The Trends Boutique Hotels Need to Watch in 2023
25.08.2023 - 14:09
/ skift.com
/ Leslie Barrie
When Frances Kiradjian started the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) in 2009, her friends seriously questioned the idea.
“People thought before 2009 that the boutique lifestyle was dead,” she said. “Even some of the brands that big guys had eaten up decided they wouldn’t use the word ‘boutique’ anymore.”
Flash forward to today, and the industry is thriving — leading the way in hotel experience and design. And those big chains? They’re trying to claw back into the space with launches like Accor’s Handwritten Collection last month and Marriott’s expansion of Design Hotels.
While the pandemic battered the travel industry, it also raised the profile of the boutique sector. More travelers now seek out smaller and more authentic places to stay.
“The pandemic lit a big old fire under it,” said Frances. “It’s grown and grown, and the smaller brands are expanding. They finally have the investors behind them.”
Frances and her daughter, Ariela Kiradjian, today run all of the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association. They’ve talked to all the major leaders and innovators in the segment. And they’ve pinpointed a handful of key trends for boutique hotel owners to note.
Pre-pandemic, the industry was wondering if social media was ruining travel.
The question was: “How many cool hotels can I go to on one trip and take pictures?” said Ariela.
While images of travel will still, no doubt, fill our social feeds (and continue to be a marketing tool for hotels), there’s a growing push toward slower, more deliberate travel.
“Social media is getting away from the flashiness and the bragging,” said Ariela.
She sees travelers starting to go back to the same boutique hotel — one that feels like home and that aligns with their values — rather than playing a game of property counting and “whoever visits the most places wins.”
“Travelers will have deep affinity for the hotel and the hotelier,” said Ariela. In this way, they’ll be choosing a quality experience over quantity.
Hoteliers should target their marketing toward a lifestyle rather than to travelers generally. It’s time for many hoteliers to rethink and fine-tune their social and other marketing campaigns for this moment. Think of subtle cues to hit the emotional buttons of their target audience.
The pandemic gave customers a chance to reflect on what’s truly original and what’s a facade.
“Because of that downtime, customers were able to start seeing through the BS even more,” said Ariela.
That’s resulted in a growing group of travelers who don’t want anything cookie-cutter in their trips.
“The independent coffee shop has the same customer as the independent boutique hotel versus someone staying at the Hilton Garden Inn,” said Ariela.
To appeal to this