There are different choices of hotels on offer for todays travellers. For one you could sample a chain hotel or experience one of the new boutique hotel trends. A boutique just like a chain, usually has different suites on offer. People usually think only hotels like The Ramada or The Holiday Inn define a hotel experience.

Among these big chain name hotels, lie two other choicesthe second most common overnight places are the bed and breakfast inns such as the Holladay House located in Virginia. However, the third kind of hotel is not widely known but offers just as much and more than the other two can provide. These are known as boutique hotels.

Boutique hotels have had mixed fortunes since the emergence of affordable hotel accomodation. What has helped them remain popular is the homely atmosphere. Quite often the buildings are historic, and this gives them an elevated air of gravitas. Boutiques strive for individuality, and are usually designed around a theme. You will see a lot of local fashion and culture references, with art and local hand crafts on display. Colour schemes and decor have usually been designed to compliment the building and theme and reflect boutique hotel resort trends.

The resort surroundings of boutique hotels can be incorporated into the theme. Santa Fe has a boutique that displays a lot of culture associated with Native American Indians. The Anasazi Inn displays handmade rugs, pottery and throws.

Some boutiques decide to choose a page from history to reflect the theme of the hotel. As mentioned above New Orlean boutiques' choose a 19th Century template. The Hotel Union Square boutique in San Francisco uses the Prohibition era to display it's theme. Except of course that alcohol is served legally of couse, and not in shebeens.

You won't just find these hotels in the United States. Such is the level of service and style provided by boutique hotel owners, their popularity is immense. Boutique hotels can be found in Paris, Tokyo, Seville and even Russia. You can even get funding to start a hotel from specialized boutique hotel lenders.

The average hotel sise has 25-50 rooms. You will also find some boutique hotels with 8-10 rooms, with others having over 100 rooms. The smaller sizes of these hotels allow the employees to focus a lot more on customer services, and personalizing their guests stay.

Book well in advance if you have your eye on a particular boutique hotel. Rooms are limited to begin with. All the gems naturally get picked out first, though you should be able to get an agreeable boutique. Things like business conferences can block book out almost every hotel in a city.

A part of the charm that boutique hotels have that measure up and go beyond chain hotels, is the fact that many of these hotels are upgrading their rooms. Many of the rooms, including deluxe and standard, have some type of high-speed Internet access and private baths. Some boutique hotels, especially larger ones, will offer the business guests use of the meeting room. Larger boutique hotels usually have a spa, fitness center and even a swimming pool. They will also have restaurants and bars inside of their hotels for guests to enjoy.

Why not choose a boutique hotel when on business or vacation? After all you've probably had the same experience each time you've stayed at a chain hotel. The higher price is definetely worth it. The quality of service and hotel quality is extremely appealing. if you want something more than the bog standard, boutique hotels will provide that and much more.