{"id":11498,"date":"2013-03-20T17:13:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-20T17:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotelesboutique.com\/?p=11498"},"modified":"2015-05-21T12:29:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T18:29:30","slug":"interview-for-agenthome-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hotelesboutique.com\/en\/interview-for-agenthome-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview for Agent@Home Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Boutique Bonanza<\/div>\n
BY CLAUDETTE COVEY<\/div>\n
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Agents, hoteliers suggest ways to present the boutique option<\/strong>Unique, charming, chic, quaint and intimate are adjectives that travel agent Peter Friedman uses when defining boutique hotels for his clients. Those are also the elements he looks for when seeking out boutique properties. \u201cA lot of people think a hotel is boutique just because it\u2019s small,\u201d says Friedman, a luxury travel consultant with Unique Travel inDelray Beach,\u00a0Fla.\u00a0But, he adds, \u201cThere are very small commercial hotels but that doesn\u2019t make them boutique. I\u2019ve stayed in a lot of small hotels to try them, and a lot of them I find are basically like taking a big hotel and shrinking it, but everything else about it is commercial.\u201dAgent@Home\u00a0asked travel agents and boutique hoteliers for their ideas on what makes a boutique hotel and how travel agents can effectively present them as an option for their clients.What makes a boutique hotel boutique?\u00a0\u201c\u2018Boutique\u2019 in French is basically a very small shop where somebody knowledgeable about whatever it is they are selling will match the right product with the right person,\u201d says Sylvie Laitre, managing partner of Mexico Boutique Hotels, a collection of 33 hotels in 25 destinations in Mexico. Put another way, Laitre says that true boutique hotels should seamlessly blend into the destination, embracing the local style, culture and architecture. \u201cWe look for hotels that are not invasive of where they are, and, really, for hotels that have a philosophy of being ambassadors of their destination,\u201d says Laitre.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For Friedman, a quintessential boutique hotel in\u00a0Paris\u00a0is the Esprit St. Germain on the\u00a0Left Bank. \u201cTo me, this is a real boutique hotel,\u201d says Friedman, adding that the property is owned by a charming French woman whom guests get to know during their stay. Cordials and liquors are put out for guests\u2019 enjoyment, and each room is uniquely decorated. The end result, according to Friedman, is that the hotel serves as an extension of the\u00a0Paris\u00a0travel experience.<\/p>\n

A high level of service and a low room count define boutique for Paul Gardiner, international marketing director of Mantis, a collection of privately owned boutique hotels in\u00a0New York,\u00a0Miami,\u00a0Cape Town,\u00a0Buenos Aires,\u00a0London\u00a0and\u00a0Paris. \u201cEach of our boutique hotels does not exceed more than 35 rooms in total, so they are true boutiques,\u201d says Gardiner. \u201cWhen our clients walk through the door, they\u2019re not classified by a number, but rather by their name. Our staff knows and understands their likes and dislikes, and the service is tailored to their every need.\u201d Service, he adds, is \u201cso important today. Service is absolutely everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qualifying your clients.\u00a0Just as not all boutique hotels are created equal, not all clients are good matches for these types of properties. \u201cIt has nothing to do with age,\u201d says Friedman. \u201cA good match would be a laid-back client who is interested in intimacy and little personal touches, those who want charm.\u201d<\/p>\n

For instance, Friedman would define a boutique hotel client as one who would meander to intimate caf\u00e9s on the Left Bank in\u00a0Paris\u00a0rather than dining at three-star Michelin restaurants near or at the large properties on the\u00a0Right Bank.<\/p>\n

Joanne M. Wilson, owner of VIP Travel in\u00a0Jackson,\u00a0Miss., qualifies clients by asking if they\u2019re looking for something more unusual. That client, she says, \u201cmay be someone younger or also someone who is well traveled and looking for something unique that he or she hasn\u2019t experienced before.\u201d She determines whether the client is one who would be more comfortable at a luxury brand like a Ritz-Carlton or another name brand, or whether this customer would like to try \u201cnew things that are maybe a little edgy or unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s not just the smaller size of the property that makes a boutique a boutique, these properties do appeal to clients looking for the small hotel experience. \u201cBoutique hotels are for the client who doesn\u2019t want the hustle and bustle and doesn\u2019t need four restaurants, a spa and all that,\u201d says Friedman. \u201cThey just want a charming, relaxing place that doesn\u2019t have the feel of a commercial property with large lobby bars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candidates for the boutique hotel experience also include \u201cthose looking for a quirky and entertaining, yet functional, experience,\u201d says Nabil Moubayed, area director of operations for Kimpton Hotels in\u00a0Chicagoand\u00a0Minneapolis\u00a0and general manager of Hotel Palomar Chicago.<\/p>\n

How to sell boutique hotels.\u00a0One of the prime selling points of boutique hotels is their ability to showcase the destination in a positive light, saysWilson, of VIP Travel. She cites the ultra-luxury Bulgari Hotel in\u00a0Milan\u00a0as an example. \u201cSometimes [with some brands] you could be any place in the world,\u201d she says, \u201cbut one of nice things about the Bulgari in Milan is that it\u2019s indicative of the area. You feel like you\u2019re taking part in the culture. Even the music in the restaurant is memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardiner adds, \u201cBoutique hotels are usually in great shopping and tourist areas, but generally located in the quieter back streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

When selling a boutique hotel, agents should match the needs of the traveler with the personality of the hotel. \u201cOnce the location has been established, it\u2019s all about the intangibles that a hotel has \u2014 how they make you feel when you are a guest,\u201d says Kimpton Hotels\u2019 Moubayed. \u201cThere is usually more to talk about, more unique details to sell, the benefits of a personalized experience, a true interaction with staff who care about your stay and really cater to your needs, as opposed to just making sure you have a clean room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discuss unique qualities and services.\u00a0You can talk about the personal touches and one-of-a-kind features of each property when discussing boutique hotels with clients. Typically, discussing a boutique hotel with your client is easier because of the distinctive property features that you can describe, says Moubayed. For instance, Kimpton\u2019s\u00a0Chicago\u00a0properties each offer complimentary beach cruisers for guests to use during their stay and morning jogging sessions led by the hotel managers.<\/p>\n

You can also talk about a boutique\u2019s distinctive features, such as those that imbue each of the Kessler Collection\u2019s 10-plus family-owned properties. The Mansion on\u00a0Forsyth\u00a0Park\u00a0in\u00a0Savannah,\u00a0Ga., for example, offers an in-house cooking school, says Lori Kiel vice president of sales and revenue management for the company, while other properties boast farm-to-table dining experiences. All feature original artwork.<\/p>\n

Personalize hotel amenities for clients.\u00a0Creating unexpected moments is part and parcel of the boutique hotel experience, says Mexico Boutique\u2019s Laitre. \u201cI think a boutique hotel really gives travel agents that flexibility to arrange for those special details they\u2019d like to have for their clients that they might not necessarily be able to get at a 500-room hotel,\u201d she says. A case in point: A couple who had a baby in November was staying at one Mexico Boutique property, which set up a special crib with a little blanket and pillow and such essentials as baby wipes. \u201cAnd they had a little welcome note in the crib for the baby,\u201d says Laitre.<\/p>\n

In many cases boutique hotels can easily arrange special touches like that for clients, notes Moubayed. \u201cAt Kimpton, we utilize the Kimpton \u2018InTouch\u2019 guest loyalty program to personalize stays,\u201d he says. \u201cIt not only offers guests perks and rewards during their visit but it\u2019s also a great tool to connect with our guests. Something as simple as sending balloons and a cake on a guest\u2019s birthday or stocking the room with a guest\u2019s favorite bourbon goes a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Work with trustworthy partners.\u00a0It\u2019s important to work with boutique hotel companies that you trust. \u201cI think for an agent, you want to trust the source recommending places to you,\u201d says Laitre, as well as those that will set you straight when a hotel doesn\u2019t meet the client\u2019s criteria. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t dare send somebody to the wrong place, because at the end of the day we\u2019re all going to suffer for it,\u201d says Laitre.<\/p>\n

A trustworthy source is also crucial because the choices in boutique hotels are growing as travelers are becoming more seasoned. \u201cPeople are traveling more than ever. They\u2019re becoming more worldly, so everybody\u2019s is looking for that special experience,\u201d says Wilson of VIP Travel. \u201cI think these boutique hotels can offer that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Boutique Bonanza BY CLAUDETTE COVEY Agents, hoteliers suggest ways to present the boutique optionUnique, charming, chic, quaint and intimate are adjectives that travel agent Peter Friedman uses when defining boutique hotels for his clients. Those are also the elements he looks for when seeking out boutique properties. \u201cA lot of people think a hotel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hotelesboutique.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/hoteles-boutique-de-mexico-hotel-rancho-las-cruces-la-paz-91.jpg","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n