On the surface it looks like another run-of-the-mill list of reader-picked favorite hotels, resorts, cruise ships, and the like. But the Monday release of Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards offered up a true shocker to Boston’s luxury hotel world. Not only did an inexpensive hotel in the South End make the list — it topped it.

The Revolution Hotel, which opened late last year, offers smaller, modern rooms at rates roughly a third the price of nearby hotels in Back Bay. While Percelay expected millennial travelers to drive business, he said cost-conscious families and business travelers have been the hotel’s biggest client base. That keeps him optimistic for his own property’s performance.