We are convinced that a beautiful hotel or holiday home is the key to a perfect trip. Especially in these difficult times, when the quality of a holiday or short trip is even more appreciated. So, since 2013 we have been searching for those special places – unique boutique hotels, cozy chalets, comfy apartments, all sorts of hidden gems plus all kinds of insider tips worthy to share.
When I say “we”, I am speaking of myself, Robert Kittel, the founder of Pretty Hôtels and author of these lines – and a small team of travel experts from several countries who have made it their personal quest to find these hidden gems.
For me, the beauty of Pretty Hotels is that we only include hotels after having visited a property! We decide, if it fits nicely into the Pretty Hôtels family. Personally, I believe this is the only serious approach to running such a website. In times where all Instagram reviews are filled with “awesome, super, brilliant”, what could be better than a personal recommendation which you can trust?
How we select
Pretty Hôtels was founded in 2013. Before that, I spent 20 years working as a journalist for renowned media – and we have kept exactly that standard: go there yourself, look closely, recommend honestly.
Every year we receive around 400 requests from hotels. Only 15 to 20 of them are accepted – at most one in twenty. Every single one has been visited and tested by us in person beforehand.
And it doesn’t stop at the first impression: we regularly revisit the roughly 190 properties currently on Pretty Hôtels, and guest reviews and feedback from guests continuously feed into our assessment.
Accepted properties pay an annual fee that covers the running costs of the site. It cannot buy a place in the selection, though that decision is made by our editorial team alone.
Pretty Hôtels in numbers
- Founded in 2013 by Robert Kittel, previously a journalist for 20 years
- Around 400 requests from hotels per year
- 15 to 20 new properties accepted per year
- Around 190 properties, all visited and tested in person
- Regular revisits, complemented by guest reviews and guest feedback
- Events like the Pretty Hôtels summit bring the hoteliers together, it’s a great network.
Pretty Hôtels has no fixed selection criteria. Our requirements are what we stand for: The place should be comfortable and pretty, but in a very natural way. We like the ‘less is more’ approach and we like hosts that run their timeless properties in a more sustainable fashion.
If you have experienced a place that fits into our exclusive family, or if you own a beautiful home yourself, please feel free to send me an email at robert@pretty-hotels.com.
With the very best wishes
Robert Kittel
Founder & GM of Pretty Hôtels
