While boutique hotels comprised just 3.2 percent of the total U.S. lodging supply in 2017, boutique projects represented 17.8 percent of the rooms in the development pipeline as of June 2018. Boutique hotels are popular with developers for a variety of reasons:• They frequently offer unique, localized experiences that are favored by today's travelers• They give the developer an opportunity to be creative with the facilities and services offered• They achieve premium levels of occupancy and ADRTo gain a better understanding of the performance of this popular segment of the lodging industry, CBRE Hotels' Americas Research (CBRE) partnered with the Boutique and Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) to develop six competitive classification categories. The categories are based on a combination of branding, management, and chain-scale, three factors that influence the market position and performance of boutique and lifestyle hotels. The six competitive classification categories, along with representative brands, are listed below:• Legacy Brands/Upper-Priced: Andaz, Canopy, Indigo, Kimpton, W Hotel• Legacy Brands/Lower-Priced: A/C, aloft Hotel, MOXY, Tru• Soft Brands: Autograph, Best Western Premier, Curio, Hyatt Unbound• Referral Groups/Independent Properties: Historic Hotels, Leading Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels• Boutique-Lifestyle Brands/Luxury: Belmond, Montage, Thompson, Valencia• Boutique-Lifestyle Brands/Upper-Upscale: Affinia, Charlestowne, Joie De VivreUsing these six categories, CBRE publishes quarterly forecast reports that present three-year projections of occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and RevPAR. Further, once a year the report provides revenue, expense, and profit metrics that allow boutique owners and operators to benchmark the financial performance of their hotels.As the budgets for 2019 performance are being finalized, we present the latest forecast and financial benchmarks from the September 2018 edition of Trends® and Expectations for Boutique and Lifestyle Hotels.