Boutiques were designed originally by Baby Boomers for Boomers, but it was Generation X, flush with freshly earned dot-com money, that embraced these hotels as a generational statement. When Barry Sternlicht brought his W concept to the scene and when Kimpton expanded outward from its home base, boutique went from Ian Schrager underground to mainstream. If boutiques were once limited to New York City and then to the bed and breakfast towns of San Francisco and London, they may now be found in capitals and even secondary cities around the globe. Following Starwoods lead, companies from Hyatt to the Intercontinental Hotel Group have rushed to unveil relaxed hotels focusing on design, well-being and casual chic. This year, the world was treated to one of the most unlikely collaborations imaginable when two men from the opposite ends of the cultural spectrum - Ian Schrager and Bill Marriott - signed an agreement to develop and launch boutiques carrying the Marriott flag. What a far cry from the original boutique formula that spat in the eye of the established box hotels with a focus on design, PR, smaller than average rooms, off-beat locations with lower ground costs, favorable real estate conditions, as well as local market knowledge and supplier relationships that could take advantage of the diseconomies of scale of the big companies https://youtube/watch?v=YdVO2l59Gpk&list=PLinuuED3E-9LKa2IxOMEx9-W3lPiy5JQX
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:39:33 +0000
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