Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Introduces Kimpton Karma Rewards – First Industry Loyalty Program that Measures True Brand Engagement; Provides Personalized Incentives at All Levels

Kimpton Karma Rewards — Photo by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2014— Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a pioneer and leader in the boutique hotel sector, announced today the launch of Kimpton Karma Rewards, a new loyalty program designed to recognize and reward members beyond stay transactions. Kimpton Karma acknowledges the many ways members interact with the Kimpton brand, in addition to granting credits toward free nights earned through hotel stays. With Kimpton Karma, which replaces the brand's InTouch program, members may be recognized for things like attending wine hour, mentioning an individual hotel or restaurant on social media or dining at one of Kimpton's 66 restaurants, bars and lounges, to name a few. The new program provides members with a number of personalized delights and perks starting as early as Tier One.

In addition to the launch of Kimpton Karma, the brand has introduced other exciting changes, including a re-imagined website (KimptonHotels.com) to make it easier to explore and book any Kimpton boutique hotel across the country, and blog to better reflect the company's guest-centric philosophies and positioning as a lifestyle brand.

"Kimpton's spirit and approach to hospitality – our restaurants, great design, thoughtful amenities, and empowered employees - is why our guests love us and keep coming back," said Mike DeFrino, chief operating officer at Kimpton. "The launch of Kimpton Karma allows us to take the Kimpton experience even further, rolling it out in a more personal and engaging ways, whether it's your first visit with us or your 50^th."

Kimpton Karma's proprietary formula considers brand engagement such as booking directly on KimptonHotels.com, traveling with a pet and social media interaction, all of which have the potential to boost members' Kimpton Karma and help a member move up in tier progression. Based on engagement and stay history, members move up in tiers, and each tier level provides associated personalized perks and experiences. In addition, with every stay, members enjoy perks such as free WiFi, a "Raid the Bar" voucher (a $10 credit toward a great experience at the adjacent Kimpton restaurant bar or a treat from the mini bar), in-room spa service discounts, a complimentary treat from Kimpton chefs, customized welcome amenities, room upgrades based on availability, occasional fun surprises, like a make-your-own cocktail station with a guest's favorite spirit or sports-themed treats with the guest's hometown team as inspiration. The more Kimpton knows about members and the purpose of their visit, the more employees can make the experience unique, personal and fun.

Kimpton Karma will enable employees to provide more personalized perks and surprises for loyalists based on what they learn about the guest over time. By investing in an innovative and custom-built Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system behind the scenes, Kimpton has further empowered employees to capture preferences, background and details about guests in real-time, so they can continue to create memorable and personalized experiences no matter what Kimpton hotel a member is visiting.

Kimpton Karma is one in a series of changes the hotelier is rolling out this month to better serve its guests and scale for future growth, including a new website and blog.

New Website: KimptonHotels.com

The new KimptonHotels.com, which also launched today, is a reflection of Kimpton's sharpened brand image and improved guest-centric shopping experience online. The new site represents a dramatic design evolution and modernization of the Kimpton spirit and style, integrating multiple new tools to create a seamless, efficient and intuitive guest experience, while also connecting emotionally with guests through rich and vibrant imagery. The new site aims to be a digital living room for the brand, which mimics what a guest feels when checking into a Kimpton hotel – a warm, inviting environment and inspiring spaces. To create more efficiency and ease of use, the site now provides timely and relevant information about specific properties, live information feeds on details such as weather, time of day and more. It's now faster and easier for guests to research boutique hotels and book a room, meeting or event than ever before. Designed with Kimpton's food-loving guests in mind, dedicated restaurant pages have been introduced so that each venue will have its own page complete with images, and information about the food, concept and chef, providing a glimpse of what one would experience at a Kimpton restaurant.

A key aspect of the site is its support of Kimpton Karma. The revamped KimptonHotels.com features a devoted loyalty section for visitors to discover Kimpton Karma, sign up for the program, receive updates and messages through a personalized message feed, as well as feature a customized experience once logged in where Kimpton Karma members can check their tier level, view and manage reservations, book a table, track program rewards and much more in a highly visual display.

The site is responsive and optimized for any device and screen size, making it easy to view and book on-the-go. With KimptonHotels.com, style meets substance in perfect harmony to get guests in the Kimpton state of mind – whatever the purpose of their visit and from their first point of interaction with the brand.

Revamped Blog: "Life is Suite"

The new blog, which re-launched in June, is a perfect partner to the new website, and provides readers with a more engaging and accessible way to explore topics that Kimpton believes makes life enjoyable, like local tips for things to do and see around Seattle from a bike, and recipes from Kimpton chefs for great summer pastas. Life Is Suite treats readers to a beautiful new design and a variety of inspiring stories from more than a dozen regularly contributing writers with original features, Kimpton news and unique and fun videos. Contributors include freelance journalists from national outlets (such as AdWeek, Los Angeles Times, WHERE Magazine, etc.), Kimpton's master bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout, Master Sommelier & Senior Director of National Beverage Programs, Emily Wines, Creative Director & Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley, and more.

The blog is home to vibrant images to give readers a true feel for what staying with Kimpton is all about, and includes stories about travel (the lowdown on great destinations and things to do around the country), design and style (do-it-yourself tips and tricks), eat and drink (the latest and greatest on restaurants, bars, and cocktails), and a look inside Kimpton (information on what the brand is planning for the future). All content is mobile optimized and accessible across different digital devices. In addition to the new blog, Kimpton launched its new Pinterest presence to offer even more ideas and inspiration on design, style and entertaining.

"We're in the midst of an exciting evolution at Kimpton, and all of these new updates – our new brand strategy and aesthetic, revamped website and 'Life is Suite' blog, and the launch of Kimpton Karma – are fueling us to pull away from the pack in increasingly competitive boutique hotel and restaurant category," said Kathleen Reidenbach, senior vice president of marketing at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. "We're becoming a 365-degree lifestyle brand that appeals to design-conscious, tech-savvy clientele that's also looking for more depth when they travel. These changes add up to an improved overall Kimpton experience for our guests, furthering us along the path to be the world's best loved hospitality company."

To learn more about Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, please visit www.KimptonHotels.com, www.LifeisSuite.com, www.Facebook.com/Kimpton, or www.Twitter.com/Kimpton.

ABOUT KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the leading collection of boutique hotels and restaurants in the United States and the acknowledged industry pioneer that first introduced the boutique hotel concept to America. In 1981, Bill Kimpton founded the company that today is renowned for making travelers feel genuinely cared for while away from home through thoughtful perks and amenities, distinctive design that tells a story and inspires a sense of fun at each hotel and a sincerely personal style of guest service. Out to help people live full, balanced lives, Kimpton aims to inspire with touches like yoga mats in every room, complimentary coffee and tea to start the day, hosted evening Wine Hour, in-room fitness programming and complimentary bike rentals. The award-winning restaurants and bars are led by talented chefs and bartenders that offer guests a chance to dine like a local. Kimpton also leads the hospitality industry in eco-friendly practices that span all hotels and restaurants, and is consistently ranked as one of the top companies in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index, Upper Upscale Segment, for Customer Satisfaction. The company is highly-regarded for its innovative employee culture and benefits and has been named a Fortune magazine "Best Place to Work" five times since 2009. Kimpton is continuously growing and currently operates 61 hotels and nearly 70 restaurants, bars and lounges in 26 cities. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.

Media Contacts:

Allison+Partners for Kimpton

Ashley Wallace / 646-428-0667/ [email protected]