Staying Chic

Savio Rodrigues checks out the aura of boutique hotels, a phenomenon fast turning into the haute couture
of travel accommodation...

Uday Singh, managing director, Columbia Tristar Films of India Ltd is a frequent flier whose business commitments keep him constantly on the move. Though that would put him in the same league as other corporate jet setters, there's only one little difference. Singh has an eye on style in almost everything. In most aspects of life, this is not a difficult fetish to humour. But when it came to hotels it was the same conventional run-of-the-mill five-star and five-star deluxe. This might have signified opulence but style, after all, is different. However, Singh has now found a solution. Or rather the solution came into the Indian market and found him. Whenever he is on a trip, in India or abroad, Singh now makes it a point to enquire if there is a boutique hotel in the vicinity. To explain this predilection, he draws an analogy with a restaurant. "A boutique hotel is like a classy restaurant. All restaurants offer good food and quality service. But, other things being equal, you choose that which is not only classy but appears classy. Similarly I look forward to staying at a boutique hotel because they are trendy, chic and modern in both look and offerings," he says.

Singh is just one example. A large number of business travellers are now patronising boutique hotels. While there is a snob value attached to five-star hotels, the main reason why people prefer them are for the ambience, both of exteriors and interiors, and quality of services offered. And this is where the majority of boutique hotels score. They offer five-star services in a five-star ambience at non-five-star prices.

In the international market, especially in countries like France, Italy, United States of America and United Kingdom, boutique hotels are not a new phenomenon but it is only now that the wave is catching on in India. There are a total of around 25 hotels in India till date but industry analysts predict that a leap in numbers is inevitable.

Fashion Statement

To an average layman, a boutique hotel on the face of it is analogous to a three-star or four-star hotel, but what sets it apart is the funky atmosphere along with five-star quality in services. And the recent trend of five-star properties like Taj President and The Park Hotels positioning themselves as boutique hotels is clear indication to the way the tide is turning.

"Just like the term boutique, which stands for an outlet from which an individual of a niche or elite class would procure fashion related clothes and accessories of quality and brand value, a boutique hotel is also targeted at a niche clientele who are willing to pay a reasonable price for a quality stay," says Rohit Khosla, general manager, Taj President, Mumbai which is currently positioning itself as a boutique property.

Norman Desouza, managing director, The deSouza Group of Hotels, Goa, was of the view that boutique hotels offered services on par with five-stars but did it with a flair that is exhibited in the architecture, amenities, food and personalised service. "It's about making a fashion statement," says Desouza.

The designer look is a pre-requisite in a boutique hotel. Whether it's the entrance lobby, the corridors, the rooms or the restaurants, it is immediately apparent in a boutique hotel that the management has endeavoured to showcase style in different forms of architecture. "Today's customer is style conscious. He/she is willing a pay a considerable price for an overall quality experience. That's why boutique hoteliers set out to utilise decor to its maximum advantage. A five-star hotel does boast of elegance and finesse through its decor, but staying in a room of any five-star is no different from a stay in another five-star. In a boutique hotel, the management has the liberty of working on each room and various factions of the property since in most cases the size of the property varies from 20 to 50 rooms. Now, even certain properties with over 100 rooms are refurbishing as boutique hotels," says Desouza.

The look in fact is not an end in itself, rather the purpose is to make the guest feel at ease. According to Surendra Hiranandani, managing director, Hiranandani Group of Companies, proprietors of the boutique hotel Rodas - an Ecotel Hotel in Mumbai, "A popular belief states that most business travellers hardly ever bother about the finer details of a hotel stay such as the ambience, but what is certain is that almost all business travellers look forward to moments of relaxation while on a business trip. Since time is vital, hotels bring the comfort factor through services or an atmosphere of ease created through the ambience. In a boutique hotel, the interiors and exteriors of a hotel or its rooms play a very significant role in providing a soothing factor - a home away from home feel, a personalised feel."

P Hariraj, proprietor, Harrisons, Chennai echoes a similar sentiment. He says, "Besides the service standards and quality offered by a five-star hotel, most people are awestruck with the grandeur of a top-of-the-line property. If a three-star property wants to compete, it therefore has to follow suit. By altering one's architectural decor and sprucing one's service standards and quality to come into the boutique bracket, the property can offer its clientele a luxurious quality experience."

However, it is important to remember that architecture is just one aspect of a boutique hotel. The all round experience counts and this includes amenities, food, services, etc. Most boutique hotels therefore have premium facilities like executive lounges, business centres, 24-hour room service, banquet facilities, conferencing facilities and in some boutique hotels, even health clubs, ayurvedic centres, swimming pools and spas.

Cost Effective

Let's look at a very important factor that governs most business travel - costs. When compared to a normal three- or four-star hotel category, a business traveller will certainly pay over 20 to 30 per cent more if staying in a boutique hotel. In lieu he will get five-star service and standards. But in the case of five-star boutique hotels, there is not much price variation when compared to normal five-star business or luxury hotel counterparts. "The most important factor influencing business travel and accommodation is cost. So for a price conscious business traveller, it is a good option to stay in a three- or four-star boutique hotel,” says Frederick Hamilton, associate vice president, Wipro Spectramind.

Target Leisure Or Business?

Many business travellers have a perception that a boutique property is more a leisure than a business hotel. But this is not necessarily true. It could be either. Most boutique properties in India in fact position themselves as predominantly business hotels. The difference between a business hotel and a boutique hotel, other than designer look and feel, is only the brand positioning. While a boutique hotel lays emphasis on panache, chic and style plus providing good business facilities, a business hotel lays emphasis on just business facilities. The difference is best defined in the words of Will Smith in the movie Men in Black - 'I make it look good'. That's what a boutique hotel sets to do; make your otherwise normal business or leisure stay look and feel good.

A business traveller anyway does not choose a hotel just purely looking at the business end. He/she is also looking for avenues to relax, rewind and rejuvenate after an arduous day at the grind. The advent of the boutique hotel provides him/her a viable alternative through the decor, amenities and services offered. As Hafeez Contractor, Mumbai's renowned architect says, "Architecture if done aesthetically is refreshing and relaxing." And with fashion statements becoming en vogue in our lives, more and more business travellers are set to hop on to the boutique hotel bandwagon.

This is apparent in the number of major hospitality groups setting up boutique properties. For example, the InterContinental Hotels Group with its Hotel Indigo brand and the Choice Hotels with its boutique brand tentatively titled Diplomat are spreading their boutique arm in the international markets while Indian players like Taj, Harrisons and Park are gearing to carve a niche in the Indian market. As they say, where there's a demand, there will be supply.