Comments on: What makes a Smith hotel?

By: Angel

Angel — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:20:57 +0000

Really glad you did this post. There are quite many self proclaimed boutique hotels that just fall short for one reason or another. My biggest bug bears are things like boxy, small rooms and style over function - example no plug sockets because it interferes with the “clean lines”!

By: Aya

Aya — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:12:10 +0000

Why so few African hotels/lodges/camps? Stunning views, personal service, romantic, small, and many of the (East African hotels) within 12 hours travel of Heathrow. Perfect for a long weekend and not a conference centre in sight!

By: Ilse Crawford

Ilse Crawford — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:21:26 +0000

[...] leads us nicely onto our next question: one of Smith’s criteria for picking hotels is that guests should know where they are in the world, and not feel lost in a one-size-fits-all [...]

By: Smith reviews: the Oberoi in Mauritius

Smith reviews: the Oberoi in Mauritius — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:02:59 +0000

[...] Read the rest of the Oberoi hotel review here. Every time we publish a new hotel write-up from one of our panel of independent reviewers at Mr & Mrs Smith, we’ll let you know here on the Smith Travel Blog. We visit every property in our hand-picked hotel collection, and get it reviewed by a real-life couple to make sure it meets our ridiculously high hotel standards. [...]

By: Smith

Smith — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:50:36 +0000

[...] of the most important criteria when we’re deciding whether a hotel will make it into the Smith collection is, quite simply, [...]

By: slate tile bistro table

slate tile bistro table — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:33:30 +0000

[...] Mrs Smith shared on their blog recently the qualities that define a good boutique hotel for them in What makes a Smith hotel? The ‘wow’ factor is high on their list, but also other elements, from a sensational [...]

By: Lisa Corcoran

Lisa Corcoran — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:23:36 +0000

A very interesting topic!

I agree with much of what is said above and think a boutique hotel should definitely have the ‘WOW’ factor from the moment you step through the door. To me,it should be a relaxing experience without any pretension but more importantly, for the duration of your stay there should not be any feelings of disappointment.

Without meaning to sound mercenary this also includes the price. If I pay handsomely for a room and it is tiny or I am charged for every detail eg. water, Wi-Fi, minibar, DVD’s etc I just feel disappointed. In fact, I think one of my requirements is space. A boutique hotel is usually deemed to be small but this shouldn’t apply to the size of the rooms!

For me, it really is a sense of not being disappointed. Sometimes hotels do not quite live up to their ‘coolness’ and suffer from too much ‘hype’.

By: Juliet

Juliet — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:50:05 +0000

@ Lucy You mean those tubes of Nescafe no good?
Yowzers. You are so right. Hotels have been excluded on the grounds of naff said in high-pitched Philadelphia cream cheese ad voice

By: Lucy

Lucy — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:44:23 +0000

I think there’s just one tiny-but-vital question missing from your list: do they serve decent coffee?!

By: Erica Johansson

Erica Johansson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:22:52 +0000

Juliet, this article is spot on. You’ve covered all the things that really matters when staying in a boutique hotel. As you wrote, a hotel’s style, the service and the amenities are all very important. But what I usually notice first when entering a lobby or reception for the first time is the atmosphere. Even if a boutique hotel looks immaculate, that won’t help if it doesn’t feel good to be there. This obviously depends on the staff and how they treat you, the other guests, and where the hotel is located.

I think ‘The Gore’ cover all these points to perfection.