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No-frills chic hotels have appeared on our virtual pages on numerous occasions over the years, but recently we came across a new example with an interesting approach. Through a combination of innovative building techniques and a sharp focus on a limited set of specific luxury details, UK-based Bloc Hotels aims to offer a boutique hotel experience at a budget price. By adapting modular building techniques and technology from Japan and around the world, Bloc Hotels can be built twice as quickly as a traditional hotel, the company says. Customer research, meanwhile, has helped the hotel zero in on the luxury details guests care about most: “One of the findings was that during short stays guests don’t normally unpack their bags, removing the need for excessive storage facilities and desk space. They also told us they prefer not to eat in budget hotels, so we build Blocs close to nice restaurants and bars so that they’re easy for guests to access them,” the company explains. With the resulting savings, the first, 73-room Bloc Hotel — situated in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter — can offer important extras “such as really powerful drench showers, super fast wifi, luxury linen, state-of-the-art flat screen HD LED TVs, plus fresh locally sourced pastries and Nespresso coffee from self-serve machines.” Room rates begin at GBP 90 per night and no parking is provided. Offering high quality at low prices is always going to be an attractive proposition, and Bloc Hotels have managed to achieve this through careful research, revealing what their customers really want. Hoteliers around the world, time to apply similar thinking to your own establishments?