Originally Posted by
KatW
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ian-schr...EditorsPicks_1
Excerpt: "A pioneer of the boutique hotel concept, Mr. Schrager says popular five-star brands such as the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental Hotel provide top-notch service but offer little inspiration in terms of design or aesthetics.
“These luxury guys are vulnerable,” he said during an interview at his downtown Manhattan office, which is decorated with newspaper clippings, architectural renderings and printouts of TripAdvisor reviews. “There’s the same opportunity in the luxury space today that we saw with boutique 25 years ago.”
One of the reasons we stopped staying at places like FS and RC is this very reason--as well as a variance in service levels prior to the Great Recession. Most FS properties feel like they could be anywhere; we prefer a sense of place and a more boutique feel whenever possible. That's one reason we tend to stay with Aman, SPG Luxury Collection, COMO, Upper House, and other more unique properties whenever possible.
FS, MO, RC, Pen all have their place--and when in a city, we might often stay there. But when that city has a more unique property for a comparable price, we're more inclined to stay there, instead.
StR offers us the chance for SPG Plat privileges/suite upgrades and points earned, so the value proposition is better for us for comparable service/amenities when compared to FS, MO, Pen, etc.