In the 1990's, boutique hotels were the next big (or small) thing - 15 years on, have they had their day?

Our contributor has been reviewing 'boutique' properties - small city hotels, stylish guesthouses, designer villas and more - since the term was in its infancy.

Now editor Michael Cullen from i-escape.com checks out what the label really means, examines a few alternative terms, and sorts the boutique wheat from the boutique chaff.

Question:
When is a boutique hotel not a boutique hotel?

Answer: Round about now. Why? Because the term has become so diluted since it was coined in 1980's New York (allegedly by Morgans pioneer Ian Schrager) that it is now being applied to any new or refurbed hotel with an ounce of branding, no matter how small or beautiful.

We recently read about a new 'boutique hotel' in Atlantic City with 500 identical rooms, a 250-car parking lot, a retail centre and direct access to its sister casino. Which is like calling Tesco's a family-run deli.

So what should the term 'boutique hotel' really mean, and if it's becoming so over-used, what are the alternatives?

Definition

The Business Dictionary (it's not in OED yet) defines it as a "small but exclusive property that caters to affluent clientele with an exceptional level of service at premium prices".

Wikipedia thinks it's an "intimate, usually luxurious or quirky" hotel which differentiates itself from chain hotels through personalized accommodation and service. We'd go for "a small, usually urban hotel with distinctive design, personalised service and independent ownership".

But even then, we'd have to admit that there are boutique hotels in the countryside, boutique hotels which are owned by small chains (Stein, Hospes etc), and boutique hotels whose decor is a cookie-cutter copy of the now-standard noughties look.

The boutique test

So we've come up with 5 criteria to put any hotel to the boutique test:

1. small – we'd put the limit at 50 rooms (rural) or 150 rooms (urban). Anything really small - under 10 rooms, say - or lacking hotel services can go for a spin-off term like 'boutique B&B' or 'boutique guesthouse'.

We've even come across 'boutique campsite', while apartments are increasingly dubbed a 'boutique bolthole'.

2. personalised – it has to be an antidote to our automated world: friendly staff who greet you by name (preferably 'Hi Michael', rather than 'Hello Mr. Cullen'), rooms which vary one from another (personalised book and CD collections in your room earn bonus points) and a sociable bar (member-only bars, like those at Bangkok's Met or Berlin's Q, get an extra point).

Room Mate hotels go further, by naming their places after a fictional friend who is your host, as if the hotel is his home.

3. stylish – if it feels like grandma's spare room, then you might as well stay at home; this should be a treat for today's time-poor, cash-rich travellers. Bespoke artwork and design classics earn extra points – though it doesn't have to be a design hotel (see below).

And beware formulaic boutiquification - easily recognised by noughties design clichés like a single kala lily in a huge vase, or a swirl of Osborne & Little wallpaper in a monochrome room. True style has to be more than skin deep. (But we'll forgive the iconic green apple of the Room-Mate hotels, because we think they're a truly innovative group).

4. contemporary– somehow you can't call it boutique if it's got Louis XIV chairs and chintzy curtains. We need hi-tech extras: flatscreen TV's and wifi are de rigueur, ipod docks and guest laptops score extra points.

But a bit of deliberate retro is fine, viz. Hotel 1929 in Singapore, L'Avenida in Mallorca etc.

5. independently owned – a huge multinational chain, with its standardised procedures, uniform room décor and high staff turnover, can't be boutique, however hard they try (as Starwood have with their W hotels, for example).

But smaller chains can get away with it: we reckon anything up to 20 co-branded hotels leaves enough room for individual expression.

Casa Angelina and Villa Mangiacane (photos right) - both run by the 16-member Stein group - could hardly be more different; while Hospes' 14 hotels are equally varied and innovative.

What about the luxury level? Boutiques are rarely cheap, it's true, but that's not a condition so much as a by-product of the high service levels and small number of rooms.

The biggest growth in the boutique sector during 2006-7 has been downwards – into the "affordable chic" category ($150-250 per room).

And what about facilities? An in-house restaurant and bar, preferably serving classy cuisine and cocktails in a buzzy ambiance, will certainly boost the boutique hotel rating (but a boutique B&B doesn't need these, of course!).

Spas, fitness centres and saunas are increasingly common - over the last 10 years, it seems that every hotel in the world has built a spa - though again that's not a prerequisite for a boutique hotel. However, put all 3 in a city hotel and, hey presto, you've got an urban sanctuary. Magic, isn't it?

And why boutique – which means 'shop' in French? Does a true boutique hotel have to sell its furniture or artwork? A lot of them now do:

La Sommita in Italy is like a glorified showroom for the upmarket homeware brand which owns it, Culti of Milan. It makes sense, and it's a good way for guests to road test a chair or even a mattress before buying. But of course it's not a pre-requisite, it's a clever additional income stream to pay off all that bespoke design.

Design hotels

Talking of which, what exactly is a design hotel? As you'd expect there's a clear emphasis on design but unlike the boutique hotel, size doesn't seem to be such a constraint: Ian Schrager's New York Gramercy Park Hotel has 190 rooms whilst London's Cumberland hotel has a whopping 1000 rooms.

Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon which is perhaps why the Berlin-based marketing company 'design hotels AG' trademarked the name. They now have 140 paid-up member hotels. But that hasn't stopped lots of other places using the term.

Hip hotels

The same applies to hip hotel, which was coined by Herbert Ypma in his 1999 book "Hip Hotels: City" and has since spread across 15 titles.

His definition? Hotels which are "excitingly different and aesthetically pleasing", and which "have become the destination".

The new boutique?

And the big question - what is the next two-word epithet which we'll all be using in 5 years time? Hoteliers are always stressing their different-ness, so you'll find plenty of unique hotels, character hotels, even experience hotels.

And we've seen a surge of art hotels - a.k.a galleries or collections - in recent years, packed with one-off artworks and bespoke designs which you can often buy at reception.

On the other hand the green wave is still rolling, so expect even more eco-hotels, nature lodges, maybe a few carbon-neutral hotels (the UK got its first one a few years ago, at TYF in Wales).

As ever more people travel, privacy and homeliness are at a premium - so look out for private residences and variants on the word home (Home Hotel, Home Apartments etc). Hearteningly for us, we're coming across more and more escape-related tags: exclusive escape, urban sanctuary, exotic retreat.

Plus of course our own i-escape - which includes our top boutique hotels (plus some non-boutique favourites) in 40 countries around the world. Perhaps that's what it's all about: hotels as the antidote to daily life, the escape from normality.

Have your say Do you disagree with our definitions? Applaud our analysis? Or have a hunch about the next label? If so, let us know by email to michael@i-escape.com.

www.i-escape.com/boutiquehotels.php