pinniped

I think of "business hotel" as an urban hotel in the Marriott/Hilton/Westin range. I do not expect to it to have formally pursued any star rating from a stringent, reputable ratings authority focusing on quality, even though various websites loosely call these places 3* or 3.5* hotels.

I've stayed in some boutique hotels that try to capture both the business traveler and the upscale/luxury traveler. I mentally put these in their own category, but can see them being referred to as business hotels as well. A boutique that is simply trying to be a midrange business hotel isn't too interesting - the big brands execute that well enough - which is probably why so many of the boutiques try to add some of the near-luxury soft touches even if the physical plant isn't Forbes 5-Star level.