Starwood hotels have created sub-brands called W hotels to answer the boutique challenge. Hilton have dabbled in the sector by creating a one-off sparsely branded "lifestyle hotel" in London's Trafalgar Square. But what about the big names? Can an established chain go boutique even if it wanted to? And just how do you attract customers, if you throw traditional "big is best" branding out of the hotel window?

It starts with word of mouth. It's no coincidence that the boutique label has fashion connotations. Like its namesake, the hotels have established designer names (Ian Schrager, Olga Polizzi) and a monthly hip hotel bible, Condé Nast's Traveller.

Babington creates a word of mouth of its own by selling its Cowshed spa products on the high street. Naturally the products encapsulate all the brand's ideals: luxury not mass-produced, and a little on the pricey side. Similarly, the famed Hôtel Costes in Paris is as known for its CDs mixed by DJ Stéphane Pompougnac as it is for its hotel. People buy into the products because of the hotel and vice versa.

Next, there's the strength of the Internet to help propel the boutique hotel trend. Try Googling any of the hotels mentioned in this article and a crop of hotel portal sites will appear, all offering to find a room for you. The web has done more than anything to turn the tables on the way customers organize travel. According to an ABTA report published last year, of the 48 percent of the British population who have access to the Internet at home, 68 percent of adults used the Internet for information about travel and accommodation.

Finally, hotels no longer have to rely on the recognition that a large hotel brand chain guarantees. Guides like Hip Hotels and Design Hotels do the legwork for them. The publishers of Hip Hotels recognized a desire to see and explore hotels from the coffee table even if fans would never be able to afford a room in real life.

British guide Mr and Mrs Smith has probably captured the individuality, comfort and experience of these new hotels best. Like Hip Hotels, it's an enticing coffee table book, filled with photos of all the chic hotel trappings: crisp white bed linen, cozy fireplaces and sparkling bathrooms. But it's also a down-to-earth guidebook with reviews by real people. "The book came about when Mrs Smith (Tamara) and I were going away for a busy weekend," explains James Lohan, the "Mr" in Mr and Mrs Smith. "We work in PR so we're incredibly well connected socialites. But we found we were taking recommendations from faceless guidebooks. We only managed to hear from hotels that capture the press. But many of the smaller hotels don't know how to PR themselves. That's one of the ways our book comes in."

The guide helps clear up some of the surface contradictions of the boutique experience. It recognizes that a great hotel isn't just about good looks or expensive prices, "We recognize individuals. One week you want a Champagne blowout in Babington. Other times, you want a cozy pub," adds Lohan.

However, Mr and Mrs Smith's masterstroke is that it has created an exclusive club for the price of a book. "Everyone loves personal recommendations," Lohan says. "We're just offering it on a bigger scale. It's very simple. What's the best room? Which restaurant table gives you the window view? Is the bed going to give me backache?" But the insider club analogy doesn't end there. A membership card is affixed to the inside cover of the book with a unique number. Once readers register (and 21,000 of the 80,000 book's buyers have already done so), they are sent insider info on the latest hotel openings and offers from Mr and Mrs Smith. The founders turned a passion for individual hotels into a brand.

This article started with three rules, but there's probably a fourth unwritten rule to add: boutique hotels are expensive. On first glance, the Dakota hotel near Nottingham in the UK appears to fit all four rules. It has a startling black exterior that would make Darth Vader proud, a fabulous looking restaurant, bar and plasma screens in every one of its above averagely sized rooms. But—and here's the clincher—every room is an affordable £80 a night (US$ 140.00).

Rob Mitchell advises brands how to use language and express their tone of voice for The Writer in London.