A boutique hotel can make your vacation complete

By Samantha Upbridge

Big brand name hotels are usually the first thought, when booking vacation accomodation. They're great to enjoy a relaxed break. But what if you want something different? You can try a stay in a boutique hotel. They offer the same amenities as a chain hotel and more.

If you are looking for a place that offers a bed with friendly hospitality with a feeling of home, then what you are looking for is a boutique hotel. What is a boutique hotel? It is a hotel that is designed in a certain way, designed to a certain theme to give its hotel guests a welcoming feeling.

Boutique hotels can be found anywhere in the world including the United States of America. Although this is the case, many people are not as aware of them. Why? When you turn on your television, you see commercials about families staying at a particular hotel as they travel the US. Although they can be built from new, you will find historic buildings housing a lot of boutiques.

If you want to stay in a place that is unique, you'll need to do some searching using the Internet. You may not realize it but many of the antique homes that are fixed up in New Orleans are actually boutique hotels. There are several of them to choose from and many use the 19th century as their theme. These older homes in New Orleans can be used for something more than museums when accented right.

As stated already, boutique hotels have a theme they portray. Yet, how do owners come up with a theme that will catch a person's eye? One of the best ways is to utilize the cultural surrounding of the hotel. The Anasazi Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico uses its southwest region culture to accent its home. There are many items from the Native American culture hanging about in the hotel including handmade throw rugs and pottery too.

In the French Quarter of New Orleans, many owners of the boutique hotels use the 19th century to design their rooms, lobbies and hallways. The Hotel Union Square of San Francisco designs its rooms in a Prohibition era design. The rooms and hallways have a black granite and cream travertine tile. The Whitehall Hotel in Chicago uses a 1920s theme to grab the attention of its guests.

Remember there are boutique hotels all across the world. While they are plenty in the United States, cities across the world that have them include: Paris, Cannes, Istanbul and Seville. Each hotel in each of these cities has something different to present its guests.

Giving the enormous range of boutique hotels, and locations, do some research on the web if you plan to visit. Booking all the major cities should be carried out a couple of months in advance. Some boutique hotels are limited in space, from 10-100 rooms. Get your reservation in early to avoid disappointment. Read a few user reviews on the hotel you like before you book.

While the commercial names like The Hilton are catchy and make you think about that particular brand, sometimes a little research finds you staying somewhere you never even thought about. You should realize that you pay for what you get. A boutique room is not cheap but well worth the cash you spend. With all the amenities you get, there's no need to stay anywhere else.

Just this once, forget about the money, go ahead and spoil yourself. Your once in a lifetime trip may not be so memorable, unless of course you book an amazing boutique hotel.