Hotel Mergers and Acquisitions: IHG and Kimpton

IHG and Kimpton – Hotel Mergers and Acquisitions – 

About a year ago, IHG, the company that owns Holiday Inn announced the acquisition of the boutique chain Kimpton.

Initially a lot of the Kimpton fans were worried that IHG would change the brand and eliminate the rewarding frequent guest program. This has not happened yet and the programs are continuing to operate independently.

I personally stayed at a couple Kimpton properties in the past. I found the hotels to be clean, comfortable and cozy and the wine reception each evening was a nice touch.

I have a few friends that are Kimpton Inner Circle Members. They report that the brand really takes care of them when they stay. From really awesome welcome amenities such as a bucket of your favorite beer, cheese and snacks to full gourmet dinners for two as well as a free stay at every new property.

I remember when I stayed, a received a couple cans of soda and a candy bar as my amenity.

Those benefits really make you want to be loyal to the chain.

The Kimpton Intouch program benefits are as follows:

This past week, Kimpton emailed all members the following:

Here are your year-end reminders and updates. View this email on web.

Dear John, As we are nearing the end of the year, I want to thank you for being a Kimpton Karma Rewards Member. We’re grateful that you continue to be loyal guests and are committed to providing perks that are meaningful to you and will keep you a part of the Kimpton family. We know things have been a bit quiet on our end. There’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Our team has also been listening and we know you want more information. We get it. Here’s what you can expect in 2016: Kimpton Karma Rewards will continue to serve as the loyalty program for Kimpton You’ll receive quarterly updates with details on how things are progressing as it relates to bringing the best of Karma Rewards & IHG Rewards Club together. Your eligible 2016 Kimpton activity will accumulate toward your 2017 tier status, and your activity and any earned rewards will remain active.

This is good news regarding the program as members can continue to experience the hotels at the same level and to receive the welcome amenities, wine reception and other great offerings at least for the next year.

Although it sounds like 2017 might be a year for change of the program. The current one continues to operate independently of the IHG program.

Have you stayed at a Kimpton Hotel? What did you like best about the experience?

Photos: Kimpton Hotels, wearefine.com