Merriam-Webster’s defines boutique primarily as
“a small fashionable shop,” and in a sense, that’s what a boutique
hotel is. Only, the goods being sold here are intimate, personal
service, distinctive and idiosyncratic decor, and the opportunity
for a group to take over the entire property.
Here is a roundup of boutique chains and consortiums with new
offerings to tempt planners who are ready to think small.
Associated Luxury Hotels’
Watermark Hotel & Spa, San Antonio
Associated Luxury Hotels
International
Washington, D.C.
(866) 303-2544
www.alhi.com
Founded 18 years ago, Associated Luxury Hotels International is
a sales and marketing umbrella organization for a remarkably
diversified portfolio of more than 70 upscale properties ranging in
size from
six to 4,000 rooms in North America, Bermuda, the Caribbean and
Mexico.
A full-time sales force of 20, dedicated to meetings business,
operates out of offices in Atlanta; Boston; New York City; Orlando;
Washington, D.C.; and Irvine, Calif. Most ALHI hotels are
independently owned, with the significant exception of Loews
Hotels, added in 2003. “We see Loews as a unique, emerging brand in
the North American meetings market, and a good fit for us,” says
David Gabri, ALHI president and CEO.
Also new in 2003 was the launch of Elite Retreat Buyout, a
program that offers planners a full buyout at 15 properties of
anywhere from six to 250 rooms.
“We began seeing more corporations asking to take over our
smaller hotels for private strategic meetings,” says Gabri. “By
identifying hotels that meet the same criteria, we can better help
planners match their meetings to the right venue.”
Properties in the buyout program include the 99-room Watermark
Hotel & Spa in San Antonio and the 48-suite Spa at Doral in
Miami, the latter a self-contained resort within the Doral Golf
Resort and Spa.
ALHI’s website includes a list of individual hotels with links
to their sites. There also are forms for submitting requests for
proposal, plus “Luxury on Sale,” a revolving list of value dates
for groups at various properties.
Every year ALHI publishes A Guide to Meetings in North America, a
directory of its portfolio. Available at no charge through the
group sales toll-free number, the guide features a three-page
listing for each property, including hotel facilities, amenities
and meeting space.
Joie de Vivre
Hospitality’s
Hotel Adagio, San Francisco
Joie de Vivre Hospitality
San Francisco
(800) 738-7477
www.jdvhospitality.com
An ownership/management company, Joie de Vivre Hospitality
comprises an eclectic collection of 25 chic properties in Northern
California, 17 of them in the San Francisco area. Hotels range in
size from five rooms to San Francisco’s 200-room Union Square.
Joie de Vivre quickly gained a loyal following among the arts
and entertainment crowd when it began business 17 years ago, thanks
to its properties’ vibrant, avant-garde architectural and interior
design, paired with chic restaurants and trendy bars.
That hasn’t changed; however, as the company has matured, its
portfolio has begun to make inroads into the meetings market.
Today, 17 Joie de Vivre hotels offer meeting space.
“Every one of our properties represents a unique experience,
reflective of Northern California,” says Rob Delamater, vice
president of creative services for the company, who notes buyout
options for groups exist at every property.
Several hotels with dedicated meeting space were added in 2003,
including the fully nonsmoking 72-room Hotel Los Gatos and Spa in
San Jose, Calif.; the 171-room Hotel Adagio (formerly the Shannon
Court); and the recently renovated 94-room Hotel Rex, within
walking distance of San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
On tap: Opening in mid-2004, upon completion of an $8.5 million
renovation, is the 84-room Hotel Montgomery in San Jose, and the
newly refurbished and renovated 165-room Hotel Carlton in downtown
San Francisco. Scheduled for spring 2005 is the new 200-room Hotel
Vitale, in Frisco’s colorful Embarcadero district.
By this June, the management company will add new meeting
planning options to its website, including a centralized request
for proposal, layouts of meeting space at all properties, and
in-house restaurant menus.
Kimpton Hotels &
Restaurants’
Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
San Francisco
(800) KIMPTON
www.kimptongroup.com
Kimpton’s 37 North American properties fall into two distinct
portfolios: the individual boutique properties, such as the
signature Hotel Triton in San Francisco, and the Hotel Monaco
boutique chain.
Founded by Bill Kimpton in Chicago, the Hotel Monaco concept
has grown to seven properties in seven cities, the latest being a
184-room entry in Washington, D.C. While the hotels share a name,
they differ in the way they achieve an ambience of understated
luxury in their use of furnishings and decor.
Kimpton has 35 sales offices in major cities, including Boston;
Denver; New Orleans; New York City; Portland, Ore.; Washington,
D.C., and Salt Lake City.
The group’s website allows planners to view each property’s
facilities, services and meeting space layouts, as well as to
submit requests for proposal. And if the bed linens leave attendees
raving in the morning, expect to find them for sale in the chain’s
online retail store, which should be up and running by year’s
end
“The Kimpton Group is very eager to continue to grow the
meetings segment of our business,” says Christine Lawson, vice
president of hotel sales. For groups of 20 to 200, she points out,
“there’s an advantage to hosting intimate meetings in smaller
hotels, which can offer personalized service that may not be
available in a hotel that caters to larger groups.”
Several Kimpton properties in Chicago, Denver, New Orleans and
Salt Lake City go the extra foot for long-legged guests, recently
introducing “Tall Rooms” outfitted with higher ceilings, 90-inch
beds on higher bed frames, raised showerheads and longer
bathrobes.
More Hotel Monacos are planned, says Lawson, hopefully “in every
central urban location, and the buildings must have room for
amenities such as meeting rooms, a spa and a fitness center.”
Not to be overlooked, however, are Kimpton’s smaller, centrally
located city boutique properties, which emphasize local cuisine and
culture. On the downtown Seattle waterfront, the 109-room Alexis
features a revolving collection of works by local artists; and the
107-room Hotel Vintage Plaza in downtown Portland, Ore., draws on
the region’s rich wine district less than half an hour away.
All Kimpton hotels offer complimentary high-speed Internet
access, morning coffee and an evening wine hour, usually hosted by
the general manger.
Opening in mid-2004 is the 112-room Onyx Hotel in Boston. Two
other properties, also scheduled to open in 2004, are 70 Park
Avenue in New York City and the Hotel Solamar in San Diego.
Small Luxury Hotels of the
World’s
Elk Mountain Resort, Montrose, Colo.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Surrey, United Kingdom
(800) 525-4800
www.slh.com
Small Luxury Hotels of the World is a consortium of 310
independently owned hotels in 50 countries, including 70 properties
in North America, the Caribbean and Mexico. The average room count
of its members is 55. Sales offices are located in London, New York
City and Sydney, Australia; satellite offices operate in Dallas and
Los Angeles.
SLHW is adding salespeople to work with planners in placing
group business, particularly at smaller hotels, says Edward
Donaldson, New York City-based vice president of marketing. Under
development is online access to group reservation data, giving
planners tools to manage the meeting right up to site arrival.
Because of its range of destinations and types of properties
gaming lodges, private châteaux, golf resorts, island retreats,
city hotels and luxury spas SLHW employs a team of undercover
inspectors to check for compliance with the group’s standard of
quality.
“This is a very different portfolio,” notes Donaldson. “You are
never going to be one of a number of on-site meetings. It will
always be about you, and I think that says a lot.” He adds
corporate buyouts currently are the company’s biggest trend,
particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where its member
properties range from 12- to 15-room exclusive hotels.
Last year the company added the 150-room Hotel Commonwealth in
Boston, the 111-room Teatro Hotel in Denver and the 27-room La
Tartane in Saint Tropez.
Two new SLHW properties for 2004 are Elk Mountain Resort, in
Montrose, Colo., which features 21 rooms and 18 three-bedroom
cottages, and the 62-room Thalassa in Paphos, Cyprus. Both
properties open this month.
Looking ahead to 2005, SLHW expects to gain hotel members in
South America, particularly in the heavily trafficked cities of
Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, both in
Brazil. “Anywhere where there is a demand for luxury travel, we
will eventually be,” says Donaldson.