TravelDailyNews: What is your policy to strengthen your company worldwide?

Joe Long: Increased brand awareness: Kimpton has built an incredible reputation as a leader in the boutique segment of the industry. In 2004, we re-launched our brand to differentiate ourselves even further by adding a lifestyle component to all of our hotels, which is seen in the unique programs and amenities we offer and through our signature elements of Care, Comfort, Style, Flavor and Fun

Appeal of boutique hotel segment: Kimpton is still perceived as the leading brand of boutique hotels. As travelers become more savvy and sophisticated, our attention to design, décor, comfort and care become even more valuable assets than ever before. While our competitors try to emulate those qualities, they are already ingrained in Kimpton’s brand philosophy and culture.

Expansion of successful hotel styles, i.e. Monaco & Palomar: Future of Kimpton is centered around solid four-star hotels, and Hotel Palomar falls within this bracket, appealing to the sophisticated luxury/business traveler, while Hotel Monaco appeals to the upper, mid-market traveler who are attracted to design and adventuresome style

TDN: What are the main obstacles – benefits in expanding your brands?

J.L.: Continue to be challenged to keep the Kimpton Culture alive within all of our employees and at all of our properties—A Unanimous Commitment to Self-Leadership,

Creativity and High Performance through Team and Personal Development

• Maintain and improve Kimpton’s commitment to provide genuine comfort and care



• Maintain an open-door mentality that Kimpton has built itself on – approachable employees



• Veer away from corporate politics and strict hierarchical structure – emphasize importance on ongoing, clear internal communication at all levels



• Home Office will not lose touch with the field, no matter how big we grow – the continuous relationship with employees will ensure our ongoing success

Brand or product differentiation—as more and more companies are moving towards providing great beds, design, signature restaurants, it will continue to be everyone’s challenge to differentiate themselves. Kimpton stands apart because we are the original boutique hotel company and because we are staying true to the concept of a boutique hotel, i.e. inclusive, fewer than 200 rooms, personalized service and unique amenities and most importantly, a personal connection with the guest.

Customer Relationship Management—based on the global trend of mass customization and personalization, this will continue to be a large focus. At Kimpton, we address this through our loyalty program, Kimpton InTouch. Our loyalty program is different from others because it’s not based on points or miles, we truly strive to customize each guest’s experience and to personalize their rewards based on their interests. We ask guests about their personal preferences (what type of wine they like, hobbies, interests, whether they like a room on a high floor, or near the elevator, etc.) Additionally, for higher-level reward guests, we send them their choice of a personalized Kimpton Life Reward. These can be gift certificates to companies like Sur La Table and Design Within Reach, again depending on the guests’ preference and therefore creates a personal connection with the guest.

TravelDailyNews: Which destinations have more dynamic potentials?

J.L.: We are currently expanding rapidly in the South Florida market as well as Texas

We will continue to expand in mainly urban markets and are continuing to look for additional properties in the Los Angeles and New York markets

We will also see that the resort market with ever increasing positive demographics for resort hotels and resort communities with high level amenities (such as golf, spa, etc.) will also be a target for expansion.

TravelDailyNews: How did your company expand the previous decade and where are you going to invest in the next decade?

Acquire existing hotels in desirable locations where the property is underutilized and where opportunities exist to reposition as a Kimpton hotel

Acquire non-hotel buildings that can be converted to Kimpton hotel properties and mixed-use developments which include a Kimpton hotel

Acquire boutique hotels in good physical condition and in need of redevelopment or repositioning that could benefit from being included in the Kimpton system.

Movement: Kimpton

We currently operate 39 hotels, with the new deals we will have 58 hotels – 52.6% portfolio growth since 2004

We currently have 7,065 rooms, with the new deals we will have 10,743 – 57.9% room growth since 2004

We are currently located in 17 cities, with the new deals we will be in 32 cities 113% city growth since 2004

*Kimpton has never grown at this pace before
*We are growing at a much faster rate than our competition