Hilton Worldwide also announced the launch of its Curio brand last year, which will make its Middle East debut in 2016, with a 207-key hotel in Mall of Qatar. Created for travellers seeking local discovery and authentic experiences, Curio will be a carefully selected, global collection of distinctive four- to five-star hotels, the company said at the time of the brand launch.
While not independent, IHG’s Hotel Indigo brand, to enter the Middle East this year in Riyadh, has been designed to cater to customers seeking personalised experiences. The brand is aimed at reflecting the local culture and character of an area while delivering the consistencies travellers would expect from a global brand.
“Indepdendent style hotel brands are catering to a specific group of consumers who are looking for more from their travel. They trust brands with a heritage and they value the comfort and security which established global brands provide, however they don’t want ‘cookie cutter’ experiences,” explains Gauvin.
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IHG last month also announced the acquisition of US boutique brand Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant, and has plans to expand it internationally.
The firm is to pay $430 million in cash for the operator, which manages 62 hotels in cities and resorts across the US, as well as 71 hotel-based restaurants and bars. It also has 16 hotels in the pipeline.
According to IHG, the acquisition of Kimpton, which it claims is the world’s largest independent boutique hotel operator, will establish the company as the “clear market leader” in the boutique sector, complementing its Hotel Indigo and Even Hotels brands.
While founder and CEO of Insignia and vice chairman of The Travel Attaché, Gaurav Sinha, believes independent hotels are going to be big in the region in the future, he warns that for international chains, it will be challenging to replicate the concept without savvy travellers seeing through it.
“It can’t be legacy hotels trying to be independent boutiques because the market is far too intelligent and will recognise that independent hotels play a very important role in how we evolve.”
On the other hand, for genuine independent start-ups, the cost of land would hold investors back from selecting a “green-seed” idea over a renowned brand name, he adds.
If international brands are to succeed in emulating independent hotels, Sinha believes that affordability will be key, and he exemplifies Vida Downtown as a good independent-style hotel concept that has succeeded in “capturing the imagination”.
“They have to first of all make it affordable, and boutique hotels are not only about being more affordable, but about being more intimate, not just being the tallest and widest,” he says.
Another element of successfully operating independent hotels, according to Sinha, is communicating with the correct target audience for the concept. Connecting with millennials is something that Sinha feels hoteliers haven’t quite mastered yet, and he believes it’s all about using the right channels.
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