Lifestyle Hotels: You Are Where You Stay

While in Safeway the other day to purchase laundry detergent I was so overwhelmed by the array of choices I almost left without buying anything. How did the simple process of purchasing laundry soap become a highly emotional, self-defining exercise? My conscience told me I should go with the eco-friendly choice, but part of me really wanted my clothes to smell Tide Mountain Fresh™. “WHY PAY MORE?” shouted the ABC label—a valid point, but did I want to be seen at checkout with that tacky box? A myriad of other benefits screamed for my attention. Dawn Stainscrubbers™! Colorguard™! All Stainlifters™! If I made the wrong choice, would glaciers melt and whites turn pink? What if I wanted all the features? That option didn’t appear to be available. I was forced to choose what was most important to me.

This constant one-upmanship among brands, the relentless quest for “New and Improved!” features, has made what used to be simple purchase decisions highly complex. Hotels are no exception. There used to be three types of hotels—budget, mid-range and luxury—and you made your decision based on location and price. Things started to get complicated in the 1980s. That’s when somebody realized that all hotel lobbies don’t have to be made of brass and marble, all guestrooms don’t have to be beige, and all lobby bars don’t have to be boring. We can thank Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck for leading the revolution.

Since then, boutique hotels have become enormously popular, but because of higher pricing and urban locations the market has been mostly restricted to young and affluent big-city travellers. All that is changing with the next generation of boutique hotels: the soon-to-be ubiquitous “lifestyle hotel”. Ironically, whereas boutique hotels were created as an alternative to chain hotels, this segment is being driven by the chains. In an attempt to recapture lost business and to capture new business, the chains are bringing the boutique concept to the masses. Lifestyle hotels cater to the traveler who wants to pack more than his PJs when going on the road, he wants to take is entire lifestyle: technology, health and wellbeing, social life, the dog and even eco-friendly practices.