Where boutique hotel owners turn beautiful properties into booked-out brands.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook
If you are tired of relying on OTAs, inconsistent marketing, or “hope and pray” referrals, this podcast walks you through the exact brand and guest experience systems that turn beautiful properties into profitable lifestyle destinations.
Listen to the Latest Episode
Each episode of The Boutique Hotel Playbook breaks down one strategic move you can make this week to strengthen your brand, elevate your guest experience, and increase direct bookings.
No fluff. No generic hospitality advice. Just practical brand strategy, revenue alignment, and positioning insights for boutique hotel owners who want to operate at a higher level.
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Start with the episode that speaks to where you are right now. Branding, guest experience, direct booking growth, or repositioning your property.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook is Actionable Insights for Boutique Hotels!
Your boutique hotel is more than rooms — it’s a brand, a story, an experience. On the Boutique Hotel Playbook , Yanique DaCosta shares strategies to boost direct bookings, attract high-value guests, and turn stays into stories guests rave about. Learn how to build loyalty, design unforgettable guest journeys, and position your property as a lifestyle destination that stays booked solid.
If you’re serious about building a hotel brand that guests remember, rave about, and return to, it starts with an honest look at your current positioning.
👉 Click here to complete a short questionnaire and see if you qualify for a Deep Dive Call: https://hotels.theykmd.com/work-with-me-4289
Wanna stay Charela Inn or Le Mirage? Links below.
https://www.miragenegril.com/ (nude cliff hotel)
What does it actually take to build a boutique hotel guests remember, rave about, and rebook?
In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Grizzle, owner of Charela Inn and Le Mirage in Negril, Jamaica, for a powerful conversation about boutique hotel branding, authentic hospitality, guest loyalty, and what makes smaller independent hotels stand out in a crowded tourism market.
Daniel shares how he built two very different hotel experiences in Negril, why boutique hotels should not compete on price, and what it means to create a property that feels personal, culturally rooted, and unforgettable. From Jamaican hospitality and farm-to-table touches to long-term staff relationships, repeat guests, and the power of local identity, this episode is full of insight for boutique hotel owners, operators, and investors.
We also talk about why Charela Inn in Negril continues to resonate with guests looking for an authentic Jamaican experience, how Le Mirage Negril offers something more private and intimate, and why Daniel Grizzle believes the future of Jamaican tourism should include more local ownership and more diaspora investment.
If you own, operate, market, or dream of building a boutique hotel, this episode will challenge how you think about direct bookings, guest experience, hotel reputation, and long-term brand value.
In this episode, we cover:
How Daniel Grizzle built Charela Inn and Le Mirage in Negril, Jamaica
Why boutique hotels win through experience, not discounting
What makes guests remember and return to a boutique hotel
How authentic Jamaican culture strengthens hospitality branding
Why direct bookings, loyalty, and reputation start with positioning
The difference between Charela Inn and Le Mirage as guest experiences
Why local ownership matters in Negril’s tourism future
What diaspora investors should know about boutique hotel opportunity in Jamaica
Keywords:
Daniel Grizzle, Charela Inn, Le Mirage, Le Mirage Negril, Negril Jamaica, boutique hotel branding, boutique hotel marketing, direct bookings, guest loyalty, hotel reputation, Jamaican hospitality, Jamaica boutique hotels, independent hotels, Caribbean tourism, boutique hotel owners
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Be a Guest on The Boutique Hotel Playbook
Are you a boutique hotel owner, hospitality operator, architect, marketer, hotel operations strategist, travel influencer or revenue expert with insights that could help independent properties grow?
This show highlights real strategies, real stories, and real lessons from operators building memorable properties around the world.
If you have experience worth sharing, we would love to hear from you.
“You deserve a brand that feels as elevated and intentional as the guest experience you’re creating.”
-Yanique DaCosta, MFA, LCAM
Yanique DaCosta is the Founder and Chief Creative Director of YKMD, a brand development and marketing agency specializing in luxury boutique hotels.
With over a decade of experience working with global brands and managing high-end properties, she understands both the emotional side of hospitality and the business mechanics behind direct bookings, positioning, and guest loyalty.
Hospitality runs in her blood. From growing up around her family’s hotel in Jamaica to managing luxury mixed-use properties in Florida, Yanique has seen firsthand how powerful brand clarity can be.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook exists to help owners shift from reactive operators to strategic brand leaders.
What Listeners Are Saying…
Boutique hotel owners and hospitality leaders are using these strategies to rethink branding, guest experience, and direct revenue.
August 26, 2026
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September 24, 2022
Look Behind the Scenes
Every Friday, I send a short email breaking down what we are seeing in the boutique hotel space.
Brand mistakes that quietly cost bookings.
Guest experience gaps that impact reviews.
Direct booking opportunities most properties overlook.
If you want honest insight without the noise, join the list.
Site by YKMD. Podcast produced by Yanique DaCosta