There are so many cool hotels to stay in around the world that theres almost certainly one at your next holiday destination. Why choose boutique?

Location

Boutique hotels are usually in enviable locations. A townhouse right in the middle of the city, a chateau in rural France or a stunning beach retreat in the Maldives, boutique hotels exist to provide you with the very best location for your holiday. City hotels are in prestigious shopping areas, next to great restaurants, within a stones throw from the theatre or stumbling distance from the top nightspots. They provide a retreat in the middle of town where you can wind down, rest your weary feet and take advantage of the staffs outstanding local knowledge. Alternatively, chill out on a private beach, where your bedroom doors fold open onto the sand and where you can snorkel without seeing another human being. Or just take in the countryside from a castle on top of a hill.

Design

If you want to experience real design, choose a boutique hotel. More than a few art-deco ornaments or modern art in the foyer, these hotels have design running through their core and it is a pleasure to stay somewhere thats been designed and decorated with an eye for detail and finish. From the accessories in the bathroom to the china in the restaurant, everything is design-led, without being design-conscious.

Size

By their nature, boutique hotels are small. Even in large buildings, these hotel owners reduce the number of rooms available so that they can increase the size of the rooms and the public spaces and provide better service. The size of a hotel in this sector isnt based on how much floor space it has, but how many rooms it offers, because this affects the ambience and the service.

Service

Service is all-important in boutique hotels. Hotel staff are trained to ensure that guests want for nothing, and yet the service is discreet, so guests dont feel hassled or intimidated. The lower number of guests at each hotel means that the service can be impeccable, and it usually is.

Price

The term boutique hotels may give the impression that these hotels are all expensive, but thats not the case. In fact, you may be surprised by how affordable many of them are. For the same price or very slightly more than you might pay for a very ordinary chain hotel, you could be staying somewhere with real atmosphere and real service. Whilst some of the boutique hotels are very exclusive and therefore very expensive, many of them are perfectly affordable.