I travel a lot for work and fortunately there is usually a Kimpton Hotel in the cities I visit. The boutique hotel chain is smaller than the big guys, but they have some of the best service which is what brings me back again and again.
In California, Kimpton has a location in downtown Los Angeles and two hotels in San Diego (near SeaWorld and Legoland).
I just stayed at Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco in Seattle, which is what prompted this article. Each of the locations has a unique charm. One of the Kimpton hotels in San Francisco has a dog in the lobby who is the official ambassador (complete with his own business cards). The one in Seattle offers you a pet goldfish to keep in your room if you need some company. All Kimpton hotels are super pet friendly, which is a welcome perk for pet owners.
I once brought my small dog with me on a trip to Seattle. The Hotel Monaco hooked him up with his own dog bed, food dish, and water bowl. They added his name to the welcome board in the lobby and gave me a special menu of amenities I could order for my dog (including a doggie massage).
The biggest thing that brings me back is the level of professionalism and service by every employee. They keep track of my preferences and, over the past few years, now have learned that I prefer a Wall Street Journal in the morning, like to have a goldfish in my room, and I like gummy bears. When I checked in, there was a fish already in my room, they gave me a $10 credit to raid the mini bar (which had gummy bears) and in the morning there was a WSJ at the door.
The hotel chain is also very active on social media. While eating in the hotel’s restaurant, I stumbled onto a perk on Yelp where the hotel will give you a free bottle of wine if you check in using the Yelp app. I gave it a try and within an hour someone appeared at my door with a bottle of wine. Pretty neat.
The hotel is competitively priced, so it won’t break the bank to stay there. Kimpton hotels are actually a lot less expensive than the rates for most of the Disney hotels. But no matter where you travel, you can’t go wrong if you stay at a Kimpton. They take really good care of you and truly create a home away from home experience.
Photo via Tracy Gallagher
