Why you should choose a small local hotel rather than a chain hotel

When it comes time to choose an accommodation for a family holiday, most people head online to look for a great deal. It's always easiest to find the big chain hotels but if you really want to experience the area you are visiting, you should look for a local, boutique hotel.

Supporting local businesses

When you stay at a locally owned hotel you are staying somewhere where the owners have committed to the area. The owners often work in the business and can give you great advice on the local area including restaurants, local shops and cool places to visit. The support staff as well as the front-line staff are based locally, and often local hotels make an effort to showcase local crafts in the gift shop and local wines and foods in the dining facilities.

Boutique hotels also tend to have more leisure visitors compared to business visitors, so they have more information available on local (and hidden) tourist hideaways.

Additional flexibility

Small hotels are less bound by restrictive policies and can offer some more flexibility for all sorts of issues that can make your stay easier like room service, check in and check out times and additional housekeeping supplies. Staff have more flexibility and thus can take more responsibility for your customer satisfaction. If you are on a family holiday with a large number of children, there is often more flexibility in sleeping arrangements in smaller hotels.

Smaller size

With the smaller number of guests there is less crowding in the facilities such as the pool or bar, and there is less chance of noise intrusion on your peaceful getaway. No one want to be sharing the floor with a rowdy local sports team on a family holiday! A quieter location is ideal for allowing younger children to nap during the day as well!

Interesting decor

With less limitations imposed by a head office, boutique accommodation can offer funky and interesting interiors. Children loving exploring and finding surprise features of the hotel, and can be very inventive in coming up with stories and games around the objects that they find. You can use this to help introduce the children to the history of the hotel and interesting facts about the local area.

As you can see, locally owned boutique hotels are a fantastic option for family holidays and can help you really enjoy your stay in the local area.

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