Kimpton To Open First Hotel outside The Americas In Amsterdam

(Photo: Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants)

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants will open its first hotel outside of the Americas, just a year after the boutique hotel chain was acquired by hospitality giant InterContinental Hotels Group.

The hotel will debut in Amsterdam in 2017. It will be a conversion from a Crowne Plaza, another brand underneath the IHG umbrella.

“This is really a pivotal moment for Kimpton,” Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino told USA TODAY at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. “This is a time in our history that we didn’t know would ever come frankly. It’s an important threshold to cross because people need to know we can do it and our brand and our style and our attitude and the way we deliver is important and appealing.”

Kimpton started in 1981 as a small boutique chain in San Francisco. It has grown to 59 hotels in 30 U.S. cities.

IHG has 10 brands, including Kimpton, and franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,000 hotels across the world.

Acquiring Kimpton strengthened IHG’s foothold in the rapidly growing boutique hotel segment. Becoming part of the IHG family meant Kimpton could expand worldwide.

“IHG’s ability to take Kimpton to new markets and geographies was a key part of the transaction and we’re delighted to announce this important milestone for the brand,” IHG CEO Richard Solomons said in a written statement.

USA TODAY

IHG to buy boutique hotel chain Kimpton

Kimpton’s first hotel outside of the USA will open in Grand Cayman this year. Moving across an ocean to Europe marks a big leap for the company, one that DeFrino says would not have happened without IHG and its relationships with owners and developers overseas.

“There’s no way we could have gotten in front of the guys doing this deal, the guys who own the hotel and had the imagination to turn it into a very upscale boutique hotel,” he says.

DeFrino says he hopes to open Kimptons in major Asian gateways such as Hong Kong and Tokyo, and in places where IHG already has a strong presence such asSoutheast Asia.

“We think those are places where we can perform very well,” he says.

The Amsterdam Kimpton, which has not yet been named, will have a fully renovated lobby, restaurants, facilities, and guestrooms. It will have 270 rooms, a destination bar and restaurant, gym, and meeting spaces with up-to-date technology.

Kimpton hotels are known for perks such as a complimentary wine hour, bikes, and yoga mats in each room.

The hotel is owned by YC Amsterdam BV.

Source: Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY