Boutique Or Boutique Hotel

Hotel and Boutique

Even with our elder sister M Boutique Ipoh, the most frequently asked questions is still, “Are you a Boutique or Boutique Hotel?“, and can be read in our original article. Over the course of opening M Boutique Station 18, we are now updating what has changed over the past 2 years since.

 

Through the course of doing business, we had tried to register with famous boutique hotel and travel websites like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Tablet Hotels and I-escape. Through our flurry of registrations and emails, and even getting referred by some of our friends (guests),we were always told the same thing – we are not a luxury property. To us, a Boutique Hotel, should be a home that provides the best possible service in an artistic environment and has nothing to do with being a luxury hotel or not.  We do understand that for a marketing perspective, like Mr. & Mrs Smith, they were formed as a niche travel portal focusing on the luxury market. However, over them months, they had come out with the statement;

[blockquote text=”People tell us there’s no such thing as a budget boutique hotel, but we know that superb service, luxury bedlinen and romantic rooms can all come at affordable prices – without ever feeling cheap. Intimate breaks don’t have to cost the earth: these bargain-friendly stays don’t skimp on indulgence, and offer serious luxe-for-less for discerning weekenders.” show_quote_icon=”yes” href=”“https://www.mrandmrssmith.com/budget-boutique-hotels“” text_color=”#000000″ quote_icon_color=”#000000″]

Apt or Paradoxical? We wonder. Personally, it is of our opinion that generally in Malaysia, the Hotel industry is slow to follow trends even with the advent of technology. Perhaps this is linked to the fact that for some owners, opening a hotel is supposed to be glamorous,  as part of the overall enhancement of their businesses. Such practices are not uncommon, with the advent of large corporations taking on International Luxury brands such as Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, W, Aloft and the list goes on. There are also those who prefer owning hotels which are smaller and more intimate, but similar in wanting the glamorous style (hence luxury) with Hotels in Malaysia like Casa Del Mar, Langkawi and Casa Del Rio, Melaka just to name a few.

 

There are on the other hand, some owners who perhaps lacking the financial capacity, who would prefer a faster return on their investment, and hence you have the budget range of hotels peppered around the world today. So where does that put us M Boutique Station 18? Honestly, our owners wanted to revolutionise the Hotel industry and decided to bring the Boutique Hotel movement to the masses; creating a unique environment but at everyday affordable prices.  This was all during a time when boutique hotels were almost unheard of in Ipoh and Malaysia in general. Being the second property by M Boutique, we had taken the lessons learned from M Boutique Ipoh (yes, by right there is no Hotel behind our name), and tried to come up with a new interpretation for Pengakalan, Station 18, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia! We are grateful to have been working once again with our BFF, Lifeshop Atelier to bring you something new, once again, another showcase of what can be done the Malaysian way. In fact, we have realised that there are a growing number of owners who are beginning to follow our footsteps throughout our country!

 

Coming back to the statement of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with our owners original intentions; we cannot say that we are a Luxury nor Budget Boutique Hotel. There are still many in Malaysia who do not understand the actual terminology including us Hoteliers. As it is our nature to be playful, M Boutique Station 18  comprises of a Boutique Hotel with it’s very own Boutique! We prefer to call ourselves as a Lifestyle Boutique Hotel. Be it Luxury or Budget, we prefer to refer to the proverb, “Beauty Lies Within The Eye of the Beholder.”

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