Boutique Hostelries: Authentic and Eccentric Experiences

Hotels can be as memorable a part of our travels as the destination itself. That’s why travelers are increasingly seeking unique, one-off hostelries that feel authentic, and reflect their locale.

For me, the Hotel Kraft in Florence is that kind of place. It’s been 23 years since I stayed at the Kraft, tucked into a residential neighborhood just off the Arno and within walking distance of the famous Florentine sights. But that hotel sticks in my memory.

Small (70 rooms), family-run (for three generations), four-star, the Hotel Kraft is the epitome of the local, boutique hotel that clients rave about – that memorable, hidden gem with its own personality that can make a great trip an exquisite experience.

Staying at the Kraft, I got to experience the everyday Florence, with the quirky Kraft my home, yet the tourist’s Florence was within walking distance.

Italy is known as the epicenter of the slow food movement, but you also could say that the country is also the epicenter of the boutique hotel trend. That’s because some 90% of the hotels in Italy, mostly family-owned, are operated by independent hoteliers whose personalities and traditions imbue their hotels with singular qualities.

The gregarious Swiss-Italian Monique Kraft, for example, runs her property with the single-minded belief that it provides its guests with the best possible hospitality and that nobody else can do it better.

A Sense of Provenance

A passion for hospitality typifies locally branded, small hotels around the globe, whether they are family run for several generations or part of a collection, such as Provenance Hotels, based in Portland, Oregon, with its five art-themed hotels, all with 100 rooms or so, in Portland; Seattle; Tacoma, Wash., and Nashville.

Provenance, as all boutiques, aims to provide guests with superior customer service, unique and luxurious amenities (24-hour room service, business center and Pillow Menus, among other touches) and a memorable experience.

At Provenance’s hotels, that would be an educational art experience more similar to a gallery or a museum than simply viewing beautiful art on the hotel walls, says Dina Nishioka, the Provenance spokesperson.

For example Provenance’s aptly named Hotel Murano in Tacoma’s restored downtown, features the works of more than 45 glass artists from all over the world using various techniques.

Each guestroom floor focuses on a single artist with the entire floor telling a story about the artist and their technique.

Photos of the artist making their pieces or with their inspirations for their pieces are hung along the corridors and sketches that the artist created for the piece adorn the guestroom walls.

The Golden Age of Film is the theme at Provenance’s 130-room Hotel deLuxe in downtown Portland, with its art-deco and Hollywood-40s inspired design.

Each floor is devoted to a Hollywood theme featuring almost 400 photographs from films made from the 1930s to the 1950s. The second floor, for instance, is devoted to Alfred Hitchcock. But the deLuxe, on the Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List in 2008 and 2009, is no Bates Motel.

The deLuxe, Murano and their siblings — the Hotel Lucia, also in Portland; the Hotel Max in Seattle and the Hotel Preston in Nashville – provide top-shelf services and quirky touches to add to the guest’s experiences.

Along with the expected four-star amenities such as flat screen HDTVs, sumptuous beds and linens and top of the line Aveda bath products, guests also will find an MP3 menu along with MP3 docking stations in every room.

And there is also the “spiritual menu.” “Buddhist? Taoist? Catholic? Scientologist? We have the perfect bedtime reading for you,” says Nishioki.

Details Make a Red Carnation

Such attention to detail, down to the pillow menus, is also the focus of another collection of boutiques – the family-owned Red Carnation collection of family-run four- and five-star hotels.

Service is at the heart of the Red Carnation collection of five-star boutiques. Founder Beatrice Tollman said, “The essential thing is that people are looked after, and that they get exceptional value for money. Above all, we want them to know that we care about them, and that when they check out of their room, they leave with lasting memories of enjoyment from the best service they have ever received.”

For example, at Red Carnation’s 41 Hotel overlooking the Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace in London, the guest-to-staff ratio is 2 to 1 and the small hotel even offers a butler to coordinate a shopping trip, arrange for afternoon tea, and answer any technical questions at a moment’s notice.

The hotel has 30 rooms and suites, each with its own individual and stylish look. All are done in a striking black-and-white theme with rich mahogany wood furnishings — along with touches such as fresh fruit and flowers, snacks and treats, scented candles and working fireplaces in most rooms.

You’ll also find iPod docking stations; interactive TV with movies on demand, high-speed internet, radio, and DVD/CD player; fax machines/copiers that double as printers for your laptop.

The Hotel 41 aims for a “clubby feel” and invites guests to “plunder the pantry” – they can raid the fridge with its selection of sandwiches, salads and sweets available to guests all the time. It’s like staying at your own townhouse in the heart of London.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Food and wine connoisseurs will find an authentic wine country experience at The Louise in Australia’s Barossa Valley wine region.

The luxurious 15-suite hostelry, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, offers guests the opportunity to visit the nearby Penfold’s winery and make their own blend, then return to the hotel and enjoy the hotel’s signature nine-course wine flight tasting menu, which includes six wine pairings in its acclaimed restaurant, Appellation. The chef will even prepare a custom course specially matched to your own wine blend.

Owners Jim and Helen Carreker have modeled The Louis after the hostelries they experienced in the world’s renowned wine regions, including the Napa and Sonoma valleys. At The Louise, luxurious accommodations complement a truly memorable food and wine experience.

Each of the 15 superbly appointed suites has a private terrace and awesome vistas overlooking the Barossa’s extensive vineyards.

From that sublime experience, you can also revel in the funky. That would be the Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver’s West End. This ivy-covered fixture in a residential neighborhood along English Bay, a short walk to busy Denman Street, is like your dowager aunt’s home – eccentric and comfortable – and not to be forgotten.

I wouldn’t call the 130-room Sylvia deluxe but its rooms are comfortable, clean and modern, and its bar, with views of English Bay, is a lively place where you can engage the locals or your fellow travelers. It’s an offbeat and memorable experience, the Sylvia, and you don’t find many hotels like this anymore – that really are part of their community’s fabric.

Read from the Sylvia’s Web site and you’ll get a feel for her personality: “The Sylvia Hotel offers a unique lodging experience. We have 120 rooms and suites to choose from, all distinctive in their view and layout. The Sylvia Hotel prides itself on outstanding service, friendly staff and great value, which is why people continue to visit us year after year. The Sylvia Hotel was one of Vancouver’s first pet-friendly hotels. Our location, being across the street from English Bay and a short distance to Stanley Park, provides our two- and four-legged guests with a wonderful outdoor experience.”

A wonderful experience, indeed.