Guest impressions of boutique hotels in Singapore

Although the boutique hotel segment started to catch tourism and hospitality researcher' attention in Western countries over two decades ago, there remains a lack of consensus in the definition of a boutique hotel property. The overall dearth in the literature on boutique hotels suggests that despite their rapid expansion in Asia, very little is known about them especially in terms of their characteristics, guest motivation and guest satisfaction. Using 311 guest reviews of 12 boutique hotels in Singapore on TripAdvisor, this study attempted to understand guests' insights about boutique hotels in Singapore. It also aimed to identify key themes that guests notice in boutique hotels in the city-state. The reviews used in the analysis was delimited to those posted within a 6-week time frame, hence providing a mere snapshot of guests' impressions. The results suggest that guests' insights were mostly positive, and that satisfactory experiences in boutique hotels were mostly attributed to the room (size, interior design and cleanliness), staff (friendliness and helpfulness) and the property itself and its location amongst other factors.