1.a small shop or a small specialty department within a larger store, esp. one that sells fashionable clothes and accessories or a special selection of other merchandise.
2.any small, exclusive business offering customized service: Our advertising is handled by a new Madison Avenue boutique.
3.Informal. a small business, department, etc., specializing in one aspect of a larger industry: one of Wall Street's leading research boutiques.
So what makes this Howard Johnson's a boutique?
We haven't found any fashionable clothes or trendy accessories, and so it must just be that the place is small (fewer than 40 rooms) and is different from other HoJos in some other lovely ways. Decor is decidedly not typical: there is no aqua/orange combination anywhere. No big bright plastic dangling circles. No spotted Formica counter-tops.
There is no row of big orange booths, no ice cream, no fried clams, no parking lot full of muscle cars, Buick LaSabres or pickup trucks. There is a small (12 tables) bar area where desayuna of fresh fruit, soft rolls and outstanding coffee is served each morning.
The lobby has a marble floor and art deco rugs, there is marble statuary in our hallway, and the rooms are upscale comfortable and low-key classy. There is no HoJo logo anywhere and if it were not for the sign outside on the street, there would be little indication Howard had anything to do with it.
But what really makes this place a boutique: the bidet in the bathroom (...which turns out to be a great place to rinse out socks. Who knew?).
Socks, huh. I didn't.
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