In a September 2001 article we discussed the question: �What is a Boutique Hotel?�  In that article we mentioned the number of rooms as one factor that has an impact on the correct usage of �boutique�; we even said that 100 rooms might be the upper limit.  Things certainly have changed in five years.  There seems to be no upper limit at this time.  

We have recently visited several very large hotels, some with 2,000 rooms or more, and were pleasantly surprised to find that the combination of genuine staff cordiality, personalized service, and attention to detail resulted in a level of guest service delivery that we thought impossible at a mega-hotel. In that atmosphere one could almost forget that there were three to four thousand other guests in house, presumably experiencing the same level of service at the same time.

That feeling may be compared to what I had previously experienced only in small family owned and operated properties with a few dedicated employees.  Simply stated, one starts to believe that the staff only came to work that day because you were there as a guest.  Their entire attention seems to be focused on making your stay an unforgettable experience; making you feel very special, making you feel like you were the only guest there.

I have to admit I never thought it could happen in a 3,000-room hotel with more than 2,000 employees and several thousand guests; I was wrong.

So, what is the difference between a 15-room �boutique� inn with a small intimate dining room, and a 3,000-room �mega-boutique� complex with 2 spas, 25 shops, and 9 food outlets?  It surely is not the number of rooms and other physical facilities; could it be employee attitude, technical ability, and owner commitment?

The only potential problem I can see is that the meaning of �boutique� hotel could become unclear to the public.  Guests who go to the 15-room inn usually have different expectations than those who go to the 3,000-room mega-resort.    Like so many other words, �boutique� may come to mean whatever the user wants it to mean, and that could be different from the hearer�s interpretation.

This could turn out to be a very minor problem, or no problem at all.  If guests receive the creature comforts and the personalized services they want, it will matter little whether this magical experience occurs in a 15-room inn or a 3,000-room resort.  Those guests who demand the best, and are willing to pay for it will go where they find it and they will return.   The label of �boutique�, �mega�, �mega-boutique�, or any other advertising jargon will quickly become meaningless.

To paraphrase the Bard:

�What�s in a name?  
That which we call a boutique hotel, 
By any other name would be as special�