While nearly every small hotel seems to toss around the term “boutique” when it refers to their services, not many guests actually know what the term means. Unlike their luxury and franchise counterparts, boutique hotels are clearly defined, with elements and amenities that set them apart from the rest.

2. Every hotel of the smaller variety seems to call itself a boutique
hotel. But what does this term actually mean?
Unlike the open-to-interpretation meaning of luxury hotel, the
definition of boutique hotel is quite clear. Here are some elements
that distinguish a boutique hotel from the rest.

3. First and foremost, a boutique hotel
is small. Most hospitality pros agree
that for a property to be considered
a boutique hotel, it should not be
much bigger than 125 rooms.
A boutique hotel's intimate size
produces its characteristic personal
feeling and heady ambiance. Some
luxury travelers enjoy the cozy size
and enveloping atmosphere of a
boutique hotel. Others prefer feeling
like observers in a big, busy hotel.

4. A boutique hotel strives to be one-of-a-kind. It has an independent attitude. It may be
independently owned and/or it may be a member of a luxury hotel association. Some
boutique hotels wear the boutique label of a larger hotel brand. Sometimes it's a wing
of a larger hotel. The boutique section feels more or less like a separate hotel. It has its
own reception, lobby, and decor -- not to mention a more exclusive identity and more
personalized service.

5. Boutique hotels tend to be in the city,
where their buzzy ambiance feels just right.
Often, the small size of an urban boutique
hotel affords it a dead-center location in
the heart of town. This makes it easy to hit
all the hot spots around town.

6. A boutique hotel is not generic, blah, or bland. It
strives to be one-of-a-kind, and has an independent
attitude. Its clientele is individualistic, too.

7. Typically, a boutique hotel's design comes from its of-the-moment point of view. Décor
in a boutique hotel runs toward sleek materials and stark palettes with bold color
splashes. (Fusty furnishings like chintz, brocade, tassels and swags are not boutique-
hotel hallmarks.) If a hotel has cookie-cutter décor and/or is filled with traveling suits, it
fails the Luxury Travel Boutique hotel test. Often, a boutique hotel conveys a strong
sense of place with a look that reflects the location's heritage.

8. A small hotel means better service. And a good
boutique hotel makes exceptional personal service
its mission.

9. Boutique hotels express their singularity in light-hearted, mildly rebellious room details
and guest programs. A boutique hotel can surprise and delight guests with winsome
touches: a tiger-shaped faux-fur rug before the fireplace, a vibration-platform machine
in the gym, your own (and not very corporate) temporary business cards.

10. A boutique hotel can usually be depended upon to feature outstanding restaurants and
bars that draw a city-wide crowd. Often, the hotel boasts a celebrity-chef eatery in its
lobby. And just as frequently, it offers a stylish bar or lounge with a delectable modern
cocktail menu.

11. With all these factors included, the definition of a boutique hotel
could be, it’s an accommodation that makes their guests feel
happy, content, makes them want to return, and also tell their
friends and family.

12. www.ellishotel.com
http://luxurytravel.about.com/od/hotelandresorts/tp/What-Are-Boutique-Hotels.htm