Acclaimed French architect Jean Nouvel keeps arguing against generalist architecture. Nouvel has introduced in October 2009 one of his latest projects, the Pavilion B at Genoa’s Salone Nautico. With an inspiring lesson on aesthetics, Nouvel, who has the Pritzker Prize 2008, has explained the basics of his achievement: he was looking to inscribe the edifice within the urban and social conditions of the city of Genoa.

Certainly, from the vantage point of the sea, the edifice is in harmony with the water and the boats that are moored. An analogous idea can be felt by looking at other of Nouvel’s achievements such as the Muse Quai Branly in Paris, the Akbar Tower in Barcelona and the improvement of Colle Val d’Elsa in Tuscany. Nouvel affirms to be against the so-called “carbon copy cities” in an interview appeared in La Repubblica, Italy, led by Renata Fontanelli on October 12th 2009, and of which are some lines roughly rendered in English here:

“These days one cannot tell the difference from San Paolo in Brazil from Dubai or Shanghai from Milan because it is as if the designers do not take into consideration the distinctiveness of each urban agglomeration . Architects do not seem to look at the light, the wind, the water, the history and the culture that make every city, be it small or large, inimitable. […] Today,” wraps up Nouvel, “modern architecture lies in the relation with its context.”

This vision is in agreement with the modern traveler’s rising attention to boutique hotels. In truth, in the past 20 years the market of boutique hotels has experienced a remarkable surge and this is perhaps due to the fact that people are looking more and more for a hotel that can provide them with a pinch of the city’s essence, rather than picking a “carbon copy hotel”, a “big box” the likes of which you could find in any other city.

Just like a “boutique” in French describes a small upscale shop to distinguish it from a big department store, likewise a boutique hotel is different from a large Hotel Chain, which has typically standardized features and looks. Boutique hotels are likely to render the flavor of the location where it is set and it is a one-of-a-kind experience.

In a world that is turning towards standardization, where supplies, stores, restaurants, indeed society in general is developing into a homogenized entity, boutique hotels are a beacon for diversity and originality.

David Maranzana has founded Epoque Hotels and Avantgarde Hotels, a collection of boutique hotels in the major destinations worldwide.