I admit it. I'm a sucker for trendy boutique
hotels. The best of these smaller, stylish hotels are
design-forward hipster havens, with modern art, post-modern
furnishings, and futuristic toys that control music and
lighting.  Flat-screen TVs are often installed
in gigantic bathrooms, and the mini-bars are stocked with tasty
stuff you'd never find in a vending machine.

I also admit that I easily tire of boutique
hotels.  Many such hotels have a cookie-cut
look and feel, as if straight out of a West Elm showroom.
The 1000-thread count sheets don't always make up for the chilly,
often inept service.  Worst of all, some hotels
seem to have forgotten that they're in the hospitality business.
For instance, there's nothing like getting ”˜carded' just to get...