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La Maison d’Hôtes.

With boutique properties sparking huge interest in the Middle East, Lucy Taylor considers the challenges of maintaining unique appeal in such a dynamic market.

Boutique hotels are by no means easy to define, with a multitude of different ideas floating around about what they should comprise.
Traditional boutique criteria include strictures on the maximum number of rooms allowed, design and architecture characteristics and service - but everyone has their own opinions on the subject.

Whether or not there are set parameters for this state of ‘boutique', one thing is clear: for such properties in the Middle East, the market is set to be a great success.

Boutique allure

It is the tone of a boutique property that defines its clientele, and key factors in setting that tone are location and architecture, as Stephen di Renza, proprietor of Riad Numero 9 in Morocco, explains.

"My very first impression of [Fez in Morocco] was one of timelessness and great calm juxtaposed with the frantic activity of the souk. Instinctively I believed people like me, i.e. busy Euro-urban dwellers, would find the lure of an intact, medieval site that was a short flight away extremely attractive," says di Renza.

"Our target clientele is definitely niche: someone urban, sophisticated, looking for an unspoilt location that is not overdeveloped and who is interested in deepening their knowledge of other cultures."

The Riad Numero 9 property itself boasts an extremely impressive Fassi bourgeois structure, which has been carefully restored to its original splendor.

"We also offer all the amenities that sophisticated travellers expect," di Renza adds. "Our goal is to create an intimate, authentic cultural experience without sacrificing comfort.

The cultural aspect seems to be a common draw amongst boutique properties, as demonstrated by the stunning Burj Al Salam hotel in Yemen.

The property is owned by UAE-based private destination company Net Group, and is the result of a 10-year project carried out by the company's executive chairman, Ali Abu Monassar.

The location is a focal point of the property, as Ali Abu Monassar's son, Net Group Abu Dhabi and Al Ain general manager Anwar A Z Abu Monassar, explains.

"We designed and created the concept of Burj Al Salam in Yemen as we see the country as the mother-place of the Arab culture," he says.

Monassar believes that it is essential for boutique hotels to offer an insight into local culture and custom.

"Yemen has an amazing range of attractions to offer. All Arabs consider Yemen as the birthplace of our civilisation and the same society reflects our origins. We want the property to reflect that too," Monassar says.

Habib Khan, general manager of Orient Guest House in the Bastakiyah area of Dubai, is similarly in favour of maintaining and reflecting local culture and tradition, and believes that is what makes a boutique hotel special.

"Staying here is a unique experience; all the rooms are different because they were converted from an old Arabic house. We still have the courtyard, the flat roof terrace - there's very much that feeling of tradition," he explains.

At the other end of the boutique scale, and reliant on sporting tradition rather than any kind of cultural heritage, is The Montgomerie, Dubai, owned by Emaar Hospitality Group.

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