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BLLA white paper differentiates sectors

The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) has released a white paper that defines the distinct characteristics of boutique and lifestyle hotels. The document is designed to help develop a universal standard and criteria for identifying such lodgings, said BLLA founder Frances Kiradjian.

The association’s research concluded that lifestyle hotels tend to be contemporary destinations, with a unique design and architecture, a variety of high-tech touches and ancillary services, and a focus on wellness and life-enrichment. Boutique hotels, meantime, are small, historic properties that are typically described as “personalized, customized, unique and individual” locales. In addition, boutiques are usually not part of a chain, often include such social spaces as living rooms and libraries, and feature guest rooms offering a variety of high-end amenities.

When the BLLA first disclosed plans to work on this white paper last spring, Kiradjian said coming up with a clear-cut definition of what a boutique or lifestyle hotel is will benefit both the businesses operating in the sector and their customers.

“Having a special classification specifically for this growing sector will allow boutique and lifestyle hotels to compete on a more level playing field with major hotel companies and give them the opportunity to better market themselves to the business travel sector as well as to the leisure travel marketplace,” she said. “It will also meet the increasing demand of discerning travelers to find unique properties and help them distinguish the individual traits that lured them to searching out the boutique/lifestyle hotel category in the first place.”

For more on why the BLLA undertook this effort and the research methodology it used to come up with its definitions, click here.