Boutique Hotel

A Boutique Hotel can be many things and it's fair to suggest that there is one for every traveler who appreciates life's finer pleasures. For many savvy business and leisure travelers around the world, these smaller, more intimate and generally idiosyncratic establishments are preferred to traditional five-star accommodations. Whether you're in New York or Singapore, there is just the chic and stylish lodging to lift your stay out of ordinary and feed your desire for upscale sumptuousness and aesthetic stimulation.

The idea of the Boutique Hotel is largely credited to New York, but the city only really can lay claim to the label and not the kind of accommodations which have since appropriated it. The word itself derives from an early meaning for "small store" and this goes some way to explaining what sets such a place apart from the large bastions of international franchise grandeur. Indeed, there are as many incarnations of the smaller, luxury establishments as there are hoteliers who have tried to create an alternative to the impersonal design and service of the tall towers of tradition. So, it's not all that easy to define such a place, but one clue is that it is certainly a place which offers fewer rooms and, for the most part, it's bound to be a lodging which owns a certain amount of idiosyncratic design and conveys a passion for luxury realized through top quality furnishings and a reverence for cultivated tastes. No matter what your personal taste, you'll find a place to nourish your creative soul. Many establishments offer interior design by famous artists, often with original features, by equally celebrated painters and artists, adorning the rooms and premises. There are establishments which reference specific themes and periods of history and those which are suffused by movements in art and culture, while other are set on redefining the erstwhile image of these cosmopolitan lodgings by creating a near futuristic environment of technological efficiency and playfulness. Few who choose these more exciting lodgings, who turn away from the traditional icons of multi-roomed and impersonal hospitality, ever look back.

With an ever growing base of converts to the Boutique Hotel, what were once establishments limited in their amenities and services have made an effort to provide business guests with all they could require. Not all establishments cater to business needs in a comprehensive way, but the lifestyle conscious modern executive will find, in almost every major destination of the world, accommodations which allow them to do everything from keep fit in the gym to hold exclusive functions in venues stamped with style and prestige.

Themed establishments have become quite popular. Travelers can enjoy a room or suite in a warm and simply beautiful place which has, say, a love of books and feels more like an upscale library. Don't be surprised to find rooms with their own literary themes and a few classic paperbacks on the night-table. Similarly, you'll find curious places in out-of-the-way corners of exotic and vibrant countries which merge elements of Western and Eastern design and culture. Find yourself in a colonial time-capsule or eating in an in-house restaurant which feels like a Dadaist painting. Naturally, these kinds of cosmopolitan and idiosyncratic establishments offer dining which reflects the ethos of cultured and upmarket living. A large five-star establishment may offer fine, Michelin-starred dining, but for those on the great culinary adventure, the restaurants of these luxurious and playful hostelries will always supply something to tantalize and inspire.

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