More than 2,500 new boutique hotel rooms are expected to grace London between now and 2013, effectively doubling its size and making it the fastest growing segment in the UK capital’s hospitality market.
That’s the prediction of HVS London in its Boutique Hotel Segment: The Challenge Of Standing Out From The Crowd report, which also offers insight into three guiding elements for the sector:
- The overall ’boutique hotel experience’
- Restaurants and Bars
- Private Clubs – taking the loyalty program concept a step further creating a membership proposition for hotels’ greatest evangelists.
The report explains operators will have to be smarter with their marketing techniques and offer a range of destination dining with the global expansion of the boutique hotels sector.
Boutique Hotel Segment report author Cristina Balekjian, an associate at HVS London, explained: “Hotels are no longer able to get away with passable restaurant offerings. Looking forward, we expect to see further partnerships evolve between chefs and boutique hotels in creating truly standalone offerings drawing in outside custom.
“It is not uncommon for food and beverage revenue to account for 40% to 50% of total sales. Aside from increasing revenues, such restaurants often act as strong marketing tools, elevating the hotel’s public image. In some instances guests book rooms to ensure ease of access into these areas and more boutique properties are likely to capitalize on this.”
You can read the full report here http://www.rciventures.com/2011/10/boutique-boom-hotels-sector/
Posted by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitment