Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wellness Hotels And Resorts - Adding A New Dimension To Life Style!
Hospitality is an ever evolving industry. It caters to needs and desires of its users. As these desires keep changing with the ever evolving life style, the hospitality product offer makes micro adjustments to address these fresh demands. They say wealth gives birth to desire, how true it is. As people get more spendable income, we see new demand generation in almost all areas of our daily life.
We saw the introduction of health concept in city hotels in early seventies when the luxury hotels embraced something called a health club. Those days it consisted of only a gym, steam and sauna rooms. Good health clubs also had a few body massage rooms. The demand for a beauty parlor followed soon. No one wanted to step out of the health club without a proper facial or hair do. This made the beginning of a new era for hospitality industry - the wellness age. Those who recognized it as an opportunity exploited it to remain competitive.
Today, after four decades, things are different. The concept of health club has undergone a drastic change. It is now one of the key revenue generators for luxury hotels. Things are very specialized. No more just a gym and massages, now they offer a whole range of products, treatments and therapies and services for holistic wellness. There are specialists offering counseling on diet, nutrition, weight loss, slimming, fitness, beauty, body care and general well-being. The underlying philosophy being to help the guests remain healthier.
The demand for wellness travel has given the hospitality industry a new niche, the wellness hotels or a resort. A well planned wellness resort in an attractive resort location offers all the luxuries of a resort hotel. In addition, it offers a well equipped Wellness product. The facilities in these resorts vary but generally include a range of restaurants or food outlets, bars and clubs, business facilities, meetings and conferencing, entertainment and indoor and outdoor sports. The main emphasis in these resorts is the wellness center.
A luxury wellness center will include a well equipped and fitted gym with personal counselors and trainers, a range of body baths, steam, sauna, solar therapy and so on. Wellness hotels located in an area with natural springs even offer natural spring water soaks, dips or baths, a number of swimming pools, different types of body and massage therapies, yoga, aroma and color therapy, skin treatment therapies, beauty treatments and the list is ever-increasing. Needless to say that the hotel employs specialists in all areas to counsel and physically render various therapies to the guests and residents.
Some wellness resorts, with enough landscape offer their own gated jogging tracks within the resort. Wellness resorts offer enough outdoor activity to its residents. They have tennis courts and badminton courts on the premises. Alternatively they have arrangements with a local club for use of facilities by its residents.
The resort management does everything to ensure that the resident spends minimum time in the room by offering a range of wellness, leisure and entertainment activities and facilities in the resort. The food menu in the restaurants offers a wellness food section offering a range of organic and nutritional selections. One can find a choice of diet and health dishes even on the buffet spreads. A special feature in some wellness food menus is that they also mention the nutritional values of the dish, including the calories. There is enough evening activity in a wellness resort to keep the residents occupied before retiring to bed.
A wellness hotel or resort could be anywhere or in any location. However those located in well-known vacation spots or resort location are more successful than the city center ones. The wellness hotels located in resort locations like a hill resort, ski resort or a beach resort offer the opportunity to combine vacation with wellness. Of late, it is observed that big corporations also patronize wellness resorts as their meetings and conference venues, combining business with wellness.
Branding of a wellness hotel or resort plays an important role in its success and within the hotel, the branding of the wellness product is absolutely crucial. It must be ensured that the brand has strong market presence and backing of an even stronger brand ambassador. In recent years the industry has witnessed launch of a number of highly successful brands, some belonging to large hotel chains and some to stand-alone hotels.
The most important aspect of a wellness hotel or resort is its initial conceptualization and planning. This is the most complex exercise. One can not simply have a hotel and add to it a state of the art health club. Wellness hotels need an in-depth study and research on needs and demands of its potential guests, the competition with in the area and how to ensure that the resort remains competitive for at least the next four to five years. While Big hotel chain have their own in-house wellness facility planners, the independent investor will be well advised to retain a professional consultant to create a unique and competitive product. It pays back in the long run.
A good wellness resort with attractive activities give room for one complaint - why the sun rises so late and the night comes so soon? One is so busy the whole day that the day never seemed to have come in the first instance. Wellness resorts, on one hand define your life style, and, on the other they offer a perfect opportunity to fuse your holidays with your well-being. Live healthy for you only live once!
We saw the introduction of health concept in city hotels in early seventies when the luxury hotels embraced something called a health club. Those days it consisted of only a gym, steam and sauna rooms. Good health clubs also had a few body massage rooms. The demand for a beauty parlor followed soon. No one wanted to step out of the health club without a proper facial or hair do. This made the beginning of a new era for hospitality industry - the wellness age. Those who recognized it as an opportunity exploited it to remain competitive.
Today, after four decades, things are different. The concept of health club has undergone a drastic change. It is now one of the key revenue generators for luxury hotels. Things are very specialized. No more just a gym and massages, now they offer a whole range of products, treatments and therapies and services for holistic wellness. There are specialists offering counseling on diet, nutrition, weight loss, slimming, fitness, beauty, body care and general well-being. The underlying philosophy being to help the guests remain healthier.
The demand for wellness travel has given the hospitality industry a new niche, the wellness hotels or a resort. A well planned wellness resort in an attractive resort location offers all the luxuries of a resort hotel. In addition, it offers a well equipped Wellness product. The facilities in these resorts vary but generally include a range of restaurants or food outlets, bars and clubs, business facilities, meetings and conferencing, entertainment and indoor and outdoor sports. The main emphasis in these resorts is the wellness center.
A luxury wellness center will include a well equipped and fitted gym with personal counselors and trainers, a range of body baths, steam, sauna, solar therapy and so on. Wellness hotels located in an area with natural springs even offer natural spring water soaks, dips or baths, a number of swimming pools, different types of body and massage therapies, yoga, aroma and color therapy, skin treatment therapies, beauty treatments and the list is ever-increasing. Needless to say that the hotel employs specialists in all areas to counsel and physically render various therapies to the guests and residents.
Some wellness resorts, with enough landscape offer their own gated jogging tracks within the resort. Wellness resorts offer enough outdoor activity to its residents. They have tennis courts and badminton courts on the premises. Alternatively they have arrangements with a local club for use of facilities by its residents.
The resort management does everything to ensure that the resident spends minimum time in the room by offering a range of wellness, leisure and entertainment activities and facilities in the resort. The food menu in the restaurants offers a wellness food section offering a range of organic and nutritional selections. One can find a choice of diet and health dishes even on the buffet spreads. A special feature in some wellness food menus is that they also mention the nutritional values of the dish, including the calories. There is enough evening activity in a wellness resort to keep the residents occupied before retiring to bed.
A wellness hotel or resort could be anywhere or in any location. However those located in well-known vacation spots or resort location are more successful than the city center ones. The wellness hotels located in resort locations like a hill resort, ski resort or a beach resort offer the opportunity to combine vacation with wellness. Of late, it is observed that big corporations also patronize wellness resorts as their meetings and conference venues, combining business with wellness.
Branding of a wellness hotel or resort plays an important role in its success and within the hotel, the branding of the wellness product is absolutely crucial. It must be ensured that the brand has strong market presence and backing of an even stronger brand ambassador. In recent years the industry has witnessed launch of a number of highly successful brands, some belonging to large hotel chains and some to stand-alone hotels.
The most important aspect of a wellness hotel or resort is its initial conceptualization and planning. This is the most complex exercise. One can not simply have a hotel and add to it a state of the art health club. Wellness hotels need an in-depth study and research on needs and demands of its potential guests, the competition with in the area and how to ensure that the resort remains competitive for at least the next four to five years. While Big hotel chain have their own in-house wellness facility planners, the independent investor will be well advised to retain a professional consultant to create a unique and competitive product. It pays back in the long run.
A good wellness resort with attractive activities give room for one complaint - why the sun rises so late and the night comes so soon? One is so busy the whole day that the day never seemed to have come in the first instance. Wellness resorts, on one hand define your life style, and, on the other they offer a perfect opportunity to fuse your holidays with your well-being. Live healthy for you only live once!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Heritage Hotels of India - Umaid Bhavan Palace Hotel, Jodhpur
It was 1953, as a child, I still remember with nostalgic feelings my first school outing to the majestic "Chittar Palace" in Jodhpur. I was too small to understand the architecture or the grandeur of the imposing palace at that age. For me the scale of size was very different at that time. The gardens were huge, simply unimaginable. The building looked as if one was experiencing a dream, tall ceilings, imposing stone clad central dome, and the immaculately polished marble floors. It was all too much for a child to absorb and understand. However, it was an experience that I remember narrating to friends and family members repeatedly to the best of my understanding.
25 years later, I had the chance to visit the palace again. This time as a qualified hotelier to sort out some issues with the local management. The palace was operating as a heritage hotel by the same company that I was working for. This was a real experience. I could now understand the real beauty of the palace. It was known as the Umaid Bhavan Palace Hotel. Large, luxuriously furnished rooms and suites, Italian furniture, antiquated art effects and rich drapes and fabric. The palace is a statement of the lavish life style of ex rulers of Indian states. Today all this is available to the travelling public as a luxury heritage hotel.
The palace was built as a drought relief measure by the then maharaja to create employment to its subjects. The construction took almost 15 years and was completed in 1943. The construction technique is unique. No cement or mortar. The building is made of stone blocks joined together by interlocking technique. The stone walls and ceilings are designed to maintain a comfortable 20 to 25 degree temperature year-round.
Henry Lanchester designed the palace with the help of his Indian counterpart Budhmal Rai and the interiors and fit outs were done by one Stefan Norblin of Poland. History has it that the original interior decorators of the palace were Maples of London but as the ship carrying the furniture sank because of German attack, the Maharaja was forced to introduce the services of Norblin.
Today the palace is divided into three areas, a luxury heritage hotel operated by the Taj Group, the private residence of the erst while maharaja and a museum. The hotel offers a rich experience of the royal lifestyle of Maharajas in the same ambiance and atmosphere. This hotel has luxury rooms and suites, a stylish bar called the Trophy Bar, a fine dining Indian and continental cuisine restaurant serving an a la carte menu and choicest of wines. The Palace also has an all day dining restaurant with a stunning view of the Fort, the city and the gardens of the palace. There are enough banqueting and meeting facilities in the palace. The palace is equipped with all other facilities that are required in a luxury hotel like the business centre, health club and spa, laundry and dry cleaning and even interpreter services.
What a treat it is to be able to relive the past. To experience the royal life of yester years. Heritage hotels offer truly an amazing experience.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
25 years later, I had the chance to visit the palace again. This time as a qualified hotelier to sort out some issues with the local management. The palace was operating as a heritage hotel by the same company that I was working for. This was a real experience. I could now understand the real beauty of the palace. It was known as the Umaid Bhavan Palace Hotel. Large, luxuriously furnished rooms and suites, Italian furniture, antiquated art effects and rich drapes and fabric. The palace is a statement of the lavish life style of ex rulers of Indian states. Today all this is available to the travelling public as a luxury heritage hotel.
The palace was built as a drought relief measure by the then maharaja to create employment to its subjects. The construction took almost 15 years and was completed in 1943. The construction technique is unique. No cement or mortar. The building is made of stone blocks joined together by interlocking technique. The stone walls and ceilings are designed to maintain a comfortable 20 to 25 degree temperature year-round.
Henry Lanchester designed the palace with the help of his Indian counterpart Budhmal Rai and the interiors and fit outs were done by one Stefan Norblin of Poland. History has it that the original interior decorators of the palace were Maples of London but as the ship carrying the furniture sank because of German attack, the Maharaja was forced to introduce the services of Norblin.
Today the palace is divided into three areas, a luxury heritage hotel operated by the Taj Group, the private residence of the erst while maharaja and a museum. The hotel offers a rich experience of the royal lifestyle of Maharajas in the same ambiance and atmosphere. This hotel has luxury rooms and suites, a stylish bar called the Trophy Bar, a fine dining Indian and continental cuisine restaurant serving an a la carte menu and choicest of wines. The Palace also has an all day dining restaurant with a stunning view of the Fort, the city and the gardens of the palace. There are enough banqueting and meeting facilities in the palace. The palace is equipped with all other facilities that are required in a luxury hotel like the business centre, health club and spa, laundry and dry cleaning and even interpreter services.
What a treat it is to be able to relive the past. To experience the royal life of yester years. Heritage hotels offer truly an amazing experience.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a professional hotel and resort consultant with over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and Europe. He has been associated with over two dozen hotel and resort projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com/ and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com |
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Best Boutique Hotel In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Kerala is the southern most state of India India
During my last visit to Kerala, I landed at Thiruvananthapuram, earlier known asTrivandrum Classic Avenue . I was quite surprised with the product and the services and thought to share my views for the benefit of others.
The hotel is located in very close proximity; say a kilometre and a half from the main railway station, about the same distance from the central business district and the state secretariat and about 15 minutes drive from the domestic and international airport. The interstate bus terminus is only a kilometre away. A very convenient and city centre location for business and corporate travellers.
The hotel is relatively new and has good number of open parking spaces. The lobby lounge is modern, well-appointed and quite inviting though, I found absence of fresh flowers. The flowers were however compensated by the overall welcoming ambiance of the lobby.
Classic Avenue has 60 well-appointed, tastefully decorated and thoughtfully furnished guest rooms and suites. All rooms have attached bathrooms with long baths. The bathroom fixtures used are modern. The amenities in the bathroom are branded. The rooms have king, queen or single beds, colour TV with satellite channels, mini bars, hair dryer and a personal safe. Good quality linen is used by the hotel.
For dining and entertainment, the hotel has two restaurants including a 24 hours coffee shop. The menu offers local, international and fusion cuisine. The quality of crockery and cutlery is quite good and the service has a personal touch. The hotel has a theme bar serving alcoholic and soft beverages.
For conferences and meetings, the hotel offers two banquet halls and a boardroom. A business centre on the second floor of the hotel compliments the business package.
The hotel also has a small gym and a roof top swimming pool with a deck all around with pool chairs, towels and a small mobile bar. In short, the hotel offers all facilities and services that are required of a good boutique product. On our special request, the hotel organised our private dinner at the pool deck from where we could have a glimpse of the city by night. The breathtaking view, the atmosphere, cool gentle breeze and the mouth-watering food has left a lasting impression on me. I would like to repeat my experience at least once more.
For me this is the best boutique hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate, product and e-marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East andEurope . He has been associated with over two dozen hotel projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com/ and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com
During my last visit to Kerala, I landed at Thiruvananthapuram, earlier known as
The hotel is located in very close proximity; say a kilometre and a half from the main railway station, about the same distance from the central business district and the state secretariat and about 15 minutes drive from the domestic and international airport. The interstate bus terminus is only a kilometre away. A very convenient and city centre location for business and corporate travellers.
The hotel is relatively new and has good number of open parking spaces. The lobby lounge is modern, well-appointed and quite inviting though, I found absence of fresh flowers. The flowers were however compensated by the overall welcoming ambiance of the lobby.
Classic Avenue has 60 well-appointed, tastefully decorated and thoughtfully furnished guest rooms and suites. All rooms have attached bathrooms with long baths. The bathroom fixtures used are modern. The amenities in the bathroom are branded. The rooms have king, queen or single beds, colour TV with satellite channels, mini bars, hair dryer and a personal safe. Good quality linen is used by the hotel.
For dining and entertainment, the hotel has two restaurants including a 24 hours coffee shop. The menu offers local, international and fusion cuisine. The quality of crockery and cutlery is quite good and the service has a personal touch. The hotel has a theme bar serving alcoholic and soft beverages.
For conferences and meetings, the hotel offers two banquet halls and a boardroom. A business centre on the second floor of the hotel compliments the business package.
The hotel also has a small gym and a roof top swimming pool with a deck all around with pool chairs, towels and a small mobile bar. In short, the hotel offers all facilities and services that are required of a good boutique product. On our special request, the hotel organised our private dinner at the pool deck from where we could have a glimpse of the city by night. The breathtaking view, the atmosphere, cool gentle breeze and the mouth-watering food has left a lasting impression on me. I would like to repeat my experience at least once more.
For me this is the best boutique hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate, product and e-marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wow Hotels & Resorts - Tomorrow Comes Today!
With technology getting obsolete by the seconds, one wonders if there is any relevance to the future. Especially for the trendy hospitality industry, where the race is to compete in fulfilling guest expectations. These expectations are related to the product, its character and personality. Hotel chains spend a tremendous amount of time and money in researching user-friendly technology to remain competitive. Hotels are going hi-tech in every area of guest experience.
A quick review of the use of technology in hotels reveals an interesting conclusion. Hotels, which do not keep pace with technology, may lose their guest base while at the same time, a traveller who does not keep himself updated with technology may feel out of place in hi-tech hotels. Most city hotels are well equipped with latest, state of the art technology. The future hotels might see hotel rooms with much more advanced technology. For example, hotels are now adopting biometrics technology. This technology uses voice, fingerprints or retina scan for personal identification, replacing the room key and combination safe in the rooms. One has to glare at the door to get it opened or, touch the biometric sensor to open the safe.
Practically all good hotels have high definition television sets, but with the advent of 3D revolution, hotels will have to switch to new technology sooner than later. The same technology will also be useful for telephonic and video conferencing.
Touch screen telephones, compressor free mini bars, in-room environment control, electronic do not disturb signs etc, have now become as part of granted features in the rooms. The introduction of Control l4, is going to further revolutionize the hotel systems. Imagine walking to the door of the room, the system detects you, turns on the lights, TV, sets temperature of the room, and awaits your arrival at the door. The TV starts to play a welcome message or introduces the room features as you enter the room. The system also manages the wake call and do not disturb process.
Future hotels are going to use room window glass as a TV screen. A switch will make the glass opaque and a projection system from the ceiling will start your favourite programme on the screen with surround sound digital speakers.
Today, hotels offer high-speed wireless broadband internet connectivity in the rooms with interface to the TV. Some hotels however, offer wireless internet in the entire hotel, in every nook and corner. One can use the laptop anywhere. Hotels also offer colour-printing facilities from the laptop at a central printer in the Business Centre.
Room motion sensors detect motion and body temperature, and set the room parameters to suit your body needs. If no motion is detected beyond a specified period, it turns off the air-conditioning, lights and TV. Timer settings are crucial for success of this system.
For those who need to relax their muscles, hotels offer an electric massage chair in the rooms. No need to go to the spa for time strapped guests needing a quick fix.
For satisfying a demanding hi-tech traveller, the art is to anticipate needs and tailor the product with such elements that satisfies these needs and wants. A few years back an hotelier could not have imagined a guest carrying his virtual office in his laptop, or his music collection in his i-Pod or MP3. Well, today he does. Hotels are therefore providing connectivity of these gadgets to the TV and sound system. Hotels are also providing connectivity cable to connect digital camera to the TV. The guest can view the quality of pictures in the privacy of his room.
The bathrooms in hi-tech hotels are a delight to the eye and experience. Most hotels have frost-free mirrors, Multiple Volt shaver sockets, temperature controlled Jacuzzi. Rain shower and aqua massage systems. Heated seats for water closet and bidet are provided for additional comforts. A small colour TV at the foot of the Jacuzzi and extension of room telephone. What one would see in the future is that the mirror will double as a computer screen and one could watch mails while soaking in the bath tub, sounds interesting!.
The biggest challenge for the hotelier is to keep pace with technology. Implement technology in a cost efficient manner and to know where to draw a line. While being Hi-Tech sounds good, the concept also has a feel good factor, one must understand what and how much should be adopted in a hotel.
This is just a glimpse of different shades of technology being used or about to debut in hotels across the globe.
The ultimate quality of the experiences and degree of satisfaction of hundreds of guests and visitors depends upon judicious and right use of technology. The smallest glitch in the system is enough to ruin the experience. The art is to anticipate the needs of tomorrow and provide them today, leaving one to wonder what happens the day after.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate and product and digital marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and Europe. He has been associated with over two dozen hotel projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com
A quick review of the use of technology in hotels reveals an interesting conclusion. Hotels, which do not keep pace with technology, may lose their guest base while at the same time, a traveller who does not keep himself updated with technology may feel out of place in hi-tech hotels. Most city hotels are well equipped with latest, state of the art technology. The future hotels might see hotel rooms with much more advanced technology. For example, hotels are now adopting biometrics technology. This technology uses voice, fingerprints or retina scan for personal identification, replacing the room key and combination safe in the rooms. One has to glare at the door to get it opened or, touch the biometric sensor to open the safe.
Practically all good hotels have high definition television sets, but with the advent of 3D revolution, hotels will have to switch to new technology sooner than later. The same technology will also be useful for telephonic and video conferencing.
Touch screen telephones, compressor free mini bars, in-room environment control, electronic do not disturb signs etc, have now become as part of granted features in the rooms. The introduction of Control l4, is going to further revolutionize the hotel systems. Imagine walking to the door of the room, the system detects you, turns on the lights, TV, sets temperature of the room, and awaits your arrival at the door. The TV starts to play a welcome message or introduces the room features as you enter the room. The system also manages the wake call and do not disturb process.
Future hotels are going to use room window glass as a TV screen. A switch will make the glass opaque and a projection system from the ceiling will start your favourite programme on the screen with surround sound digital speakers.
Today, hotels offer high-speed wireless broadband internet connectivity in the rooms with interface to the TV. Some hotels however, offer wireless internet in the entire hotel, in every nook and corner. One can use the laptop anywhere. Hotels also offer colour-printing facilities from the laptop at a central printer in the Business Centre.
Room motion sensors detect motion and body temperature, and set the room parameters to suit your body needs. If no motion is detected beyond a specified period, it turns off the air-conditioning, lights and TV. Timer settings are crucial for success of this system.
For those who need to relax their muscles, hotels offer an electric massage chair in the rooms. No need to go to the spa for time strapped guests needing a quick fix.
For satisfying a demanding hi-tech traveller, the art is to anticipate needs and tailor the product with such elements that satisfies these needs and wants. A few years back an hotelier could not have imagined a guest carrying his virtual office in his laptop, or his music collection in his i-Pod or MP3. Well, today he does. Hotels are therefore providing connectivity of these gadgets to the TV and sound system. Hotels are also providing connectivity cable to connect digital camera to the TV. The guest can view the quality of pictures in the privacy of his room.
The bathrooms in hi-tech hotels are a delight to the eye and experience. Most hotels have frost-free mirrors, Multiple Volt shaver sockets, temperature controlled Jacuzzi. Rain shower and aqua massage systems. Heated seats for water closet and bidet are provided for additional comforts. A small colour TV at the foot of the Jacuzzi and extension of room telephone. What one would see in the future is that the mirror will double as a computer screen and one could watch mails while soaking in the bath tub, sounds interesting!.
The biggest challenge for the hotelier is to keep pace with technology. Implement technology in a cost efficient manner and to know where to draw a line. While being Hi-Tech sounds good, the concept also has a feel good factor, one must understand what and how much should be adopted in a hotel.
This is just a glimpse of different shades of technology being used or about to debut in hotels across the globe.
The ultimate quality of the experiences and degree of satisfaction of hundreds of guests and visitors depends upon judicious and right use of technology. The smallest glitch in the system is enough to ruin the experience. The art is to anticipate the needs of tomorrow and provide them today, leaving one to wonder what happens the day after.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate and product and digital marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and Europe. He has been associated with over two dozen hotel projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com
Boutique Hotels-The Trendy And Fashionable Hotels
Boutique hotels, the term in vogue now, but what exactly it is, is it the small size or is it the facilities or the location? Well it is a combination of all these factors and many more. The concept of boutique hotel first surfaced in America in 1984, with Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opening their Morgans Hotel in New York. It then slowly spread to other cities and countries.
There is no single accepted definition of the term, in simple and layman's language, these properties are, "non traditional, unconventional, small, trendy, chic, life style hotels with high degree of personalisation in service and guest interaction and offering a unique experience."
Boutique hotels perform the same functions as the regular hotels or offer the same product to its residents, guests, customers and patrons yet they are quite different from the regular hotels in many ways. These differentiations make them unique and they are able to extract equal if not higher, per room revenue.
Location plays the most important role for hotels success. Boutique hotels require a metro city, down town location for maximising returns. Resorts boutique hotels also require prime location. This fact explains the concentration of boutique hotels in New York's Manhattan area or in central London area.
A hotel could be called as a boutique product if it has 3 to 150 rooms. However, some in the industry feel that the size of the property should not be over 100 rooms, but with the entry of large international chains in this segment, the size factor has been diluted largely. Now we see chains like the Hilton, Starwood, Kempinski, Four Seasons, Le Meridian, to name a few who offer boutique products. This is in addition to the regional chains like the Amanresorts, Oberoi, Dusit, and Banyan Tree and in India the Ista and Park group.
The success of a boutique product depends largely on the quality of experience it offers to the guests. This experience is the resultant feel of all your senses, i.e., what you see, what you hear, what you taste and what you feel. More explicitly, it must evoke the "Wow" factor right from the first point of exposure. This aspect of development of a boutique property is perhaps the most difficult one. It entails creating a mood, an environment and an ambiance, which will add uniqueness to the experience.
The designer, the executer and the operator have to work together to define every element of the product, ensuring that it adds to the exclusivity of the property and enhances the experience. While working on the experience enhancement objective, the team can not loose sight of other essential elements of the product. It has to be ensured that the final product is "chic" and "trendy" exuding a high life style.
Decor plays a very important role in creating ambiance and adds to the evolution of style of product and service. The hotel must become the preferred happening place in the city and the location for the local and visiting celebrities, a place where people want "to be seen around" and "to be seen with", with local media eager to cover each celebrity visit. Visiting the hotel must be seen as a bonus as it offers an opportunity to be seen in the local print media.
Boutique hotels are very trendy with state of the art technology. City boutique hotels boost of high speed Wi-fi internet connectivity, dimmer switches in all areas including guest rooms, multi-plug sockets, LCD or Plasma flat screen TV with remote control, telephones with voice mail, message display and follow-me system and DVD players in rooms. The bathrooms are no less in furnishing, fittings and technology. Most bathrooms have bathtubs cum Jacuzzi as also rain shower, frost-free mirrors and multi-plug shaver socket adjustable to different voltages.
While all these technological features and gadgetry is installed, it is also ensured that every thing is user friendly and does not offend the user, the guest. There is no end to imagination, the seed for innovation and evolution. Development of boutique product is directly influenced by creative and practical imagination or visualisation by its creators.
A boutique product is not complete with out providing its guests stylish entertainment. The entertainment in these hotels includes the pleasing experience in its restaurants and bars. The atmosphere in the restaurants is created in a way that the visit is mentally and physically entertaining and pleasing. The atmosphere, food, and style tickle not only the taste buds but also stir the sight, the smell and the feel scenes. The overall result is enthralling and exotic. While this type of experience could also be enjoyed in the restaurants of a regular hotel or a stand alone restaurant, what make it so special in a boutique hotel is the fact that here it is the continuity of an experience flowing from the rest of the product. In addition to the restaurants, most of the boutique hotels have a chic lounge serving choicest of beverages with live music and a club atmosphere. The hotel becomes an entertaining fun place.
The food in boutique hotel is trendy too; most hotels have very innovative menus. The term fusion cuisine is synonymous with boutique hotels. The selection of crockery and table ware is hip with fine bone china to reflect quality. Table setting complementing the decor, interiors and the mood. Service friendly and inviting. Since boutique hotels normally have one or two restaurants only, they rely on tabletops, table setting and lighting to create different moods at different times of the day, changing the experience at the three meal times.
The soul of the property comes from its people. People - who on one hand are its residents, guests, visitors and patrons and on the other its employees and managers who play such an important role of fueling the hotel with brilliance and bringing it to life. The staffs is professional, well trained, well groomed with positive attitude towards hotel guests, able to anticipate the needs and wants of the guests and never allow these to become demands. Their attitude towards the guests is very positive, friendly and courteous.
Boutique hotels today are just 26 years old. They were born in 1984. In this short period of existence, they have made a mark in the industry and carved out their own niche. Their growth has been phenomenal, to the extent that Google lists boutique hotels under various segments based on their size, location and user groups. These include luxury boutique hotels, chic boutique hotels, designer boutique hotels, spa boutique hotels, romantic boutique hotels, beach boutique hotels and small boutique hotels. In countries like India there is yet another segment that has become extremely popular with the leisure traveller - The Heritage Boutique Hotels. These are old forts, palaces and havelis converted into boutique hotels. These hotels offer a product with colonial architecture, ultra modern and chic facilities and services and a unique and unmatched nostalgic experience of luxury at its best.
The future of boutique product is very promising as an investment and business proposition. Travelling public today knows what they want and how to get it. They are willing to pay the right price for the right product. There was a time when the marketing mantra used to be 'sell what you have," today however it has changed; you to "produce or make what sells". The sooner we understand this changing demand dynamics; the better will be our chance to compete. With the opening of Armani hotel in Dubai recently, it is only a matter of time that we will be stepping into boutique hotels with life style product brands like the Cartier, The Mont Blanc, The Ferrari to name a few.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate and product and digital marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and Europe. He has been associated with over two dozen hotel projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com
There is no single accepted definition of the term, in simple and layman's language, these properties are, "non traditional, unconventional, small, trendy, chic, life style hotels with high degree of personalisation in service and guest interaction and offering a unique experience."
Boutique hotels perform the same functions as the regular hotels or offer the same product to its residents, guests, customers and patrons yet they are quite different from the regular hotels in many ways. These differentiations make them unique and they are able to extract equal if not higher, per room revenue.
Location plays the most important role for hotels success. Boutique hotels require a metro city, down town location for maximising returns. Resorts boutique hotels also require prime location. This fact explains the concentration of boutique hotels in New York's Manhattan area or in central London area.
A hotel could be called as a boutique product if it has 3 to 150 rooms. However, some in the industry feel that the size of the property should not be over 100 rooms, but with the entry of large international chains in this segment, the size factor has been diluted largely. Now we see chains like the Hilton, Starwood, Kempinski, Four Seasons, Le Meridian, to name a few who offer boutique products. This is in addition to the regional chains like the Amanresorts, Oberoi, Dusit, and Banyan Tree and in India the Ista and Park group.
The success of a boutique product depends largely on the quality of experience it offers to the guests. This experience is the resultant feel of all your senses, i.e., what you see, what you hear, what you taste and what you feel. More explicitly, it must evoke the "Wow" factor right from the first point of exposure. This aspect of development of a boutique property is perhaps the most difficult one. It entails creating a mood, an environment and an ambiance, which will add uniqueness to the experience.
The designer, the executer and the operator have to work together to define every element of the product, ensuring that it adds to the exclusivity of the property and enhances the experience. While working on the experience enhancement objective, the team can not loose sight of other essential elements of the product. It has to be ensured that the final product is "chic" and "trendy" exuding a high life style.
Decor plays a very important role in creating ambiance and adds to the evolution of style of product and service. The hotel must become the preferred happening place in the city and the location for the local and visiting celebrities, a place where people want "to be seen around" and "to be seen with", with local media eager to cover each celebrity visit. Visiting the hotel must be seen as a bonus as it offers an opportunity to be seen in the local print media.
Boutique hotels are very trendy with state of the art technology. City boutique hotels boost of high speed Wi-fi internet connectivity, dimmer switches in all areas including guest rooms, multi-plug sockets, LCD or Plasma flat screen TV with remote control, telephones with voice mail, message display and follow-me system and DVD players in rooms. The bathrooms are no less in furnishing, fittings and technology. Most bathrooms have bathtubs cum Jacuzzi as also rain shower, frost-free mirrors and multi-plug shaver socket adjustable to different voltages.
While all these technological features and gadgetry is installed, it is also ensured that every thing is user friendly and does not offend the user, the guest. There is no end to imagination, the seed for innovation and evolution. Development of boutique product is directly influenced by creative and practical imagination or visualisation by its creators.
A boutique product is not complete with out providing its guests stylish entertainment. The entertainment in these hotels includes the pleasing experience in its restaurants and bars. The atmosphere in the restaurants is created in a way that the visit is mentally and physically entertaining and pleasing. The atmosphere, food, and style tickle not only the taste buds but also stir the sight, the smell and the feel scenes. The overall result is enthralling and exotic. While this type of experience could also be enjoyed in the restaurants of a regular hotel or a stand alone restaurant, what make it so special in a boutique hotel is the fact that here it is the continuity of an experience flowing from the rest of the product. In addition to the restaurants, most of the boutique hotels have a chic lounge serving choicest of beverages with live music and a club atmosphere. The hotel becomes an entertaining fun place.
The food in boutique hotel is trendy too; most hotels have very innovative menus. The term fusion cuisine is synonymous with boutique hotels. The selection of crockery and table ware is hip with fine bone china to reflect quality. Table setting complementing the decor, interiors and the mood. Service friendly and inviting. Since boutique hotels normally have one or two restaurants only, they rely on tabletops, table setting and lighting to create different moods at different times of the day, changing the experience at the three meal times.
The soul of the property comes from its people. People - who on one hand are its residents, guests, visitors and patrons and on the other its employees and managers who play such an important role of fueling the hotel with brilliance and bringing it to life. The staffs is professional, well trained, well groomed with positive attitude towards hotel guests, able to anticipate the needs and wants of the guests and never allow these to become demands. Their attitude towards the guests is very positive, friendly and courteous.
Boutique hotels today are just 26 years old. They were born in 1984. In this short period of existence, they have made a mark in the industry and carved out their own niche. Their growth has been phenomenal, to the extent that Google lists boutique hotels under various segments based on their size, location and user groups. These include luxury boutique hotels, chic boutique hotels, designer boutique hotels, spa boutique hotels, romantic boutique hotels, beach boutique hotels and small boutique hotels. In countries like India there is yet another segment that has become extremely popular with the leisure traveller - The Heritage Boutique Hotels. These are old forts, palaces and havelis converted into boutique hotels. These hotels offer a product with colonial architecture, ultra modern and chic facilities and services and a unique and unmatched nostalgic experience of luxury at its best.
The future of boutique product is very promising as an investment and business proposition. Travelling public today knows what they want and how to get it. They are willing to pay the right price for the right product. There was a time when the marketing mantra used to be 'sell what you have," today however it has changed; you to "produce or make what sells". The sooner we understand this changing demand dynamics; the better will be our chance to compete. With the opening of Armani hotel in Dubai recently, it is only a matter of time that we will be stepping into boutique hotels with life style product brands like the Cartier, The Mont Blanc, The Ferrari to name a few.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.
Ram Gupta is a management professional with specialisation in hospitality, real estate and product and digital marketing. He has over four decades of experience in Asia, Far East, Middle East and Europe. He has been associated with over two dozen hotel projects. His web site can be viewed at http://www.bcgglobal.com and can be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com
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