These 5 Boutique Hotel Brands Are Expanding Rapidly Across the Globe

From the 18th-floor Panorama Room at the Graduate Roosevelt Island, visitors enjoy a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline shimmering at sunset. Glasses clink and shakers rattle as bartenders hustle to serve the eager patrons lounging on plush velvet sofas while taking in the scenery. Quite a treat for an on-campus getaway.

Since its inception in 2014, Graduate Hotels has grown from a few renovated venues in college towns like Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Athens, Georgia, to a thriving hospitality network of 32 locations that even spans to the U.K. "We’ve added 19 properties since 2019," shares Kevin Osterhaus, the brand’s president. "Despite our growth to 32 hotels, there are still many who are just discovering us."

The Graduate Hotel on Roosevelt Island, which debuted in 2021 on the cutting-edge campus of Cornell Tech, is set to enhance its appeal. Additional Graduate locations are also planned for 2023 in Auburn, Alabama; Dallas; Palo Alto, California; and Princeton, New Jersey.

With its playful vibe — such as the Dolly Parton-inspired "9 to 5 Suite" featuring a California king waterbed and disco-ball ceilings at the Nashville hotel — Graduate embodies a new generation of companies that are taking on established hospitality giants like Hilton and Marriott. Once overlooked due to their limited presence, these brands are now gaining traction and attracting diverse travelers.

Even the major players are embracing the small-is-mighty trend. "I’m really excited about Thompson, and we’re seeing global interest," says Mark Hoplamazian, CEO of Hyatt, which acquired the boutique brand known for its chic design in 2018. Since then, it has added nine properties, with more in the pipeline. "We’ve recently had a series of successful openings in Dallas and San Antonio, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; and the Buckhead area of Atlanta," he notes. "I believe the brand will expand into other global markets soon."

According to Hoplamazian, a key element of this success is a focus on dining and vibrant rooftop bars that attract locals, like the Fleeting restaurant at the Thompson Savannah, where dishes like salt-and-pepper shrimp with red-rice congee are featured, or the top-floor cocktail bar Anchovy Social at the Thompson Washington, D.C.

Ace Hotel was a pioneer of this locals-first approach and continues to thrive as it expands to 11 locations, including Brooklyn, New York; Kyoto, Japan; and a newly opened hotel in Sydney located in a renovated historic building in the Surry Hills neighborhood. A property in Toronto will increase the total to 12 when it opens in the Garment District later this summer.

Embracing the local vibe has become a standard practice. Take The Hoxton, which brands itself as "a collection of open-house hotels reflecting the diversity and creativity of the streets." Its unique formula features stylish lobbies and popular restaurants that attract both locals and visitors. The Hoxton also offers competitive room rates — starting at $179 in Los Angeles and $222 in London — largely due to its compact accommodations. Guests seem unbothered by this: since its acquisition by London-based developer Ennismore in 2012, The Hoxton has launched in seven new cities, including Amsterdam, Chicago, and Rome. Now part of Accor, Ennismore has just inaugurated The Hoxton, Poblenou, in Barcelona, with plans for more locations in Brussels and London’s Shepherd's Bush this year, bringing the total to 13 worldwide.

The Standard, which has transitioned from a few U.S. locations to a global portfolio of sun-soaked retreats, is now making waves thanks to investment from Thai real estate firm Sansiri. The Standard, Maldives debuted in 2019 with 115 villas and an overwater nightclub featuring a transparent dance floor. The newest resort, The Standard, Hua Hin, is roughly a three-hour drive from Bangkok, and a flagship hotel is set to open in the Thai capital this spring. Additional sites in Las Vegas, Lisbon, Singapore, and Ibiza, Spain, are also in the pipeline, according to CEO Amber Asher.

"We aspire to be in all the places people wish to visit — and introduce them to destinations they might never consider, like Hua Hin," Asher shares. "Our aim is to share our culture — cool, casual, and fun — with the rest of the globe."

This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Dinogo with the title The Little Guys Grow Up.