Posner Advertising

Boutique hotels are on the rise. We see this growing trend first hand in New York City with the recent opening of The Ace, The Mondrian Soho, The Gramercy Park and The Bowery.

According to a NY Times article, the lifestyle hotel trend is largely due to travelers becoming increasingly tired of the ubiquitous nature of large hotel chains and their growing preferences for unique and “off beat” hotel experiences. NYU’s Hospitality & Tourism Dean, Bjorn Hanson, estimates that almost a third of hotel openings this year will be boutique hotels, with increased revenues per available room projected at 12 percent in 2011.

As a leader in hospitality marketing, I believe that, as more and more boutique hotels are introduced, being unique and “off beat” will no longer be enough. Boutique hotels will soon have to establish proactive marketing strategies to help differentiate themselves and to create visibility in a saturated market.

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