14 years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boutique_hotel
take out Hotel - insert Hostel...
our "booties" are the opposite, don't want to share a room with a stranger, happy to share a table and muck in with the dishes etc...
What Is a Boutique Hostel?
Hostel Trends and News
What is a boutique hostel? I'm wondering if we could come up with a definition of "boutique hostel", or if it's just an arbitrary marketing term that doesn't mean anything.
Problems with the term, "boutique hostels":
- there are no difference in facilities between many boutique hostels and non-boutique hostels (e.g., shared bathrooms can be found at top "boutique hostels")
- boutique hostels don't necessarily have better customer ratings and reviews
Are there any facilities that separate "boutique hostels"? It's not private rooms or ensuite bathrooms because those can be found at all kinds of hostels. It might be interior design, but it's a bit arbitrary.
A recent article on boutique hostels in Europe said:
Some people have finally realized that staying in a hostel doesn’t have to be a miserable experience – and bless them for it.
A new trend taking off around Europe is the emergence of the “boutique hostel.” Like the concept of boutique hotels, these hostels have some added frills, modern designs and an urban vibe. Plus, they’re cleaned regularly.
"Clean" is not unique to so-called boutique hostels. The only thing left is "modern designs". The article also implies that staying in a non-boutique hostel is a "miserable experience" which isn't true.
What do you think?
(See also: http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forum/f15/definition-hostel-284.html)
- Comments
13 years
Well, I think Boutique Hostels are different than normal hostels. They usually attend better the expectations of the flashpackers.
They are supposed to have a interior design that makes them unique, private rooms with bathroom inside and a great atmosphere, but it not just that.
The flashpackers (most of them once were backpackers) have more money to spend with food and accommodations. They want some comfort and a little privacy but instead of staying in a hotel, they look for Boutique Hostels because they still want that friendly vibe and the common areas to socialize with other travelers.
They also travel with credit cards, laptops, Iphones, Ipads, nice cameras, and look for places that offer things as security, WiFi, plenty of charger points, etc.
I believe Hostel Boutique must attend this "new" demands of travelers.
13 years
When you guys mention "internior design" are you talking about the arrangement of walls, doors and fixtures, or do you just mean putting up nice wallpaper and buying your furniture and decorations from somewhere other than Ikea?
13 years
I think that LeblonSpot "Design Hostel" is a boutique hostel:
http://www.leblonspot.com/
Leblon is the most expensive district in Rio de janeiro
13 years
I think that LeblonSpot "Design Hostel" is a boutique hostel
The pictures are beautiful. The photos of the dormrooms are very different from the privates, but that's to be expected. According to HI they have 60 dorm beds. That's smaller than several of the ones commonly described as "boutique hostels." They have certainly put a lot of effort into interior decorating. Have you stayed there? Does it have a good social atmosphere too?
13 years
Hmmm... I don't agree with you.
At 35, about the only place I would go to a bare-bones, old-school dormitory style hostel would in a very natural setting such as yours, or Northern Sweden, or any other place where the distance necessary to travel there filters out presence of riff-raff.
I'm still primarily a backpacker or independent traveller in my leisure travels, but I'm just not interested in staying in one of the big-box hostels that are all around Europe these days. The reality is that so many of their clients are Ryanair city-break party animals who all too often have no interest in the kind conviviality you describe, and no respect for their room mates.
I think that most of the established and successful smaller hostels, say 40 beds or less, that are around Europe these days could fit in the category of boutique. It's not so much that they are creating a new product, it's far more true that a new big-box model has been created and is redefining the industry, so the "boutique" owners are responding by maintaining smaller more intimate vibe of traditional backpacker hostels, and keeping pace with the facilities and services which are now demanded by clientèle.
A boutique by definition is a smaller store which carries a more limited though specialised product, no volume sales, and not mass consumption, and generally a bit more expensive.
I'm no snob or Fauntleroy when I travel and I still enjoy the vibe of meeting folks, but if I can pay a bit more to know I'm not going to have to share a room with a group of Dutch schoolchildren or a stag party from Birmingham then I'm cool with it
Hello to all of you~
The answer to me is simple.... boutique hostels were bound to come. It is just a case of smart and helpful hostel owners filling a demand.
I'll explain. We all know that certain type of 'hosteler'. The one who doesn't understand why they should do a chore or help out. They don't do their dishes. They whine about all there is to whine about and act like spoiled children, because they were or are one. They don't understand the concept of hosteling, they are only looking to stay cheap, but still want all the luxury items they think they deserve. No one wants them in their hostel, no matter whether they are staying in one you're in or one you own.
Well, thank goodness for the boutique hostel owners. Now we not only have a 'type' for these 'hostelers', we also are fortunate enough (provided there is a boutique hostel near you) to have a place to send them.
To simplify matters, I say we now call these people "booties" and the next time you find one of these 'booties' in your hostel, just give them the bout(ique) and everyone will be happy.
You have to love that silver lining! :D
13 years
@ Dom
Hmmm.... sounds to as if you are in total agreement with Denali.
"
"I think that most of the established and successful smaller hostels, say 40 beds or less, that are around Europe these days could fit in the category of boutique. It's not so much that they are creating a new product, it's far more true that a new big-box model has been created and is redefining the industry, so the "boutique" owners are responding by maintaining smaller more intimate vibe of traditional backpacker hostels, and keeping pace with the facilities and services which are now demanded by clientèle."
the "big box" model has been around for over 10+ yrs = they even have a name ... "warehouse hostels" - the first one I ever stayed at was "The Joint" in Melbourne. 420+beds. I'm not fond of them. But for a night in a pinch ...ok.
To me Boutique hostels are closer to a B&B, since many are mainly private rooms.
The social environment is one of the main things about a 'Hostel", In that situation "open minds" have a chance to see other cultures, learn from interaction from other nationalities and ages. deal with the good and the bad... All an addition to mental advancement.
I opened the first Hostel in Bangkok.(btw 40 beds).. It was a gamble in many ways, but one that concerned me the most here was the availability and abundance of cheap single room Guesthouse's. Would there be a market for a hostel here? 5+yrs and I can now say Yes. Why? because of the social interaction in hostel.
Those that Can't, or dislike being in a hostel type of situation (damn noisy kids).
so when Denali say's "To simplify matters, I say we now call these people "booties" and the next time you find one of these 'booties' in your hostel, just give them the bout(ique) and everyone will be happy". you seem in agreement.
Your a bootie mate. nothing wrong with that...Enjoy your privacy.
13 years
Hi Soi1David,
What I didn't agree with in Denali's analysis is that potential boutique clients are the whingeingly antisocial primadonnas of the hostelling world.
My argument was that the kind of sharing and social conviviality that Denali seems to think potential boutique clients shun is less and less common as we enter the new hostel economy of big boxes.
Of course I try to take into account the cultural and regional differences, I understand that a lot of North American hostels still have the "vibe" without any need to be a big box, a boutique or anything else, but the reality all too often here is that the big boxes, for whatever reason, have no more hostel feel. They have so many beds to fill and such high overhead that there is little or no criteria in the acceptance of groups, so it's not that hostelers are looking for something new by going to a smaller boutique hostel, but rather that it's what one needs to do to have a feel like in the pre-big box era.
Congrats on your hostel!
@ Dom
Hmmm.... sounds to as if you are in total agreement with Denali.
so when Denali say's "To simplify matters, I say we now call these people "booties" and the next time you find one of these 'booties' in your hostel, just give them the bout(ique) and everyone will be happy". you seem in agreement.
Your a bootie mate. nothing wrong with that...Enjoy your privacy.
9 years
I believe you are right, a hostel is "boutique" if the hostel calls itself boutique AND the customers agree. It's quite subjective. Even within the Hotel arena "boutique" is quite ill defined. It's a term picked from the mist to separate properties that some unique special quality that you can not quite define. I believe first the property itself as to have a special attitude / desire to be distinct and special and second the customers have to note that and then somewhere once this has been the condition for some time the hostel earns "boutique" status. For example, Gorge View Hostel in Niagara Falls. It replaced a hostel at the same location less than two years ago. It's a unique building in a great location relative to the main attraction (the water falls and the Niagara Gorge Trail system), currently Gorge View is on the top ten hostels list in the United States on Hostelworld. We aspire to be boutique, we have improved the facility but we literally have 8 years of planned improvements to what is a 140 year old building. We would never refer to ourselves as boutique until we have reached a much higher level. For example providing "atmosphere" that's another tough term to define but it's a review category. We do ok on atmosphere ratings but I believe that's kindness from the guests who appreciate how well we do in the other categories because to be quite honest, we simply leave "atmosphere" up to the guests. If we are full and everyone gathers in the common areas, we have a social atmosphere, if someone puts in a movie or plays music we have an entertaining atmosphere, if everyone focuses on their digital devices and keeps to themselves we have a quite atmosphere. We do not control our "atmosphere." I believe to be "boutique" as a Hostel among many other things you must be deliberately doing things to control your atmosphere as hostels are a uniquely social style accommodation. Next, you can not be boutique if you are not "clean" "comfortable" or have a lot of deliberate design features for the traveler. I agree a good hostel is can be found easily without the boutique label and you can probably find boutique hostels that are actually bad. One thing putting the boutique label on your property does is RAISE EXPECTATIONS! If you see boutique and find it about the same as the previous hostels you have gone to you are not going to rate it as highly, thus the boutique ends up with ratings not as good as other good hostels despite being superior in several ways. Hostel management, like all hospitality management is much to do about expectation management.
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