HIP Hotels
Marketing Company
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What HIP Hotels does
HIP stands for Highly Individual Places – a must for every property featured on our website. HIP hotels have to fulfil certain criteria: they must be unique, characterful and charming, and off the beaten track. They encompass the reason for travel – to explore the unknown and discover hidden gems. Our properties make travel exciting, rewarding and memorable.
HIP Hotels firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HIP Hotels
- Legal name
- HIP Media Group Limited
- Website
- https://www.hiphotels.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Marketing Company
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HIP Hotels industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Boutique Hotel Curation & Travel Media
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (56151), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (721110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Boutique & Lifestyle Resorts (THAGACAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Boutique Resorts (Small-Scale Resorts) (THAGADAJ), Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)
Keywords
Where HIP Hotels is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
HIP Hotels business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Publishing and Book Sales: HIP Hotels generates revenue through the sale of coffee table books documenting their hotel collection. They have published 22 titles with over 2 million copies sold worldwide, including volumes like HIP Hotels - The Collection (Vol 1) priced at £29.99.
- Magazine and Editorial Content: The company publishes HIP Hotels Magazine (Issue 44 - June/July 2026) featuring travel inspiration, exclusive offers, new hotel openings, wellness escapes, and culinary experiences.
- Hotel Booking Referrals: The platform drives bookings to member hotels through direct booking links, functioning as an affiliate/referral channel for the boutique hotel collection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | HIP Hotels - The Collection (Vol 1) coffee table book |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Previous Publications |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
HIP Hotels product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HIP Hotels curates and markets a global collection of 300+ hand-picked boutique and unique-style hotels across 44+ countries, functioning as a hotel discovery and booking referral platform. The company monetizes this collection through coffee table book sales (22 titles, 2+ million copies sold), a bi-monthly travel magazine, editorial content (60+ stories), curated travel packages (HIP Escapes), and referral commissions from partner hotel bookings.
Product overview
HIP Hotels operates as a boutique hotel marketing and media platform, combining a curated hotel collection with editorial content and publishing. The core product is the Hotel Collection—a directory and booking platform featuring independently owned boutique properties across 6 continents. Supporting the collection are three main content products: HIP Hotels Magazine (seasonal publication with travel inspiration), HIP Hotels Books (coffee table book series with over 2 million copies sold), and Stories (editorial blog). The platform also offers supplementary services including a concierge service, a mobile travel app, and a newsletter, creating an integrated ecosystem for boutique hotel discovery and booking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HIP Hotels Magazine: The company's travel magazine featuring hotel stories, destination guides, and exclusive offers
- HIP Travel App
- HIP Escapes
- HIP Edit
Products and services
- HIP Hotels Hotel Collection A curated collection of 300+ uniquely stylish and boutique hotels across 44+ countries spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Central America, and Oceania. Provides travel inspiration and direct booking referral links to partner hotels for luxury travelers seeking distinctive, hand-picked accommodation.
- HIP Hotels Magazine A bi-monthly travel inspiration magazine featuring hotel spotlights, destination guides, exclusive offers, and editorial content covering wellness escapes, culinary experiences, and new hotel openings. Targeted at luxury travelers seeking curated boutique hotel experiences.
- HIP Hotels Books A series of coffee table books documenting the HIP Hotels collection. Titles include 'The Collection (Vol 1)' (145 pages, hard cover, £29.99), Spectrum series, Atlas, and regional guides covering destinations across five continents. Over 2 million copies sold across 22 titles.
- HIP Escapes Curated travel packages and exclusive getaways offered through the HIP Hotels collection. Targeted at luxury travelers seeking pre-designed boutique hotel experiences with distinctive character.
- HIP Hotels Concierge Personalized concierge service providing tailored assistance for hotel bookings and travel planning within the HIP Hotels collection. Designed for travelers seeking curated, hands-on booking support.
- HIP Travel App Mobile application for discovering and booking boutique hotels within the HIP Hotels collection. Provides on-the-go access to the curated hotel portfolio for luxury travelers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 22 published titles with over 2 million copies sold
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use HIP Hotels
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HIP Hotels technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
HIP Hotels partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HIP Hotels competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mr & Mrs Smith: Mr & Mrs Smith is a London-based curated collection of boutique and luxury hotels offering editorial storytelling, member perks, and direct booking — directly comparable to HIP Hotels in audience, curation philosophy, and content-driven booking model. Now owned by Hyatt, giving it greater distribution and loyalty reach.
- Design Hotels: Design Hotels curates a global portfolio of independently owned design-led boutique hotels with editorial storytelling and direct booking, closely matching HIP Hotels' boutique curation and global coverage thesis. Acquired by Marriott, it operates at significantly larger scale.
- Tablet Hotels: Tablet Hotels is a curated boutique and luxury hotel discovery and booking platform with editorial reviews, serving the same traveler persona as HIP Hotels. Now operated by The MICHELIN Guide, giving it strong content and SEO synergies.
- Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH): SLH is a curated global collection of independently owned luxury boutique hotels with a member-reservation infrastructure and direct booking, directly comparable to HIP Hotels' curated boutique model but at substantially larger scale.
- Kiwi Collection: Kiwi Collection curates and verifies luxury hotels worldwide with editorial reviews and direct booking, closely aligned to HIP Hotels' boutique luxury curation and referral-style discovery model.
- Leading Hotels of the World: Leading Hotels of the World is a curated collection of luxury independent hotels with member-reservation infrastructure, comparable to HIP Hotels in boutique/luxury curation but operating at much larger scale with broader hotel services.
Broad incumbents
- Condé Nast Traveler: Condé Nast Traveler is a global luxury travel editorial publication with hotel reviews, destination guides, and an annual Hot List — overlapping with HIP Hotels' editorial storytelling and luxury traveler audience, but with vastly larger reach and broader scope.
- Travel + Leisure: Travel + Leisure is a major U.S. travel media brand publishing hotel reviews, destination features, and a World's Best Awards list, targeting a similar luxury leisure audience as HIP Hotels but with much broader mainstream reach.
- Booking.com: Booking.com is the world's largest online travel agency with extensive boutique and luxury hotel inventory, directly competing with HIP Hotels for bookings via referral economics and increasingly curated boutique collections.
Emerging players
- Luxury Retreats: Luxury Retreats is a curated luxury villa and vacation rental platform now under Airbnb, serving a high-end traveler segment that overlaps with HIP Hotels' boutique and experiential luxury audience.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HIP Hotels social profiles
Digital presenceHIP Hotels financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HIP Hotels leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
HIP Hotels funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HIP Hotels M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HIP Hotels
What does HIP Hotels do?
HIP Hotels curates and markets a global collection of 300+ hand-picked boutique and unique-style hotels across 44+ countries, functioning as a hotel discovery and booking referral platform. The company monetizes this collection through coffee table book sales (22 titles, 2+ million copies sold), a bi-monthly travel magazine, editorial content (60+ stories), curated travel packages (HIP Escapes), and referral commissions from partner hotel bookings.
Is HIP Hotels a public or private company?
HIP Hotels is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HIP Hotels founded?
HIP Hotels was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is HIP Hotels based?
HIP Hotels is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does HIP Hotels make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Publishing and Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are magazine and Editorial Content and hotel Booking Referrals.
Who are HIP Hotels's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mr & Mrs Smith, Design Hotels, Tablet Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), Kiwi Collection and Leading Hotels of the World. Broad incumbents are Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Booking.com. Luxury Retreats is listed as an emerging player.
Does HIP Hotels have an API?
No public API is recorded for HIP Hotels.
What industry is HIP Hotels in?
HIP Hotels's product category is Boutique Hotel Curation & Travel Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGACAO, Luxury Boutique & Lifestyle Resorts, with a secondary code of THAGADAJ, Boutique Resorts (Small-Scale Resorts). Its NAICS code is 56151.