Living Review

The Boutique Awakening: Why Five-Star Predictability No Longer Satisfies

There was a time when luxury meant certainty. A five-star hotel in Paris looked much like a five-star hotel in New York. Cairo or Dubai offered the same scented lobby, the same silent corridors, the same attentive staff in immaculate jackets. These were the grand dames of hospitality—unimpeachable, polished, and, over time, oddly interchangeable.

September 17, 2025