Some boutique hoteliers struggle to find qualified service staff in an industry with a high turnover rate.

One of the problems facing the development of boutique hotels is that the most talented people have been lured by five-star hotels run by big international brands, according to Lu.

The personnel wanted by his hotel must have work experience at international brands while at the same time accepting the core values of boutique hotels. "Neither can be dispensed with," Lu said.

Boutique resorts also differ from regular hotels in terms of team management, the manager added. Because of their small size, a role played by up to a dozen staff at starred hotels only requires two or three at boutique hotels, greatly reducing the flexibility in deployment of manpower.

"Workers' loyalty and their mentality are more important at boutique hotels. The human resources staff have a lot to do regarding issues involving workers' motivation, evaluation and loyalty," Lu said.

Mubarak Abulimit contributed to the story.