Arizona-based third-party hotel management company Aligned Hospitality Management has added The M Solvang, Calif., to its portfolio as the company's 25th property and its first in the California market, bringing its presence to three states in just under three years.
Aligned has grown through strategic acquisitions and diversification into new markets. Other boutique properties in Aligned’s portfolio include The Tuxon in Tucson, Ariz.; The Alice in Tucson; and The Sedona Collection in Sedona, Ariz.
“We've had a goal to always get into the California market,” Aligned CEO Bryan Tubaugh said. The property, which was first built in 1950 as an apartment building, appealed to the company’s boutique ethos. “We really like to get ingrained into every community that we're in,” he explained, noting that this is easier to accomplish in smaller neighborhoods than in larger cities. The 24-room property also is the first proper hotel in Solvang, the largest town in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, part of the Santa Barbara wine country. “We just felt like we could do some really good things in that market.”
Now that Aligned will be operating the M Solvang, Tubaugh said the team will oversee a renovation to the property’s gardens and lawn, which he expects will help the property stand apart from other accommodations in the area. “Most of the properties in Solvang, while they're quaint and they're cute, don't have much outdoor space,” he noted. “So this property really embraces that tranquil feel.” Inside, the hotel will get “a touch of modernization.”
Boutique Growth
As more global chains launch lifestyle brands, the definition of what makes a hotel boutique is continuing to evolve, Tubaugh said. Small hotels can “embrace the arts, the community, the local vibe,” he said, rather than simply “providing services and amenities,” he argued. As opposed to a smaller branded property, a boutique hotel is “characterized by either unique charm [or] personalized service—the attention to the detail to the market that they're located [in]. It just creates a distinct atmosphere or theme to that local market.”
Many branded hotels will have a similar aesthetic regardless of location, he added. “Whereas if I go to a boutique in Tucson, (Ariz.), you're going to feel [the] Southwest, you're going to feel the Hispanic heritage or the Southwest heritage. And in New York, you're going to feel more of that urban type of vibe. Those are the true boutiques—[the ones] that really embrace the area around them.” Similarly, relaxed brand standards allow “a little bit more creativity” for developers to “really immerse themselves into the area,” he added.
At the same time, Tubaugh noted the value of soft brands and established collections for corporate support. The Tuxon, for example, is affiliated both with Marriott Bonvoy and with Design Hotels. “However, we've got local artists’ murals. All our craft beer is local. All our wines are local. So it's really, for me, something that is defined by really building [on] the characteristics of the market that they're in.”
Tubaugh expects the growth of “bleisure”—combined business and leisure—travel to drive boutique hotel development. “It's starting to become more appealing to a corporate traveler, not just the leisure traveler,” he noted. Still, the leisure travelers will remain the bread and butter for the segment, especially as younger guests seek out experiential stays and bragging rights in emerging destinations.