Why Stay in a Boutique Hotel in France?

In today's world it seems that star ratings can be misleading; three and four star hotels sometimes provide similar services to five star hotels. This can be very aggravating when travelling overseas on holiday as opposed to a business trip; there's nothing worse than looking forward to an especially luxurious, relaxing and well earned break in a luxury hotel, only to find the service and facilities bland and sub par. The answer is to stay in boutique hotels, designed with luxury in mind and service as their number one priority. We look in detail at boutique hotels (taking France as an example) and find out why, if you want true luxury, you have to choose a boutique hotel for your stay.

What defines a 'boutique hotel'?

Boutique hotels are usually small, offer tailor made experiences and cater to your every need. They are varied and interesting; they defy definition in many respects, as they are similar to each other only in their very high level of guest services and opulence. Choosing to stay in a boutique hotel in France can mean, for example, staying in a cosy hotel close to Mont Blanc, wrapped up with hot drinks, watching the crackling fire after a days skiing. Alternatively, it can mean staying in an 800 year old chateau and sampling the delights of a well stocked wine cellar, exploring vintages with a master wine taster. The choice is yours.

Why choose a boutique hotel as opposed to a luxury hotel?

The first point to clarify here is that boutique hotels are luxury hotels. They offer the best possible services, suites, amenities and facilities. However, whereas some hotels bandy about the word luxury as a selling point, boutique hotels (especially in precision and style conscious France) earn the title of luxury in every way. They are the very peak of luxurious living, and exude sumptuous lavishness in every aspect of their design and maintenance. In addition to this, the small size of boutique hotels means that you have the one aspect that run of the mill luxury hotels don't offer - exclusivity. There are guaranteed to be no ravening hordes of guests glaring at you over breakfast, no throngs of people queuing at the concierge desk. Most boutique hotels have a maximum of 40 guests, with the average boutique hotel catering for about 10 to 25 guests in total.

Are boutique hotels always isolated?

The simple answer is no. While the idea of a small, luxury hotels often lends itself to more rural and secluded regions, there are many incredible boutique hotels in major towns and cities. With boutique hotels (especially in France) you have the choice of complete seclusion in the country, or an equally high level of service and relaxation in the centre of a city. Paris - for example - is well know for its boutique hotels, many of which are only metres from the city's centre and main sights.

Boutique hotels are the very last word in luxury, and whether you are staying in France, elsewhere on the continent, or anywhere in the world, they represent the very best in holiday accommodation and service.