Lifestyle, Boutique Easy to See, Hard to Explain
During a panel discussion titled “Boutique/Lifestyle Hotels: From A to Z” at last week’s Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference in Miami, industry leaders agreed on one thing: You can’t define what a boutique or lifestyle hotel is.
“Our industry can’t define what a suite is,” said Chick Armstrong, a senior vice president of hotel development with Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, “so I can’t see us figuring this out. Let’s leave it to the customers.”
The definition may be just as elusive for customers, but there is no question they’re hungrier than ever for a variety of unique offerings. Hotel companies large and small are fighting to give them what they want.
Hampshire recently launched the Dream and Night concepts and is now partnering with Wyndham Hotel Group to franchise the emerging brands.
Marriott International recently launched Edition, a luxury lifestyle brand created with boutique innovator Ian Schrager, and earlier debuted Autograph, a collection offering soft branding for independent-thinking owners.
Kip Vreeland, head of Autograph Collection, explained Marriott’s lifestyle and boutique offerings this way: “We’ve got your brand, with Autograph, where the experiences are yours. We’ve got his brand, with Ian and Edition, and the experiences are from him and we’ve got our brand, with Renaissance, where we [Marriott] provide the experience.”
Choice Hotels has its own soft brand with the Ascend Collection. On a different panel discussing the decision between franchised and independent, Brian Parker, Choice’s vice president of emerging markets and new business development, said Ascend was a great asset to owners who had a good product, but needed a push with either rate or occupancy.
On that same panel, Mark Williams, Best Western’s vice president of North American Development, spoke of the membership organization’s new descriptor strategy that is opening doors for unique properties with the Premier and Plus desriptors.
Brian Parker of Choice Hotels takes notes during a session at the Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference.
Hotel companies are all trying to reach the customer who is an “individualist,” said Vreeland. “Someone who wants a unique experience.”
Though Larry Spelts of Charlestowne Hotels said: “I don’t know if anyone isn’t a boutique and lifestyle customer.”
But “no one tells an assistant to book me a lifestyle or boutique hotel this weekend,” said Aaron Katz of Modus Hotels. “These terms are used only by us.”
They may not be definable, but there is no doubt hotel companies are doing their best to provide lifestyle and boutique brands and properties appealing to a growing legion of customers looking for unique experiences.
The third annual Lifestyle/Boutique Hotel Development Conference produced by Lodging Hospitality was held at the Fontainebleau from Oct. 19-21.
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