Hotel History 101: Boutique Hotels

March 13, 2006 at 3:07 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

The Independent, a UK paper, has given readers a quick history of the boutique hotels.

The "boutique" style was created in New York back in 1984. This was when the entrepreneur Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell opened Morgans on Madison Avenue. It was quirky and individual, unlike the big brand-name hotels that were dominant at the time.

The term "boutique hotel" was coined by Rubell, who described their new venture as being like a boutique as opposed to a department store.

Now that you've got that written down, head over to Europe to check out some of their very own boutique hotels.

Boutique hotels abroad post-click.

The Independent claims 42 The Calls in Leeds was one of Europe's first boutique hotels, "created from an old corn mill and retaining original machinery as well as sybaritic features such as handmade beds." Hmm...that sounds about right for boutique hotels.

The Stein hotel chain has 10 boutique hotels across Europe, each with fewer than 100 rooms and all opened in refurbished historical buildings.

A kooky location is the The College which opened in a 19th-century Amsterdam school and paying homage to the original building purpose, Stein gives the hotel management trainees world-class tuition there.

Another is London's Soho Hotel which used to be a car park. But now, the hotel's 85 bedrooms are wildly decorated, equipped with flat-screen TVs, granite bathrooms and a mini-cinema in the basement.

We could go on and on about the boutique hotels of Europe, but the Independent has already done all the work including hotels in France, Spain, Greece, Sweden and Italy.

Be sure to send us stories about your adventures when you get home.

Related Stories:
· The Complete Guide To: European boutique hotels [Independent]
· Europe Hotels [HotelChatter]

HotelChatter

Select a Destination:

Tags: Hotels / → All Tags