Kimpton Media Buzz
| KIMPTON 2012 MEDIA PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS |
"Kimpton's boutique hotels. The San Francisco-based boutique hotel operator rolled out iPad kiosks in its lobbies this fall . They'll be in every Kimpton hotel by the end of this year, the company says. The iPads let guests perform a variety of tasks such as reading restaurant and nightclub recommendations from hotel staffers; sharing photos of their trip; discovering hotel information such as when the evening wine hour or employee-led runs will be held, and printing out boarding passes before running to the airport."
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USA Today, December 2012 |
"The recently renovated Hotel Monaco Seattle doesn't just qualify as 'city chic' because of the contemporary design typical of the Monaco brand. Another requirement, says Bowen, is that the hotel attract locals to hang out at its bar and restaurant. They appreciate the long hours of the gourmet happy hour (4-8 p.m.) and the tasty treats served up by Sazerac hotel restaurant chef Jason McClure."
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CNN Travel, November 2012 |
"Hotels increasingly are trying to cater to fitness-focused travelers. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the percentage of properties that offer fitness facilities reached a new peak this year of 84%. That's up from 63% in 2004..."
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USA Today, October 2012 |
"Inspiring CEOs: Mike Depatie, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group. '...Kimpton is his masterpiece, a chain that perfectly fits its time: friendly, cool, and upscale seeming, but at a sweet-spot price point...A one night stay at a Kimpton hotel revealed signs of Depatie's influence.'"
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Esquire Magazine, October 2012 |
"The Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria, Va., has a Dream Menu, with a collection of services and amenities to get a good night's sleep. Want a Bed Wedge that elevates the upper torso? A Snore-no-More pillow? An old-fashioned hot water bottle? Press the 'Dream' button on the guestroom phone, and it'll show up in your room."
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USA Today, October 2012 |
"Kimpton Hotel Group decided to reward its top customers with a surprise reward based on how much they spent at the hotel in the past year. Kimpton customers were able to choose their own personalized reward for food, travel, wines or spa treatments."
USA Today, September 2012 |
"Thug Yoga at the Sky Hotel: Snowboarder and yogi Courtney Smith is intent on removing the practice's intimidation factor. In her democratized Hatha classes (Sundays at 10 a.m.), hip hop tracks and live DJs set the beat, and ice-cold mimosas, Bloody Marys, and PBRs are served throughout the session."
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CondeNast Traveler, September 2012 |
"Forced to leave Rover behind? No worries. At Kimpton Hotels, you can request a stand-in pet. The Kimpton's in-room goldfish can't sit or fetch, but they can, if you believe scientific studies, calm nerves, reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. And if that doesn't work, Kimpton also offers in-room yoga lessons."
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CNN Travel, August 2012 |
"Tucked away on the second floor of downtown's Palomar Hotel, Saltbox executive chef Simon Dolinky does classic and quirky food with great skill. His sensibility is playful, but don't be fooled by the lobster corn dogs or the chicharrones; Dolinky takes food very seriously, easily proven by the oxtail jam and lamb tamales."
Home & Garden, July 2012 |
"San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels, a collection of boutique hotels in the U.S. and Canada, offers guests a little 'Guppy Love's at many of their nearly 50 hotels. The Guppy Love program gives guest the option to request a live goldfish for an overnight stay in their guest room. And you never have to worry about feeding or caring for the fish. Hotel staff are on-hand daily to take care of the stress-reducing and calming in-room live 'amenity.' I consider myself a well-traveled road warrior, but I just learned of this cool program yesterday. It began in 2001 and continues to make a splash with guests to this day."
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CNBC, June 2012 |
"...the Hotel Monaco Portland offers guests all the luxuries of a boutique hotel while still reducing its impact on the environment. Guest rooms come with all the standard amenities and a few extra comforts, and are kept clean with nontoxic cleaners and have recycling bins. A fitness center is on-site and spa services are available. The waterfront and Pioneer Square are within walking distance from this downtown hotel. No smoking is allowed in the hotel, but pets are welcome."
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USA Today, May 2012 |
"'I have fallen in nettles before when I was kid, and that is one thing you do not want to fall into,' says Brian Means, bar manager at the innovative Fifth Floor restaurant in San Francisco's Hotel Palomar...Means uses it to make a complex cordial syrup for his floral 9 Herb Charm, combining strawberry-infused tequila, St. Germain Elderflower and lemon juice."
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Food & Wine, May 2012 |
"The Hotel Palomar is new downtown, and along with beach cruisers and surfboard rentals, there are luxe two-and three-bedroom penthouses with full kitchens and skyline views. Don't miss the Saltbox Bar, where hot-shot bartender Erin Williams makes killer cocktails."
Sunset, May 2012 |
"If Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants was a country, the company's flag would have a rainbow on it. Kimpton encourages its employees to be bold and innovative, colorful and creative. CEO Michael Depatie
said the San Francisco-based boutique hospitality group doesn't want employees to have to hide their personalities while at work."
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San Francisco Business Times, April 2012 |
"'If you're not willing to laugh at yourself and be silly, then we're not the company for you,' says Niki Leondakis, president and COO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, founded in 1981. And that includes enthusiastic participations in the annual Toilet Paper Your General Manager competition, part of the Housekeeping Olympics, a celebration for the firm's hardest-working employees."
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Meetings & Conventions, April 2012 |
"Every other Thursday morning at the Hotel Palomar Dallas and on weather-appropriate Tuesday mornings at the Hotel Palomar Chicago, guests seeking to jog can meet up with their respective general managers in aerobic city tours at no extra charge."
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New York Times, February 2012 |
"What makes it so great? Traditions like the 'Housekeeping Olympics,' which features blindfolded bedmaking and the 'vacuum dash,' and a $10,000 employee prize for best service keep this hotel operator from feeling like a big chain."
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FORTUNE Magazine, February 2012 |
"Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen, San Francisco: With 18 beers and five wines on tap, it made sense for bar manager Kevin Diedrich to serve cocktails on tap, too. His first experiment was the Negroni, and he'll soon add a second line for Hanky Pankys."
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Food + Wine, January 2012 |
| KIMPTON 2011 MEDIA PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS |
"The menu isn't what one would expect based on Saltbox's sleek design, but by holding on to the elements that work - looks and service - and bringing in solid, approachable flavors, this space has been given something far better than a facelift. Now it has heart...and hope."
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San Diego Magazine, December 2011 |
"Derek Simcik, executive chef at Chicago's Atwood Café, roasts his own pumpkin seeds and cold-presses his own oil. Recently, after looking for a way to finish off a butternut squash soup, he decided to extract the oil from pumpkin seeds that weren't so much roasted as burned."
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Wall Street Journal, November 2011 |
"Global Vision Awards: Not all eco-minded hotels need to shout their green credentials from their beekeeping, produce-yielding rooftops. Case in point: Kimpton Hotels, which has maintained rigorous environmental standards since its inception 30 years ago."
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Travel + Leisure, November 2011 |
"Best in the World: EPIC Hotel (Miami, FL), Eventi (New York, NY), Hotel Burnham (Chicago, IL), Hotel Monaco (Baltimore, MD), Hotel, Monaco (Portland, OR), Hotel Palomar (Philadelphia, PA), Hotel Palomar (Washington, DC), Lorien Hotel & Spa (Alexandria, VA), Nine Zero Hotel (Boston, MA), Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (Vero Beach, FL)"
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Conde Nast Traveler, November 2011 |
"Most Admired CEOs: 'Ours is a very innovative culture. We're known as innovators in our business,' Depatie said. 'We do a lot of small innovations all the time, and if they work, we do them nationally. We celebrate the tries, even if they don't work.'"
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San Francisco Business Times, November 2011 |
"Gigi Stone interviews President and COO Niki Leondakis and CEO Mike Depatie of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in their San Francisco headquarters about the pioneering boutique hotel group's expansion and takes us on a tour of one of their popular hotel properties."
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Bloomberg Enterprise TV, August 2011 |
"Some hotels are catering to business travelers who don't have the suitcase space for workout gear. Boutique hotel chain Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants offers free in-room yoga, Pilates and workout videos on its hotel room televisions. Guests can also request a workout basket with a yoga mat, resistance straps and other gear for use in their rooms."
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Wall Street Journal, August 2011 |
"Kimpton, a chain of 54 domestic hotels, is also making a big wellness push that includes free on-demand exercise and nutrition videos, seven light choices at each meal, free bikes rentals at many properties and employee-led group jogs."
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New York Times, August 2011 |
"At Kimpton, beauty products vary by property, but some use Aveda. Aveda partners only with hotels with high environmental standards, says a spokesman for Hotel Amenities. The Estee Lauder-owned brand investigates hotel waste water recycling programs, for instance, before agreeing to a partnership."
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Wall Street Journal, August 2011 |
"Housed in a former hat factory on the Chicago River, the Hotel Monaco is steps from Millennium Park and North Michigan Avenue shops...The 70 park avenue hotel is capitalizing on its proximity to Bryant Park by sending guests off to the film series held there on Monday nights with a basket of treats."
National Geographic, July/August 2011 |
"Several New York City hotels that belong to the Kimpton boutique chain are adding locally made goods, too. Kimpton's 70 park avenue hotel is adding FRED natural spring water, which comes from Livingston Manor, N.Y. and comes in a retro-style flask made of recycled plastic. And Kimpton's Muse hotel is adding a Brooklyn-based chocolate."
USA Today, May 2011 |
"'As far as mountain towns go, Aspen is one of the few that holds up in summer and winter,' Cockrell says. 'Of course it has the usual ski-bum haunts, but it also has places like 39 Degrees Lounge, an urban-style oasis with a pool frequented by a chic crowd. In Aspen, you can have any type of night out you want within its few main streets."
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USA Today, May 2011 |
"Niki Leondakis, Kimpton's President and COO, says that what differentiates her company from competitors is the fact that its employees are always striving to create meaningful customer experiences, or 'Kimpton moments,' by going the extra mile to take care of guests and show them random acts of kindness."
Smart Business Magazine, May 2011 |
"Eager to woo customers, hotels have seized on the wellness trend with new rooms for allergy sufferers...At Hotel Monaco Portland, Ore., part of the Kimpton Hotel chain, guests can request one of 25 rooms that are cleaned with procedures being tested by Kimpton. For the rooms, housekeepers use vacuum cleaners with filters that trap pollen and dust mites, and fragrance- and chemical-free cleaning products certified by Green Seal."
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USA Today, May 2011 |
"America's Best New Bars: Sable Kitchen & Bar, Chicago. The 16-page drink menu at Hotel Palomar's bar quotes Jean-Jacques Rousseau, lists cocktails like the Chuck Yeager (rum with cinnamon bark syrup) and boasts one of the city's largest amber spirits collections."
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Food & Wine, April 2011 |
"Food Arts presents the April 2011 Silver Spoon Award for sterling performance to Niki Leondakis, president and chief operating officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the San Francisco-based chain that helped pioneer the concept of boutique hotels...Since Bill Kimpton founded the company in 1981, it has been named twice in Fortune magazine's list of best places to work. Kimpton's restaurants break the mould with their chef-driven menus focused on local ingredients, and its rooms delight with wild zebra-print robes, Etch-A-Sketches stocked in honor bars, and even pet goldfish available upon request."
Food Arts, April 2011 |
"Best large company to work for: Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC. Besides retreats and training, Kimpton leaders such as Leondakis affect the culture by example. She'll let others know when she's taking personal time off, encouraging others to find their own balance of personal and professional duties. She also shows that the sabbatical program for upper management isn't some pie-in-the-sky offering—she went to Burma and Bhutan herself for a month."
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SF Business Times, April 2011 |
"Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a hotel group built on unconventional ways. Kimpton took the initiative in its early days to create amenities such as fully stocked honor bars, wine tasting, and boutique hotel themes. And the founder's sense of social responsibility has led Kimpton to becoming one of the pioneers in sustainable hotel practices."
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Lodging Magazine, April 2011 |
"When traveling for business, jogging becomes even more valuable: You see the city, and you stay mentally nimble. That's what Daryn White has found. Since last fall, the marketing manager for Hotel Monaco in Portland, Ore., has been leading three-mile group runs for hotel guests along the Willamette River at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Accompanied by Timmy, a Labrador retriever that is the hotel's "Director of Pet Relations," the runs have been a surprise hit, especially among business travelers."
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Chicago Tribune, April 2011 |
"'There is a fairly large group of consumers out there who want this type of [boutique] experience, and there's very little product available,' said Michael Depatie, Chief Executive of Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group."
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Wall Street Journal, February 2011 |
"[Niki Leondakis] believes that giving back to the community is a vital responsibility for every business, and through her hard work, Kimpton is succeeding in doing so. As for guests and social media followers, her hotels have been engaging them via Facebook and Twitter for years."
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Huffington Post, February 2011 |
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