The Boutique and Lifestyle Report 2014

The Boutique and Lifestyle hotel report is a must read for those followers of this sector of the industry. New for 2014 include sections on the hotel performance in boutique hotels in London and Paris and a discussion on social media and its usage by the boutique hotel industry.

After decades of brand standardisation, in which leading hotel companies such as Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group , Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels & Resorts provided consumers with a consistent product, the boutique concept was launched during 1980s and what started as a niche product has over the last thirty years become a global phenomenon. This report aims to bring some clarity to the global boutique/lifestyle hotel sector, starting by looking at some of the key innovators of the boutique concept, who each in turn brought something to the sector. The difficulties in defining the sector are considered and given these difficulties, the main characteristics of the boutique hotels are reviewed, giving examples how they differ from the standard hotel product. The concept of boutique hotels and added value is discussed. Boutique hotels are often not just about developing a new hotel product, but this development has often led to them adding value not just to the building but also the neighbourhood it is situated in. New for the 2014, is a section of the performance of boutique hotels in two key markets – London and Paris over a five year period. Hotels as an investment vehicle have grown in importance over the last decade or so, and despite of the global economic slowdown, investment in the sector has continued, the report provides details on recent transactional activity in the sector. Also new for this edition of the report is a discussion on social media and its usage in the boutique and lifestyle sector. Finally, trends and issues that impact the industry are discussed. This is followed by ‘boutique brand bytes’, snapshots of many of the boutique companies /brands/concepts. They are broken down into boutique/lifestyle brands, resorts, global brands, design-led brands, eco-friendly, health conscious and budget boutique hotel companies.