This article points out what it seems to be the most significant changes and trends in the boutique hotel´s market structure:
1 – We will see in the near future strong structural changes in the high end hotel business: new hotel formats, new investors´ profile, a more intense competition to attract the attention of customers and deeper changes in marketing channels.
2 – This Second Generation of Boutique Hotels is characterized by:
- Larger properties (over 20 rooms)
- The incorporation of more infrastructure and services, typical of the conventional 5 stars hotels , such as meeting rooms, corporate services ,spas, and gourmet cuisine among others.
3 – With this new format, the newcomers in the industry will invest with the clear intent of attracting even more customers of conventional 5-stars hotels, by offering similar services but in a context of greater
personalization, privacy and more value added (art, design and aesthetics)
4 – In this context, the big hotel chains are reacting to retain their customers through the development of new hotel lines with a “boutique look and feel”.
5 – In summary, two new forces are perceived in the market: a force that pushes up the boutique concept by incorporating in the projects some infrastructure of conventional luxury hotels and a “pushing down” force, coming from the big players, developing new boutique hotel lines
And in the middle of the battle, we find the first generation boutique hoteliers who will have to do their best to avoid customers leaks into these new second generation hotels.
6 – With this new generation hotel, we will see:
- A new architecture , a generation of professionals who will have to understand the key elements that are truly appreciated by the customers of a boutique hotel .Those which create competitive advantages for the property
- The need of new communicational efforts to achieve brand positioning and reach of the final customer
- a complete reconfiguration of the commercial channels as a consequence of the new traveler behavior to choose and book a hotel
7 – We will increasingly witness the consolidation of the concept of
Hospitality based on welfare, lifestyle and experiences
8 – And finally, the challenges for the coming years will be
- Adding infrastructure and services without loosing the charm and the true essence of the boutique hotels
- Maintaining and increasing profitability, even in a context of more competition
- Keeping the hotel “visible” in the commercial channels such as Internet, online booking systems and for the travel agents and tour operators
Claudio Oliveira
CEO
Ten Rivers & Ten Lakes
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