Travelers constantly think about security: are they going to be safe in the hotel they have chosen? Most of the time the answer is yes. In times of turmoil, the answer is fuzzier. Are you going to be safer in a big hotel, in the city center, in the midst of all the tourist activity? Or are you going to be safer in a boutique hotel, a smaller, more personal hotel where the staff knows your name, that is off the beaten path and harder to find?
Boutique hotels are more than just a trend, and the term has become more and more familiar to the public. For those who are unsure of what a boutique hotel is, here’s a short definition: Just like a “boutique” in French defines a small upscale shop to differentiate it from a big department store, similarly a boutique hotel distinguishes itself from a large chain-owned hotel by being a one-of-a-kind, medium to small, luxury hotel.
So why would a boutique hotel be a safer place than a large one?
As the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration has outlined, luxury and upscale hotels ranked the highest for safety and security, as did those that are newer (safety-council dot org). Boutique hotels are typically a deluxe venue and most of them have been renovated very recently.
The website safetraveler dot com argues that “Due to the fairly uncontrolled access to hotels, would-be criminals can come and go relatively unnoticed”. This is true for large hotels with a constant flow of guests and visitors. However, great attention is paid to personalized service in a boutique hotel. Owing to a smaller number of guestrooms on property, it is easier for the hotelier in a boutique hotel to offer each guest a personalized approach to service. At the same time, the staff of a smaller hotel more readily recognizes the guests and can keep a more alert eye on possible intruders and suspicious behaviors.
Although safetraveler dot com advises staying at bigger properties because “they tend to have more elaborate security systems in place,” David Maranzana, President and founder of Epoque Hotels, insists on advocating small boutique hotels over bigger hotels. “If terrorism against Western targets has been identified as a threat in the site you will be visiting,” says Maranzana, “steer clear from popular tourist spots because those are easy targets; there are often many doors and there’s always a steady flow of people coming and going. Not to mention the amount of luggage left unattended.” Boutique hotels being less swarming with guests may indeed heavily reduce the risks of being targeted.
Is staying in a boutique hotel going to save your life? No, of course. But it may be safer than staying in a chain hotel in a major tourist place. Further more, staying at a boutique hotel will certainly make the guest’s vacation more interesting, offering a more intimate and hidden view on a city. It’s particularly nice in larger cities where guests have been to before, showing a glimpse of the city’s real life. With personalized, attentive customer service, boutique hotels might just be the answer to staying safe and happily anywhere in the world.
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