Discover Top Posts Tagged with #the wellesley

Marquee Openings Across Europe Mark a Milestone Year for Marriott International’s The Luxury Collection

Luxury Brand Accelerates Growth By Reaffirming Its Presence In London And Paris, Opening Its First Ever Ski Resort In Cortina, As Well As Entering The Armenian Capital Yerevan The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., announced the signings of five flagship properties for the brand: the internationally-renowned boutique hotel The Wellesley and the exclusive The Westbury in…

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#Cristallo Resort & Spa #Hôtel de Berri #Marriott International’s The Luxury Collection #The Alexander #The Wellesley #The Westbury

Afternoon tea at The Wellesley, Knightsbridge, London. We snaffled up the good too fast to photograph most of it. The Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong tea was bagged but whole leaf with a mild fragrance and light, sweet taste. The 2nd flush Darjeeling was pretty good too. A good value special treat in lovely surroundings.

#tea #afternoon tea #the Wellesley #London #knightsbridge #oolong #darjeeling tea #Darjeeling

London, UK

#the Wellesley #hotel #london #uk #view #balcony #third floor #sky #pink #blue #colorful #houses #tree

What’s ‘Boutique’ in my eyes?

Last Monday, I was in London to attend the Boutique Hotel Summit, the first European conference dedicated to industry of boutique and lifestyle hotels.

The main debate of ‘what is boutique?’ somewhat manifested itself in all the various discussions and yet everyone had different opinions of what it meant to them:

· Less than 100 rooms

· Any size as long as the concept is different and unique

· High-quality in terms of asset

· A concept that is difficult to replicate

· Authentic

· Personalisation

· High-level of customer service

· Experience-led

· Design-led

· Luxurious niche

· Independence

· Individuality

· Passion-driven

· A ‘secret’ address

· Eco-conscious

· Heritage-led

We can go on, but you I think the above gives you a flavour of what is ‘boutique’ means through the eyes of the hospitality industry.

With the help of boutique hotel specialists Mr & Mrs Smith, I thought I would capsulate my own perspective with the following description:

Unique, exclusive and destination-specific. A special and intimate atmosphere that suggests intimacy along with a richness of heritage. Stylish and idiosyncratic. Inspiring décor, design/classic-led but gimmick-free; fashionable, but not ‘funky/outlandish’; glamorous but not garish. Romantic, escapist and enchanting. A hide-and-seek experience. Somewhere you can secretly escape for a few days if you want to get away from it all. Private, peaceful and panoramic locations with original fire places, beautifully designed bedrooms and enchanting views.

Unpretentious, discreet and personal. A place to really relax – like being in your own home as opposed to a stuffy, uncomfortable or intimidating environment. Friendly, personal and discreet. A personalised service with equisite attention to detail

Relaxing and enriching. A natural and cultural surrounding that provides personal enrichment

A lifestyle hotel on the other hand is something totally different. Take a look at these lifestyle brands:

· W Hotels (part of Starwood)

· Edition (part of Marriott)

· Indigo (Part of IHG)

There are some key similarities with all of them: They are branded to target people with a certain lifestyle; there is more than one of them in the world; the concept is the same in each hotel; they are accessible; and they happen to be part of big hotel chains.

So let’s not confuse ‘boutique’ as ‘lifestyle’ or vice versa. In my opinion, as soon as a concept is replicated, it automatically becomes ‘lifestyle’. The question that remains to be answered is whether these lifestyle chains can keep up with ever changing travel trends? Edition already seem to be having problems already with its hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. And with Indigo? Well I’m just not really sure as to which lifestyles they are targeting. They all look Intercontinental like to me.

Overall, the boutique hotel industry is performing well, with banks and investors clearly interested in its high ADRs and performance returns. Overseas investors have also been keen to be part of the boutique trend. Here are a few to look out for that are currently going through renovations.

The Wellesley A 36-room townhouse hotel located in Knightsbridge, London. It is being developed at a cost of £36m (£36m per key) and is set to launch in November 2012. One key point of difference to note is the jazz bar, aimed at showcasing established and upcoming jazz acts in a private and exclusive atmosphere. Owners are Arab Investments.

Heckfield Place A 70-room 18th century country-house hotel in Hampshire, UK. Owned by Chinese investors, it is looking to reinvent the concept of rural retreats. Rather than just a long weekend stay, guests will be able to come for 1-2 weeks and be always occupied with something to do. With an abundance of cultural and artistic retreats to experience, along with its own farm and acres of country estate, two weeks seems pretty feasible. The launch date is expected to be in April 2012.

#heckfield place #The Wellesley #boutique hotel #luxury travel #Mr & Mrs Smith.