41°49′23″N 71°25′05″W / 41.8231368°N 71.4179716°W / 41.8231368; -71.4179716
6-707: The Dean is a boutique hotel located at 122 Fountain Street in Providence, Rhode Island . The building's use as a hotel was part of a renewal project in Downtown, Providence . Built in 1912, 122 Fountain Street was used as a shelter run by the Episcopal church and also operated as several adult entertainment establishments known for their illegal actions including a strip club called the Sportsman's Inn. Elements of
12-449: A boutique as opposed to a department store , to which chain hotels were compared. In recent times, boutique hotels have grown in popularity, corresponding with the general public's increased interest in individualized service. Many hotel chains have begun to focus on creating subsidiary hotels to establish smaller, boutique-style hotels, or in acquiring previously independent boutique hotels. Boutique hotels are typically furnished in
18-420: A hundred rooms, and are considered more "trendy" and "intimate", often due to their location in urban areas. They will usually also display a strong sense of aesthetic, and have a unique, un-homogenized character. They may be themed too, such as by having a focus on nature, environment, cuisine, history, community and cultural immersion, attentive service, or well-being. Boutique hotels first began appearing in
24-596: The 1980s in major cities such as London , New York , and San Francisco . There is debate about who started the boutique hotel concept. Blakes Hotel in South Kensington, London , designed by Anouska Hempel , and the Bedford by Bill Kimptom in Union Square, San Francisco, both founded in 1981, may have started the trend. The term "boutique hotel" was coined by Steve Rubell, who compared Morgans Hotel to
30-471: The hotel's design and decor reference the building's origins. In 2014 the building was turned into the hotel that stands there today. The hotel was designed by ASH NYC and Kite Architects Inc. The Dean's rooms include oil paintings by various artists, tables by Rhode Island sculptor Will Reeves, and fixtures by The Steel Yard. The building also loans out refurbished bicycles. The Dean currently contains four businesses and two food establishments. The hotel
36-467: Was listed as one of Condé Nast Traveler 's top bargain hotels of 2014, and one of Condé Nast Traveler's top hotels in New England in 2019. It has received positive reviews from Vogue , Architectural Digest , The New York Times , and GQ . Boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small-capacity hotels that provide more personalized service than typical hotels. They typically have fewer than
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