-d543153-Reviews-Casa_Camper_Hotel_Barcelona-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Prague is city that full of small boutique hotel
Probably the best is Golden Well
http://www.booking.com/hotel/cz/u-zlate-studne.en-gb.html
http://www.goldenwell.cz/default-en.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g274707-d277304-Reviews-Golden_Well_U_Zlate_Studne-Prague_Bohemia.html

Sadly has been full every time I have been in Prague.

But loved their restaurant the times when I dinned there.
http://www.goldenwell.cz/restaurant-en.html

Come on lucky, any hotel chain is not boutique. Common sense here. If you can use miles, its not a boutique. I'd pick any local family owned boutique hotel over the local hyatt any day for the same price tag.

The term "boutique chain" does seem like an oxymoron. The Ace is a great example. I've been to the one in Palm Springs several times and it has an interesting vibe but I would bet that part of the owners' business plan is to continue to expand and ultimately be bought out. If you want a more authentic boutique experience in Palm Springs there are dozens of great ones within blocks of the Ace - the newest example being Sparrows just across the street. Spend time in any of those and the Ace starts to feel like a chain, albeit with a fresh twist.

@Joe - I'm curious. Why would you rather "...pick any local family owned boutique hotel over the local hyatt any day for the same price tag."? Part of the article that Ben posted speculated on how consumer demographics (as in more younger travelers) has impacted "consumer tastes/demands" (as in "good vibe", "authentic experience", etc) which, in turn, created a branding/marketing niche by which a lodging establishment could differentiate itself - ie "boutique". As an over age 60 traveler, I know my taste/preferences have certainly changed over the decades so that now I would choose the Hyatt over the local family owned establishment at the same price point because I want a Hyatt "type of experience" for my money. Likewise, products like ACE and Air BnB don't attract me either. What I buy today, and what I am experientially comfortable with, is so much different than when I was in my early-mid 20's travelling with a copy of "Europe on $10/day" in my back-pack and "boutique" was a hostel, a family pension, a B&B, or a monastery.

@KahunnaTravel: You're not automatically equating boutique hotels with budget hostels and pensions, are you?

@Mike - oh my no. I'm just musing on how the branding of something that gives a traveler that "authentic experience/vibe" has evolved from the early 70's. Now we think of small independent hotels as "boutiques" when 40 years ago (particularly in Europe), before the rise of the branded chains, those were the "main stream" choice/image. It's almost as if the rise of the branded chains has resulted in the creation of the boutique concept as an inevitable, and perhaps necessary, counterpoint to the chains' existence - just as something will come to be a counterpoint to whatever "boutique" comes to be viewed as as it matures/evolves.

I'm not the target demographic of the boutiques any more. What works for me now is B&Bs and their home away from home style. I *LOVE* the relaxing, personal vibe, of getting to know the host and being part of the family. Airbnb has some of this quality, but still can't compare to a full fledged B&B. It's completely different than aspirational properties, and I do love both for what they are.