Boutique Hotels

Boutique hotels are usually intimate hotels with a great deal of character. The term 'boutique hotel' is a North American term for smaller, usually privately run, luxurious hotels offering a highly personalized service not often found in the, much larger, branded hotels and motels.

In the 1080's tourists, travelers and businessmen began to demand hotels which would be more matched with how they perceived their lifestyles. A demand arose for hotels with unique aspects which could be considered 'lifestyle hotels' or design hotels'. In 1984, the Morgans Hotel in New York, it was owned by Ian Schrager, a famous hotelier, who had commissioned Andrée Putman to design it. Morgans Hotel, New York is credited as being the world's very first Boutique hotel. There are other boutique hotels which claim to be the first, such as San Francisco's hotel Vintage Court which opened in 1983. Vintage Court is part of the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc. which has many boutique hotels.

One of the most interesting aspects of boutique hotels is the way in which they are usually themed. Rather than concentrate on all the modern bells and whistles, such as WiFi Internet access, often available in hotels owned by the larger chains, boutique hotels offer personality and personal service. For example the Church Street Hotel in London, a Spanish-American Boutique hotel, is decorated in a Cubano style with mexican tile work which has been hand painted with numerous items of art and furnished with excellent Colonialist furniture.

Like many of the world's largest cities you will find a large number of boutique hotels in London. The rapid growth in interest in these hotels has led to some confusion over the true definition of the term. Several large corporations have established hotels. Best Western have many hotels in London including the Shaftesbury Kensington which has recently been refurbished and offers a huge range of services including broadband Internet access from all rooms. The hotel has all of the amenities of the largest hotels, such as bars, restaurants, conference facilities and a fitness room.

One of the most exciting hotels in London in which I have stayed id the, Red Carnation, 41 Hotel which overlooks Buckingham Palace's Royal Mews. Superbly placed, within a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, this exclusive 5 star hotel is in one of the most sought after locations in England's capital city. It is close to Pall Mall and the Victorian theaters and has been awarded a a five star diamond recipient from The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. I like it for the simple reason that I like to boast to my friends that I have stayed at 41 Buckingham Palace Road, London, it just sounds so cool.

Andrew Kelly writes widely for travel sites with his main interests being Scotland, England and Wales. However, when he stays in hotels in Europe he uses his experiences in his writing and reviews.