IHG is quietly lifting the profile of its Kimpton lifestyle hotel brand as it sees an opportunity to take it further upmarket and fill a gap in the luxury lifestyle space from a positioning, design and a pricing perspective.
As it prepares to open the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, IHG is using the term “luxury” in its press materials and recent renovations at hotels such as the Eventi in New York, the Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Texas, and the Epic in Miami have more of a luxury feel than initially intended.
HOTELS recently spoke with Kathleen Reidenbach, a 14-year veteran of the Kimpton brand and currently senior vice president of marketing and brand, about the movement of what has been a traditional 4-star lifestyle brand into more of the luxury category.
HOTELS: We have considered Kimpton more of a 4-star or 4-star-plus brand. Why the move into the luxury space?
Kathleen Reidenbach: We’ve always felt that there’s been an opportunity for us to kind of push into that area and bring what we love to say — Kimpton’s sensibility, charm, sense of humor and joyfulness — into the luxury space.
H: So this a very deliberate strategic change?
KR: Yes. I think it’s been an evolution over the last five years or so, where we have moved to more solidly position Kimpton in that four and a half star luxury space. We run with a little bit of fluidly within that space. Allowing us to play in the luxury space with our approach to service and giving that level of playfulness, we felt it also allows us to fill a hole in that space. There’s been an opportunity for us to take Kimpton’s approach to hospitality and bring it more into that luxury price point.
We have been partnering with some new owners that are looking to do some things that are different in some locations that demand, or are looking for, a higher level of sophistication in terms of design, quality, service and price.
H: But you are not playing in that traditional luxury space with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, etc.
KR: The traditional concept of luxury with some of the brands that are known for providing a luxury experience is getting redefined. We think we can take personality and bring it to luxury. We can take a personal level of service and pull off the white gloves and have a genuine conversation about what the needs are for the guest and deliver that in a way that brings out sophisticated and beautiful design to our guest.
It’s a challenge to put what we do into one box, and to your point we had been sitting in the four and a half star arena. And you may see us hit above that with some of our properties and our guests are comfortable with seeing us play in different ranges.
H: Are you coming out and calling Kimpton a luxury player?
KR: No. I would say this has been something that over the last five to 10 years the brand evolved. You’ve seen that as we’ve pushed out a new look and feel, brand identity and a new approach to digital and social media and activations. We’ve done a lot of that in response to the new types of hotels that we’re bringing online. It’s been something that has happened organically, more of an evolution of the brand as it moves into a new era, from 60 hotels and restaurants based in the United States to, let’s say, 100-plus hotels and restaurants globally.
H: Is Kimpton luxury more of a resort play?
KR: No. It will be something that we will base on property by property, take a look at the market, take a look at where the open space is in the market, and then fill that appropriately.
You’ll continue to see us take a very bespoke approach to each location, and then that will vary… We never want to overshoot the market.
H: Is there an ROI here? Are you seeing rates reflect this move?
KR: Yes. From an ADR index perspective, we are at historical highs across the board. So, we’re seeing that the demand is there and that the products are being extremely well received.
H: What’s next?
KR: You’ll continue to see somewhat of a range in terms of our properties and the variety that really fits the neighborhoods. But more projects like Seafire or the opening of our first hotel in Europe, which is in Amsterdam, we’ll start to hit, as many brands do, above into that luxury space.
H: You recently signed a deal for Kimpton in Paris. What else can you tell us about global expansion?
KR: We’re going to start to see continued expansion in Europe and opportunities for us as more international travelers, frankly, are introduced to Kimpton, who may not have been familiar with us in the past. There’s a significant demand, and I would expect more announcements, not only in Europe but also in North and South America.