Kimpton's Annual Sale Has Arrived With Rates Starting At $119, Plus Double Kimpton Karma/IHG Rewards

Rates from $119 + double stay credit. Book our best rates of the year now through Sunday, October 25. View this email on web.

You'll love what goes on behind closed doors.

Rates from $119 + Double Stay Credit

Stay October 22, 2015 - February 29, 2016  /  Rates & days of the week vary by hotel  /  14-Day Cancellation Policy  /  Blackout dates apply  /  Karma Rewards Exclusive Offer  /  At participating hotels  /  Subject to availability

Book by October 25, 2015

Terms & Conditions: Welcome to the terms and conditions, a.k.a. "small print" where we are obliged to let you know that this Kimpton Karma Rewards Exclusive is subject to availability and valid for stays October 22, 2015 through February 29, 2016. Offer must be booked by October 25, 2015 under this exclusive rate code. All reservations under this rate code must be cancelled 14 days prior to arrival to avoid a late cancellation fee. The world being the way it is, additional taxes and fees may apply. Not valid in conjunction with any other promotions or offers. Members will receive double credit for nights and stays for each paid reservation in their member profile. The bonus credit will appear in the member's account within 30 days after checking-out of their hotel stay. Not valid for discounted or negotiated rates, groups or to modify any existing reservations. Certain restrictions and blackout dates may apply. The following hotels are not participating in this offer: Palomar Washington D.C., Monaco Washington D.C., and The George. Finally, Kimpton Hotels reserves the right to cancel reservations booked with erroneous room rates.

TRAVELORE DESTINATION REPORT: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Is Home To 8 Fortune 500 Firms, A Thriving Arts District, Champion Sports Teams, And Is Now Gaining National Attention As A 'Hot' Destination To Visit

We were impressed with our first ever visit to Pittsburgh to learn about the development of new hotels in this thriving metropolitan area, named by Conde Nast Traveler as One Of the Top Places In The World To Visit in 2015. We found the city to be clean, reminding us of Toronto, with a mix of eclectic and warmth of a small town feel.

We stayed at one of the newer hotels, the Hotel Monaco. The Hotel Monaco, part of the Kimpton Hotel group, is located in a beautiful Beaux Art style building dating back to 1903. We found the hotel with 247 rooms including 13 suites very comfortable and friendly, with an intent to connect people with offerings including a complementary wine hour. Some of the elements of the hotel are quirky including whimsical art including a theme of bird cages throughout the hotel. Before staying there we recommend visiting their website, www.kimptonhotels.com ,  and joining their Karma Rewards program so you'll be set up with free internet access and extras including a $10 bar credit. We also recommend you call to request complementary services including evening turn-down service and a coffee maker. The hotel does not have a business center or computers to use so we used the business center at the nearby Fairmont. For more details please visit: Www.Monaco-Pittsburgh.Com or call 412-471-1170

The Four Diamond Fairmont Pittsburgh features 185 guest rooms, 12,000 square feet of meeting space and a full-service health club and spa. Unique to the pet friendly Fairmont Hotels are Canine Ambassadors, represented by Edie who is a Boxer/Labrador Retriever mix in Pittsburgh. Edie welcomes guests, hosts events to benefit local animal shelters, and visits local schools and events.  Even if you are not staying at the hotel we recommend visiting to view their display of artifacts from the excavation of the PNC Plaza that the hotel is in.  More than 26,000 objects dating from 1840 to 1872 were recovered by archaeologists offering a unique glimpse into the life and commerce of Pittsburgh in the mid-1800's. The hotel is also the city's first LEED Gold certified hotel. For more details please visit: www.Fairmont.Com/Pittsburgh



One of the more unique dining experiences to Pittsburgh is Emporio, A Meatball Joint. Varieties featured include Classic  Beef, Spicy Pork, Turkey and Vegetarian. We were very pleased with the vegetarian variety made with mushrooms, white beans, and  cauliflower. Nine sauces are offered as well as traditional and eclectic varieties of sides We selected the arrabiata sauce and vegetable quinoa side. For more details please visit: http://emporioameatballjoint.com/ or call 412-281-2810

On future visits to Pittsburgh we will plan to report on the thriving arts and recreational activities offered. For more details please visit: Www.VisitPittsburgh.Com .

Hotels Reward Guests For Twitter, Facebook Posts

(Photo: Kimpton Hotels)

If you want to earn points toward a future stay at a hotel, try posting a photo of the hotel on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Hotels are increasingly expanding the ways guests can earn rewards beyond reserving a room. Now they are recognizing them for certain "behaviors."

Today, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants will launch Kimpton Karma Rewards, a new loyalty program designed to recognize guests for actions such as attending a property's nightly wine hour, traveling with their pet, dining at a Kimpton restaurant, or mentioning an individual hotel or restaurant on social media.

This follows on the heels of Marriott introducing PlusPoints in May, which allows members to earn Rewards points for "everyday social behaviors" such as tweets, retweets, checking in on Facebook and posting on Instagram.

"Loyalty as a concept is not just about transactions," says Maggie Lang, senior director of guest marketing at Kimpton. "Karma is rewarding engagement."

Many hotel chains have over the years come up with new ways for guests to earn rewards. Some examples:

• InterContinental Hotels Group Rewards Club members earn points for purchases in the hotel restaurant, gift shop, spa and other on-site venues.
• Starwood has Crossover Rewards with Delta Air Lines. Starwood Preferred Guests can earn Starpoints when they fly Delta, and Delta frequent fliers can earn Skymiles when they stay at a Starwood property.
• Club Carlson, the Carson Rezidor loyalty program, has a new "Be the Bright Spot" program that lets hotel staff give bonus points or elite status to "inspirational" frequent guests.

Rewarding guests for their social media behavior takes it to another level and is a clear play for younger Millennial travelers who are traveling more.

"As we started to think about new ways to allow the next generation of traveler to connect with ... and participate in rewards, we thought this was an interesting idea," says Rich Toohey, vice president of Marriott Rewards. "It was a cool opportunity for them to take advantage of and participate by doing what they're already doing."

Marriott Rewards members can earn up to 2,000 points a month and have four transactions a day. They earn 25 points for following participating hotels' Twitter and Instagram accounts or for re-tweeting content from the Marriott Rewards Twitter account with the hashtag #MRPoints.

Marriott is still tweaking the program. When it first launched, guests could earn as many as 250 points for a Twitter or Facebook follow. The program started with 50 participating hotels. That has grown to more than 360.

Through Kimpton's Karma Rewards, guests won't necessarily earn points. They could get personalized perks instead. There will be four tiers of members, and guests can move up in tiers based on their engagement. Perks can include a welcome amenity, in-room spa credit and access to Kimpton's CEO.

"We empower each hotel to do something different," Lang says.

Gary Leff, co-founder of Milepoint.com, a frequent-flier community, says hotels are still at the experimental stages with this new concept, as evidenced by Marriott already decreasing the number of points awarded for Twitter and Facebook follows.

"The challenge each brand faces is how to authentically connect with members, and indeed with large numbers of members, leveraging technology," he says. "That's not something they've really figured out how to do yet – but each is trying different things."

Contributed by Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY

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