Ian Schrager may have sparked a flame in 1984 with the Morgans hotel in New York City, but the watershed for the boutique hotel genre wasn’t until 1998, when Starwood launched its hip W brand. The boutique model – design-conscious, intimate, unique to its location – took off, and big brands have been trying to get a piece of the success ever since.

Starwood recently launched another group, Aloft (pictured at right), with rates on a par with budget chains (around $150/night) and loftlike rooms by David Rockwell, with high ceilings, large windows, and lots of gadgets. As with W hotels, there’s an emphasis on hangout spots, such as a self-serve gourmet café and a pool area with WiFi. Nineteen Alofts opened in 2008 (Montreal, Philadelphia, and Beijing were a few of the first), and about 30 are slated for 2009. Read the rest of this post »