Travel trends have been changing over the past years. People are moving towards from big hotel complexes to boutique hotels. People used to choose big hotel complexes because they would find all the amenities they are looking for in one place from concierge to swimming pool to a convenient store. However, in the past years, this trend changed and the experience itself became more important. People are looking for unique memories that they can take back to. People are also looking for more local experiences that are local and authentic. Boutique hotels offer this kind of experience, the service is personalized, and the staff gets to know you and cares about you as a person.

Few years ago, I went to a resort and all I can remember is the buildings and amenities. Few weeks ago, I went to a boutique hotel in Kas/Turkey and I can remember not only the beauty of the nature but also the owner whom we had great talks and discussions and Cafer who always anticipated our needs before we even told him. I know that if we had gone to a big hotel complex, they would not even remember us but if we go to this small hotel in Kas again, they will remember us and treat us like their friends. I have also had the same type in experience in Cuba when I stayed in places called casa where you stay with local people. I learned about the culture, learned about the people that live there and how they live and do things. You can not get this experience in a big hotel complex.

Tourism is emotional and tieing your guests to your place emotionally is the success. Every hotel, every complex has more or less the same amenities; what differs is the people and the personalized service.

Turkey is promoted as a mass tourism in Europe. Therefore, low budget tourist is attracted to Turkey. Tourists are paying 500 euros for a 5 star all inclusive resort including the flight from and to Belgium. They come to Turkey and only see the resort complex and go back to their countries without having the real experience. By real experience I mean doing the local things, seeing local places, going to local cafes and restaurants and sites that local people go to and learning about the culture from local people. Most of the tourists in Turkey do not even know the existence of different experiences they can live in Turkey from staying in cave houses from 6th century in Cappadocia, to staying in a village house in Fethiye and experiencing the village life with locals to staying in a mansion by North Sea to staying in a small hotel by the beautiful blue Mediterranean.

You might think that these kinds of experiences would cost you a lot but actually in Turkey it does not. You have to be a clever tourist and do research but just to give you an example, the big hotel complex I stayed cost me about 600 Euros for one week. The boutique hotel in Kas cost me 300 Euros per week and it was a much better experience than the one I had in that big hotel complex. The small boutique hotel in Kas made me want to stay there and want to go back every year. This is the kind of experience that you should look for when searching a place to stay.

Special Places in Turkey brings the real experience to your fingertips. The boutique hotels are chosen very carefully and since it is a non-profit website at the moment, even if you want to pay and want to be on this site, if you do not fit the concept, you can not be on this website. You can choose to stay in a cave house from the 6th century or stay in a village and live the life of people who live in small villages. You can stay in a historical mansion and listen to the stories of the mansion from the owner. All the places have a character, something special about them whether if it is the history or the experience and all these places offer you the real Turkish hospitality with local people.

Evrim Erdem-Asma

¶ 12:37 AM