Is There a Paradox at the Heart of Some Boutique Hotels?

When choosing somewhere to stay while traveling, what do you look for? For some travelers, the answer to that question may involve a boutique property, one with a singular charm and a distinctive approach to hospitality. For others, the allure of the familiar may win out, with a familiar corporate name ultimately being selected for that trip’s lodging. In theory, these are two wildly different approaches, but they may be closer together than you’d think.

That is one of several conclusions you’re likely to draw after reading an article by Sheila Yasmin Marikar recently published in Air Mail. Marikar takes the reader into the world of small boutique hotels, the sort of establishment that attracts travelers looking for properties with an independent streak and a unique approach to doing business. The challenge here, though, is figuring out where that line exists, as some iconoclastic companies have acquired massive corporate parents over the years.

Air Mail cites the example of Mr & Mrs Smith, a company Marikar describes at one point as “a hotel-booking service that represents some of the best independent boutique hotels in the world.” Except that doesn’t tell the whole picture; as Marikar reveals, Mr & Mrs Smith was acquired by Hyatt a few years ago. Hyatt is not the only large player buying up smaller companies: Air Mail’s reporting points to everyone from Marriott to private equity firms as investing in the boutique space.

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To be fair, there are understandable reasons for a formerly independent company to sign on with a larger corporate parent — including making it easier for travelers who are part of a rewards program to branch out. But there is also the question of whether a corporate sale will cause a business to lose what made it distinctive to begin with. Still, the process described in this article continues unabated; in September, Japan’s Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide announced that it was acquiring Ace Hotels. It almost certainly won’t be the last transaction of its kind.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…