By Alicia Hoisington and David Sokol

Off-the-beaten-path experiences, lower prices, genuine social interactions. Peruse the circa-2011 archives of most travel blogs and you’ll find these oft-repeated reasons for proselytizing Airbnb. The short-term accommodation app promised to not only widen access to travel, but also make it better. Yet today Airbnb is going public, local governments have taken regulatory aim at the platform, and travelers are falling out of love with their hosts. Boutique hotel entrepreneurs and operators, in turn, are working overtime to sate the people left behind.

Leading up to 2020 (and prior to the widespread worsening of the COVID-19 crisis), the hospitality industry had experienced consecutive growth for eight years, according to Lodging Econometrics. And earlier this year, the consultancy’s analysts identified 102 hospitality brands launched in the U.S. alone since 2015. Here, we delve into the details of three such debuts that span sectors—from landscape-forward luxury, to big-brand innovation and accessible lifestyle. Click the photos to read more about each brand.

Read more from Boutique Design’s Spring 2020 issue.