Boutique Hotel Shines in Bodrum

Bodrum_Aerial Tucked away atop a hill a five-minute drive from Bodrum’s center is a modest yet luxurious boutique hotel. Having bucked the declining tourism trend in the area both in 2006 (only the hotel’s second season) and early into the summer of 2007, The Butterfly may have struck a business model for accommodation that can withstand any blows to the area’s tourism industry - a model that makes it stand out from the majority of Bodrum’s other hotels and bed and breakfasts.

“Bookings have doubled every year since opening,” said Patrick Hembrough, joint-owner of The Butterfly. Even more interesting, the hotel has not spent any money on formal advertising. The Butterfly opened in its current form and location about two-and-a-half years ago. In its first season, almost all of their clientele discovered The Butterfly via the hotel’s Web site. From there, one former guest anonymously posted an excellent review for The Butterfly on tripadvisor.com, a trip planning resource frequently used in North America. Guests then started to find their way to The Butterfly via that Web portal. As of June 2007, of the 100 Bodrum hotels rated on tripadvisor.com, The Butterfly ranked number one.

The concept:

When Hembrough of Boston, U.S. and his Turkish business partner Faruk Helvac? started this eight-room boutique hotel, the aim was to create an experience for guests where they felt they were staying in a private villa. They bought and renovated a villa and installed bathrooms and terraces for every room, among other changes. Too upscale to be a bed and breakfast and far too small to rank among the big hotels of Bodrum, The Butterfly fills a niche in the area’s accommodation offerings that may both bring profits to the hotel and strongly boost the local economy.

As part of its vision to create an intimate private villa experience, Hembrough wants "no one between the guests and us." Accordingly, there is no reception in the eight-room hotel and public spaces are guest-only spaces.

Additionally, as part of providing a high-level of personalized service, Hembrough and Helvac? spend a good deal of time with guests on their first day - Hembrough mostly handles the English-speakers while Helvac? meets with the Turkish-speakers. "For the first day and half I hold their hand," said Hembrough.

Their method is to sit down with guests upon arrival and learn what each guests wants to get out of their experience in Bodrum and at The Butterfly. From there, The Butterfly "will organize anything" in order to ensure that the guests have the experience they desire.

By the nature and concept of the hotel, it brings small numbers of tourists who are more likely to spend large amounts of money to the area rather than several budget travelers coming to Bodrum on all-inclusive package deals. These high-end visitors to The Butterfly then venture out of their hotel for most meals and shopping. Any food that is served in the hotel is bought at the local market. When guests ask for suggestions on where to buy a Turkish rug, the hotel directs guests to a local rug-making cooperative, so that the artisans can earn a larger percentage of profit on the sale than they would working with a rug distributor/store. The Butterfly even recycles its metal cans (not a systematized activity throughout the region - or much of Turkey for that matter).

“Only a percentage of any profits that the larger hotels in Bodrum make benefits the local economy. Absolutely 100 percent of our profit goes right back to the local economy,” said Hembrough.

Addressing specifically the onslaught of all-inclusive tour groups coming through Bodrum that are welcomed and hosted by Bodrum’s larger hotels, Hembrough added, “there needs to be awareness that all-inclusive tour packages is not a sustainable way to do tourism in Bodrum.”

One factor that Hembrough believes greatly benefits their hotel’s business is the draw and high comfort they can provide to English speakers via their English language Web site and hotel name, and on-going hosting - all provided with native-level English. For visitors who know no Turkish, coming to Turkey can be overwhelming. Having an insider who is a native English speaker explain everything to you could be an invaluable tool. Further, as someone coming from one of the hotel’s target markets (The United States), Hembrough brings an advantage to The Butterfly of already knowing that market - what that market desires, where they go to look for hotels, etc.

Most importantly for Hembrough, however, is that through the hotel he is able to offer others a similar glimpse of a place that has mesmerized him. "I love Bodrum and I love sharing it with people," he said.

Source: Turkish Daily News

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