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A Boutique Hotel Backlash?

Where: United States

The Wall Street Journal says aging hipsters are getting tired of uncomfortable furniture and tiny rooms. Kimpton and Schrager are adjusting.

Last week the Wall Street Journal ran a story called Boutique Backlash: Rethinking Ultra-Chic Hotels. Their verdict for the future? More comfort, better service, less fashionista attitude.

Generation X consumers, the traditional target market, are aging and their priorities are changing. Once smitten with trendy furnishings and achingly cool bars -- and unfazed by inferior amenities, tiny rooms and snooty hotel staff -- boutique customers increasingly say they're just as interested in good service and a good room as they are in style.

The article pulls lots of anecdotal quotes from young business travelers, but the most convincing arguments are the notes that Kimpton is putting sturdier furniture in its MUSE Hotel and Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel is a lot more sumptuous than his past affairs--really? Well, maybe, and it at least has larger rooms. On the other coast, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's guests are apparently much happier now that the bar is not limited to tabloid fodder celebrity meltdowns.

As boutique hotels pass the saturation point in major cities, there are two choices for new openings: offer more comfort and service or open in smaller markets instead.