There are different choices of hotels on offer for todays travellers. For one you could sample a chain hotel or experience one of the new boutique hotel trends. A boutique just like a chain, usually has different suites on offer. People usually think only hotels like The Ramada or The Holiday Inn define a hotel experience.

You can choose between a big name hotel or a bed and breakfast like The Holladay House in Virginia. But there is an alternative. The alternative is to stay at a type hotel that may be alien to you, namely a boutique hotel. This doesn’t mean you should suffer any less luxuries or comforts. On the contrary, you will often find the oppositte.

Boutique hotels have weathered good times and bad times especially with the boom of affordable hotel renting. However, boutique hotels have a quality that chain hotels cannot match. Like bed and breakfast inns, boutique hotels can give a homey kind of feeling. In fact, these hotels are usually located in older and antique homes. Each boutique home is designed to a theme. Many boutique hotels converted from older homes in New Orleans are designed to emulate the 19th century era. Fashion, indigenous culture, handicrafts arts and decor have a big part to play with boutique hotel resort trends.

Boutique hotel owners will use their surroundings to come up with a theme fo the hotel. For example, the city of Santa Fe has a boutique hotel that uses the southwest culture of the Native Americans. The hotel, called the Anasazi Inn, uses handmade throws, rugs and pottery.

However, other hotels use a theme not of the area but of a time period. New Orleans boutique hotels are an example of this. Another example of this is San Francisco’s, Hotel Union Square. The Hotel Union Square uses the Prohibition era for its theme. Owners have decorated its rooms and halls with a black granite and cream travertine tile.

These hotels are not solely exclusive to the U.S. Paris, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Cannes to name but a few, have wonderful boutique hotels on offer. They are a very successful business if operated correctly. There even are boutique hotel lenders available to finance your hotel with. Such is the popularity and success of the tourism industry, which is also complimented by the level of service provided by boutique hotels.

Boutiques on average have about 25-50 rooms. You can also find some with 8 rooms and also others with over 150. They generaly are much smaller than chain hotels. This enables the staff to offer a higher level of customer service to its guests.

Book well in advance if you have your eye on a particular boutique hotel. Rooms are limited to begin with. All the gems naturally get picked out first, though you should be able to get an agreeable boutique. Things like business conferences can block book out almost every hotel in a city.

Some Boutique hotels constantly upgrade the features of the hotel. It’s not a build once set forever approach, but an ongoing improvement strategy. Don’t worry the features are merely upgraded luxuries, so you won’t see or hear any major construction works. Many rooms have access to wi-fi internet, and come with a private bath. Those on business trips can book a meeting room. Larger boutiqe hotels have spa’s, fitness suites and swimming pools. Just like at larger chain hotels, restaurants and bars are available on site for guests to enjoy.

If you are tired of staying in those chain hotels, boutique hotels are an alternative. This alternative may cost a little more but is well worth the money you spend. Remember this saying: you pay for what you get. If you want a unique experience, boutique hotels will give you that and more.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 9:05 am and is filed under Vacations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.