Note:  BLLA’s 1st White Paper on the Definition of Boutique & Lifestyle is being released shortly.  Request a copy here:  http://www.cvent.com/d/mcqkzg

In a recent interview in Travel Weekly, Danny King, notes Ian Schrager (whom he refers to as a “pioneer of the boutique-hotel concept”) as saying the explosion of branded boutiques has led to the concept being “watered down”.

While undoubtedly a “pioneer” in the world of hospitality, I find Mr. Schrager’s description interesting.

If this were actually the case, and the “concept” has truly been “watered down”, has anyone considered the possibility that Mr. Schrager himself may actually be one of the key industry players who has opened up the spigot?  But maybe he realizes that and exactly what he means by “It’s a little like a Frankenstein monster “?

Consider Mr. Schrager’s own rise within the hospitality industry.

Ian Schrager

From his first start as an “independent” boutique hotel developer with the Morgan’s Hotel, he quickly moved into the arena of amassing an array, or “collection”, of boutique properties with Morgan’s Hotel Group. Fast forward his role in the industry a decade or so later, and consider his more recent involvement with Marriott’s Edition and with the new Public….. and consider how this influence directly contributes to the industry’s recent use of the term boutique “brand.”

So while once viewed solely as unique and interesting “independent” properties, the “boutique hotel” concept G R E W  to remain applicable to unique and interesting “collections” of properties. G R O W  the concept even further, and with the help of the concept’s “pioneer”,  and suddenly you see an onslaught of large industry players touting their own unique and interesting boutique “brands”.

But is G R O W I N G the definition truly the equivalent of it being “watered down”? Possibly—- but consider the fact that now just may be the time for the “concept” to evolve into a formidable force within the hospitality and time for it become a true segment of its own.

If in fact this is the case, can the “definition” not allow for boutique “Independents”, boutique “Collections”, and boutique “Brands”?

In the same interview, the ever savvy Mr. Schrager seems to try to differentiate (a cornerstone attribute of what it means to be boutique) himself from the industry powerhouse conglomerates and other high level executives looking to “cash-in” on the subject of “boutique” by stating,  “There are a lot of people who don’t understand it because they think it’s about design instead of attitude and approach,”

With full respect to Mr. Schrager’s experience and legendary vision……excuse me? Did he say “instead”? Does not design influence “attitude and approach”? And while “attitude and approach” are instrumental to defining this segment, I wonder where Philippe Starke weighs in on the subject of hotel design?

While the Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging association clearly recognizes the “definitions quandary” the industry has gotten itself into, does one necessarily need to use language such as “watered down”?

Is it not possible that what we are experiencing in the hospitality industry is simply more of a natural progression of particular segment? and a natural progression based upon changing consumer demands and corporate influence that invests where more money can be found ? Granted, it is “the new kid on the block” and time, and the school of hard knocks will shine the light on plenty of imposters,, but….

Is it not possible to accept a definition of “boutique” that has G R O W N without the need to consider it either “watered down” or “lacking in attitude and approach”.  Is it not possible for the definition, in the 2012 hospitality arena, to allow for a subdivision or an…

ACCEPTANCE  OF THE TERMS “Boutique Independents” , “Boutique Collections” and “Boutique Brands”?

And really…who are WE (as industry professionals”) to decide who should be allowed in or who should be excluded from the “boutique” club, when all that ULTIMATELY matters is what the GUEST wants out of his or her hotel experience and how he or she elects to pursue it?

And in addition to “attitude and approach” why shouldn’t we include zany concepts such as architecture, design, services, amenities, and our target market.

In the same way that the “cat is out of the bag”, “the fish is out of the bowl” in this instance, and as it relates to the boutique hotel…..there is plenty of ocean to go around,

Now with all that being said…… who is ready for the next generation of the “boutique hotel” and wants to take a crack at defining and differentiating what it means to be a “Lifestyle Hotel”?

BLLA, the First and Only Association Dedicated to Uniting the World’s Boutique And Lifestyle Properties, and its Advisory Board, mean to do just that…. and welcome Mr. Schrager to give us a hand.

The most important discussion was on hotel membership.  Boutique & lifestyle hotels only please.  The first White Paper in the industry will help distinguish and define the association’s criteria.  More on this shortly.  Keep telling us what you think boutique and lifestyle properties are defined as.

Shown here: Christophe Vielle, Johanne Brierre, Tim Dixon, Frances Kiradjian, Becka Chester, Nelson Migdal, Michelle Finn

We all banter around the definitions of boutique & lifestyle hotels.  At the Lifestyle Boutique Hotel Development Conference last week in Miami, BLLA Founder, Frances Kiradjian, was tasked with moderating a carefully chosen panel of hospitality executives and discussing this in great detail.

Throughout the conference, there were pros and cons of even discussing the words ’boutique’ and ‘lifestyle’ as they relate to hotels.  One poignant comment during the event lead to much deeper thinking about this.  We must be able to communicate in words to our guests and prospective customers exactly what their experience will be.  How better to paint a visual image than to describe the unique definitions themselves.

The association is completing a year long project which will result in a White Paper coming out very soon.  A brief interlude into what these industry thoughtleaders shared about the definitions are included in this presentation:  www.tinyurl.com/whatisbl

Subscribe to receive the White Paper:

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BLLA’s Founder, Frances Kiradjian, will lead a panel discussion at The Lifestyle Boutique Hotel Investment Conference at The Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami .  There is still time to register to attend.  The link is:  http://www.lifestyleboutiquelh.com/LBHD11/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1018676

Details of the panel:

Concurrent Breakout Sessions

What Is a Boutique or Lifestyle Hotel? (Splash 9-12)

Results of new research from BLLA delve into the definitions of boutique and lifestyle hotels. Panelists will also look at how hotels in the segment can differentiate themselves to guests and financing sources.

1. How do you position a Boutique for success?

2. Can a hotel be both “Boutique” and “Lifestyle”?

3. Do different financing sources view Boutique Hotels differently?

4. Describe key elements in your hotel which create a boutique experience?

5. How are customer expectations different in a boutique hotel?

6. How important are Marketing affiliations to a boutique hotel?

7. How important are customer reviews and how does the hotel manage that process?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT HERE ON YOUR OWN DEFITNIONS OF BOUTIQUE OR LIFESTYLE HOTELS.

2011 BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR:  The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

2011 LIFESTYLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR:  The W Hotel & Residences, Hollywood, CA

2011 BOUTIQUE & LIFESTYLE HOTELIER OF THE YEAR:  Tim Dixon, Owner, The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

AND NOW …… THE NOMINEES IN ORDER OF THEIR PLACEMENT:

BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR:

1st Place and WINNER of the 2011 Boutique Hotel of the Year Award is:  The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI, Tim Dixon, Owner

2nd Place – The Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, NM, Anna Anderson, General Manager

3rd Place The Jupiter Hotel, Portland, OR, Tod Breslau, Developer & Managing Partner

4TH Place – Hotel Renew, Honolulu, HI (accepting on their behalf, Elizabeth Fournier, friend of the Renew)

LIFESTYLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR:

1st Place and WINNER of the 2011 Lifestyle Hotel of the Year Award is:  The W Hotel & Residences Hollywood, Sharilyn Olson Rigdon, designstudio ltd

2nd Place – The Good Hotel San Francisco (accepting on their behalf, Ingrid Summerfield, Joie de Vivre)

3rd Place – The Westlake Village Inn, Westlake Village, CA, Skip Farriss, President

4th Place – The Surrey Hotel, New York, Kyle Rottet, Rottet Studios

BOUTIQUE & LIFESTYLE HOTELIER OF THE YEAR:

1st Place and WINNER of the 2011 Boutique & Lifestyle Hotelier of the Year Award is:  Tim Dixon, Owner, The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

2nd Place – Richard Kessler, Owner & CEO, The Kessler Collection from Florida to New Mexico and inbetween (Mark Kessler accepting on behalf of his father)

3th Place – Andrea De Trinidad, General Manager, Mount View Hotel & Spa, Calistoga, CA

4rd Place – Joe Kurth, General Manager, The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

A special thank you to our judges this year:
• Claudia Juestel, Principal, Adeeni Design Group
• Cheryl Paddock, Third Millennium Travel
• David Beedie, Travel Consultant, Ovation Corporate Travel
• David Schwartz, The Management Consortium, Inc.
• Ian Murray, Co-Founder, bigblueroad.com
• Mark Pratt, Vice President, VOA Architect
• Pedro Colaco, CEO, GuestCentric
• Ronit Copeland, CEO & Founder, Copeland Ltd.
• Stephen Robbins, CEO, Principia Hospitality
• Tiffany Topcik, V.P., Hickory Travel Group

Miami Beach, Florida — Hospitality leaders and design luminaries from cutting-edge architecture, interior design, purchasing, consulting firms, and from across industry segments including restaurants, hotels, spas and more, will gather together at a special awards luncheon on September 14, 2011 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. during the second and final day of the Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Categories for the awards include: Design & Architecture; Sustainability; Food & Beverage; Customer Service; Marketing & Sales; and Occupancy & RevPAR. The Awards will celebrate, for the second year, top performing boutique and lifestyle independent properties that have raised the bar.

Produced by the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA), the awards are becoming the universal benchmark for recognition of quality among the boutique and lifestyle lodging industry and, is the only one among many hospitality awards worldwide, that is dedicated exclusively to both the boutique and lifestyle hospitality industry sector. The Awards present opportunities for properties to be recognized for achieving overall success within a number of important and equally weighted categories.

The Luncheon Awards event includes a CEO Panel moderated by Jean-Michel Cousteau, famed Filmmaker and Ocean Explorer, on the subject of the ‘State of the Industry for Boutique & Lifestyle properties with a twist on environmental issues in hospitality’. The esteemed panelists include: Brooke Barrett, Co-CEO Denihan Hospitality, Dan Flannery, COO Morgans Hotel Group, Ingrid Summerfield, President and COO Joie de Vivre, and Raul Leal, President and COO Virgin Hotels.

The finalists that have excelled in the three categories and are being considered for the top awards are:

2011 Boutique Hotel of the Year:

• The Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, NM
• The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI
• The Jupiter Hotel, Portland, OR
• Hotel Renew, Honolulu, HI

Lifestyle Hotel of the Year:

• The Good Hotel, San Francisco, CA
• The Surrey, New York, NY
• W Hollywood Residences, Hollywood, CA
• The Westlake Village Inn, Westlake Village, CA

Boutique & Lifestyle Hotelier of the Year:

• Andrea De Trinidad, Mount View Hotel & Spa
• Joe Kurth, GM, The Pfister Hotel
• Richard Kessler, Owner/CEO, The Kessler Collection
• Tim Dixon, Owner, The Iron Horse Hotel

The BLLA Pavilion where relationships are built and new products are discovered, showcasing for the 1^st time at the HD Boutique Exposition and Conference that will take place on September 13^th and 14^th at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is paving the way for suppliers to show their support and interest in the boutique and lifestyle sector. Participating exhibitors in the BLLA Pavilion which is the largest footprint on the tradeshow floor, includes the following companies: Apaiser Bathware, Cobsa-USA, Elektra, Jean-Michel Cousteau by Maricoid, Concept Amenities, Iberia Tiles, Smarter Shows / Club + Venue Design Expo 2012, Central Lock & Hardware and the T-Y Group. Planned activities inside the Pavilion include a variety of entertainment, a flamingo exhibit, prize drawings each day and gift bags full of sample products from BLLA suppliers.

The luncheon features additional Sponsors including Swarovski who has custom designed the BLLA Award icon, Hospitality Design Magazine who is collaborating on the luncheon, Gilchrist & Soames, Getaway Packages, NIS Print, Rottet Studio, TripTV, the Scene Marketing Group, Principia, Fabric Innovations, TCHO Chocolate, Beanitos, Biscoff Cookies, Food Should Taste Good, Tyler’s Coffees, Goody Good Stuff and Fischer & Wieser. Most of these sponsors also contributed to the gift bags being given to each luncheon attendee, a BLLA tradition.

To attend the event with a single ticket or a table of 8, please go to www.tinyurl.com/bllaluncheon.

Read the entire story from Hospitality Net.

Read ALL the news in the Boutique Hotel Industry from BLLA here.

To be among the first to hear and meet the winners, join us for the luncheon. Register here.

TOP 10 WAYS TO DAZZLE GUESTS: THE LOBBY