Boutique hotels are those hotels that are known for their unique artistic and architectural style. They are usually smaller than grand hotels and luxury is not their main goal; rather, they are the main purpose of the visit.
Boutique hotel is a slang term used in North America and the United Kingdom to describe a distinct type of hotel. (The term is now used as a standard throughout the world.)
The word “boutique”, borrowed from French, was originally used to name stores that specialized in selling rare and expensive goods on a small scale (as opposed to large stores).
As the 21st century began, the hotel and lodging industry became increasingly entangled in a monopoly of major hotel brands. These brands emerged primarily in North America and then began to dominate the market in other parts of the world, relying on their name and history.This widespread influence led to a change in the definition of hotel ownership, and in fact, the definition of a hotel for everyone became what these giants offer, namely “a temporary place to stay while traveling.” According to experts, boutique hotels emerged in the early 1980s.
Two early boutique hotels opened in 1981, one in London’s South Kensington neighborhood, Blakes Hotel, designed by renowned architect Anouska Hempel, and the other, the Bedford Hotel in San Francisco, which is now owned by one of the largest boutique hotel operators in the world, the Kimpton Group, which operates 34 other boutique hotels to date.After them, a third boutique hotel was opened by a man named Ian Schrager in New York, called Morgans Hotel, which was designed by the famous French designer Andrée Putnam in 1984.
Architecture and space design
Style, Distinction, Attraction, Intimacy are the keywords of this concept. The architectural design of a boutique hotel with a strict social outlook, looking for a different space to meet their specific criteria, is what determines the important distinction of a boutique hotel from a standard hotel. Because customers usually have to go to a standard hotel, while travelers who come to a boutique hotel have already chosen it.
Each boutique hotel has chosen a specific theme and has tried to replicate this theme in different ways in other locations so that it is always fresh even for its regular customers. For example, the Library Hotel in New York has implemented a range of specific themes from romance to music in each of its guest rooms.Some hotels have chosen a historic space as their building, while others have adopted modern, newly born designs that incorporate historical elements for added impact.
Service quality
There is an important rule about boutique hotels, and that is, “The number of rooms should not exceed 150.” So size and space are important in relation to boutique hotels, but just like industrial hotels, which consider larger and more space to be a sign of superiority.The reason for this, apart from the fact that it shows a kind of prestige and high character, is that “the customer will have a more pleasant and face-to-face communication with the hotel managers.” So the result is that the quality of service will be much more desirable.In these types of hotels, for example, the staff knows the names of each of their guests due to their permanent familiarity and is best aware of their needs, an experience that you will not feel in a large, mechanical hotel.
target market
Most boutique hotel customers are between the ages of 30 and 60, and are in the prime of their incomes. They often crave unique and memorable experiences, and no place can fulfill their desires like a boutique hotel.
Travel planning
Another characteristic of boutique hotels, which stems from their subversive nature, is that they plan their guests’ travel while they are traveling.This means that the traveler only needs to choose the type of tour they want from the hotel, pack their bags, and leave everything to the expert planners at the hotel, who will design and implement all the steps accurately and with knowledge of the customer’s tastes and preferences. This would definitely be beyond the capabilities of a classic hotel.
Small economy model
Boutique hotels never prioritize quantity over quality, because increasing capacity means decreasing quality, which is the beginning of their structural collapse. These small complexes are incredibly high-quality, honest, and friendly, because their business model demands it.
Boutique hotel in Iran
In March 2006, the Laleh Kandovan International Hotel was opened as the first boutique hotel in Iran. This hotel is the third cliff hotel in the world, built in the historic village of Kandovan, located 62 kilometers southwest of Tabriz.The Saray-e Ameri Boutique Hotel is also one of the most prominent examples of this style of hotel in Iran. The beauty and spaciousness of Saray-e Ameri is unparalleled among the historical houses of Iran; the grand Saray-e Moazam, with seven courtyards in the middle, has created a perfect world for the life of a large family from Kashan.
This house was opened on June 17, 2014, with 15 houses and taverns, with facilities including two restaurants, a coffee house, a tea house, a gallery, and an amphitheater in the cultural heart of Kashan.Many tourism units in Tehran also use this name, many of which are service apartments and provide full service apartments to users, and it can be said that boutique hotels in big cities are a common name for service apartments.It should be noted that using the term boutique hotel requires a special concept and theme according to the definitions mentioned.