Not so long ago, traditional hotels were a popular choice among corporates. Remember those weekend getaways where team building activities and orientation workshops were all bundled into one package?
But changing times have also caused preferences to evolve. The new generation leans towards less formal and more chic venues that are a lot more suited to their own lifestyle and worldview. This has caused companies to up their game and offer something more unique. They are now looking at boutique hotels as the go to place for all their business needs.
This isn’t a flash in the pan trend, by any means. Boutique hotels are all set to upset the status quo and they’re disrupting the hospitality industry in more ways than one. Besides, when brands such as Hilton and Marriott come up with their own versions of boutique hotels, you know that things are getting really, really serious.
But the question remains – why are boutique hotels so popular? Here are some reasons why they’ve become a hot favorite with businessman and entrepreneurs.
- Different Spaces: We’ve all attended meetings where we found ourselves either zoning out or dozing off. Boutique hotels offer spaces that allow attendees to stay focused and intrigued. For instance, people would be a lot more receptive and attentive if a meeting was conducted in a bright, airy space with multi colored planters, rather than a closed cubicle in a stuffy office. Understanding this, boutique hotels spend a lot more time, effort, and thought into designing their spaces, and the results are quite something!
- Designed For Innovation And Creativity: If you want your brainstorming and ideation process to be a success, why would you settle for unimaginative meeting rooms? When you switch to a livelier space, you will be able to remove at least some of the barriers that stifle creativity. People, once they’re out of their formal ‘office personality’, are more relaxed and capable of generating meaningful and innovative ideas. Therefore, picking an eclectic venue for your meetings can have a great impact and get the creative juices flowing.
- More Flexible & Accommodating: Most big hotels offer a fixed set of amenities and services for businesses looking to organize meetings or conferences. Ask for anything more and they’re likely to charge you extra or say that its outside of their gamut of services.
Boutique hotels are more flexible in nature. Whether you’re looking to organize smaller, more intimate meetings, a casual get together, or a bigger conference with global participants, they will be able to accommodate all your demands and do justice to them.
- Tech Savvy & Connected: The nature of meetings has changed a lot. It’s fairly dependent on the latest technology that facilitates collaboration among all attendees. In case you’re wondering whether boutique hotels can handle this demand, you should know that these establishments tend to have a technology-first approach. They are equipped with state of the art technology (sometimes better than what you’d find in your average hotel), which allows you to conduct the meeting with ease.
- Speaks to the New Generation: The corporate sector is mostly made up of youngsters, and it is important to have a venue that mirrors their lifestyle. Formal spaces that lack personalization can put them off very easily. They need an environment that echoes their sentiments. Boutique hotels, with their eclectic décor, will keep them engaged and interested in official meetings. This, in turn, means that it’s likely to be a more productive session and you’ll get more work done in the process.
- More Diverse Culinary Choices: Food and drinks hold a very important place in meetings. Not only do they provide sufficient nourishment to work-weary brain cells, they can also visibly lighten the mood and help the meeting flow naturally. Can you imagine surviving those long hours, looking at slide after slide after slide, without adequate amounts of coffee coming your way?
Boutique hotels, knowing full well that good food is integral to a productive meeting, keep you plied with food and drinks regularly. And don’t think these will be limited to greasy finger foods and stale cookies. Boutique hotels pride themselves on their exceptional culinary skills and can serve up some amazing food. And should you need some customization to suit the dietary demands of your attendees, they will be more than amenable to accommodate your requests.
The era of stuffy conference rooms and hotel lobby meetings has come to an end. Millennials are looking for a different kind of experience that can maximize results without compromising on creativity. In order to do so, businesses are starting to look for some more versatile spaces. More and more meetings are happening in cafes and other venues that are non-traditional in nature.
Boutique hotels fits the bill perfectly. They cater to the millennial crown and vibe well with their sensibilities. They are laid back without being casual, informal without being shoddy, and courteous without being stuffy. Just the right mix of luxury, elegance, technology, and exemplary service, boutique hotels offer just about everything you would need to make your otherwise boring meeting a huge success.
Ram Gupta, the author is a hotel management graduate from India and Germany; He is a certified Hotel Administrator from U.S. and MIH from U.K. He has over 40 years of sound experience in the Hospitality, real estate industry in India, Dubai, U.K, Europe and Japan and is well versed with all areas of business including acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, diversification, strategic planning, development and operations. He has been associated with over two dozen luxury and boutique hotel projects and has launched two hotel chains in India. He is currently an independent hotel consultant and could be contacted at ramgupta@bcgglobal.com. Website: www.bcgglobal.com
