Defining Boutique & Lifestyle Hotels - Sponsored Whitepaper

The Growing Importance of Boutique and Lifestyle Hotels

Research initiated and organized by BLLA in collaboration with: Dr. Jonathon Day Purdue University Donna Quadri New York University Dr. David Jones Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The full report is available FREE to BLLA members. Non-members may obtain a copy by email to frances@blla.org to order the full copy.

The growth of the boutique and lifestyle hotel sector of the hospitality industry has been one of the most watched trends in recent years. After decades of brand standardization, in which brands like Holiday Inn, Marriott, and Hilton provided consumers with products that were consistent across the marketplace, there is growing attention to more differentiated product offerings in the lodging sector. Indeed, this recent growth in interest in boutique and lifestyle hotels is a global phenomenon. From Las Vegas to Dubai, from London to Shanghai boutique and lifestyle hotels are emerging as a considerable segment of the lodging market.

A boutique is defined by the Webster’s dictionary as “a small fashionable specialty shop or business” ("Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary," 1991) and the term has been applied to specialty hotels. While it is used liberally in the media, there has been no commonly agreed definition of “boutique hotel”. In recent years, several authors have attempted to define what constitutes a boutique hotel. This study was undertaken to provide greater clarity on the current meaning of the terms “boutique hotel” and “lifestyle hotel”.