Well I didn't see this coming. I wonder what this will mean for people that hold Inner Circle status, or any sort of reciprocal status / perks for members of each chain. http://skift.com/2014/12/15/intercontinental-hotel-group-buys-kimpton-hotels-for-430-million/
Integration into IHG and worldwide expansion of the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant brand, maybe? Would be nice. Cheers.
I can see them making Kimpton into a boutique brand, but there are serious differences between their two programs -- enough that someone will get the shaft, no doubt -- probably the Kimpton guys. Then again, their Karma rewards is funky, with a free night after 20 nights or some craziness... but they do have some nice perks like dining credit, chef's taste, raid the bar, etc.
They could mix some of the Karma benefits, incl. raid the bar, with IHG existing benefits, especially free nights with points, plus they might integrate the Kimpton brand and their Indigo brand to offer synergies worldwide, that's what Kimpton needs, expansion around the world and the best of both worlds delivered by both chains. Would be fascinating to see in the future where Kimpton is going under the ownership of IHG. Interesting times ahead, we will see how Kimpton "loyalists" react to this move by IHG.
We wouldn't expect otherwise, but an expansion of Kimpton branded hotels around the world would be nice through IHG.
Yeah but it's going to be an annihilation of kimpton rewards altogether. An expansion of properties is not going to be followed by a free night to all Inner Circle folks as they have now. And I wonder how a status match or reciprocal status would work... A Platinum IHG member should be granted the same perks as a top tier Kimpton elite, unless they plan to match it to Ambassador instead. I guess time will tell.
Hmmm, maybe I should renew my AMB then... Does anyone know when we will be able to start earning IHG points with them?
As reported, at least for now the two loyalty programs will run along each other, eventually I guess they will be combinded, not dates given at this time.
This would be interesting indeed, I guess Kimpton will eventually integrated into the Big IHG organization and will stand alongside Indigo and Even hotels. Also of note is that IHG plans to expand Kimpton worldwide. Looking forward to this. Cheers.
I am collecting IC keycards and a change to Kimpton would be very bad ... but then I am framing some of the cards and am running out of real estate in my hallway.
Cool! But why would you want to put duplicates there? Unless it's a different card design, of course.
I'm curious if IHG will just maintain ALL of the Kimpton properties or if they plan to unload some of them. Looking at places like San Francisco or DC, you already have a solid IHG presence there -- albeit not in the "boutique" space. But there are probably 10 Kimpton properties in each of those cities, so you have to wonder if they're all going to remain in the chain.
Sometimes I use duplicates to fill new frames. I can always reorganize. Also the back of some cards (e.g. Cairo or the resorts) is interesting as well. So I'd have pairs with back/front in one frame.
I wonder how quickly they implement the acquisition - have big spending (wedding) with Kimpton in Phila coming up and probably should put it on my IHG Chase card.
KIMPTON IHG UPDATE EMAIL: Dear DJP_707 , Where has the time gone? It's June already and it feels like just yesterday we announced our acquisition by IHG. We have been steadily working with our new family at IHG to identify ways to bring the best of both worlds together. We remain firmly committed to our guests and to continuing to innovate for you. We are excited by the many growth opportunities ahead of us and also remain focused on maintaining our unique Kimpton DNA as we grow with IHG. Throughout this process, we have explored every part of our business with loyalty being a top focus. We think we have a pretty compelling opportunity with the IHG Rewards Club and continue to explore how to best bring these two programs together – keeping Kimpton Karma as unique as it is and also giving you the ability to tap into the rich IHG Rewards Club perks. And, as always, we're listening. We've begun conducting surveys and focus groups to gather your feedback and learn more about what you want (or don't want!). As you can imagine, it will take time to build and implement, but your insight is imperative. Over the course of the next year you should start to see some of your feedback put into action as we roll out loyalty enhancements in phases. We will certainly keep you updated on our progress, but please be assured; we have good things in store! Beyond Kimpton Karma remaining as a unique IHG Rewards Club program extension, I'm also happy to share that Kimpton as a whole will remain as it is and, in fact, our home office is staying put right here in our home town of San Francisco. IHG recognizes that the Bay Area is a great source of inspiration for us, allowing us to be on the cutting edge and continue to innovate around your guest experience. If you're wondering what else is staying the same and what is changing, I can tell you that we're changing in numbers and adding some really exciting new cities to our portfolio, like Austin, Winston-Salem, Nashville, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Palm Springs and Grand Cayman and have a really healthy pipeline of new hotels. It's an exciting time in Kimpton's history, but we would be nowhere without our loyal guests and members. You all helped us build Kimpton to the special brand we all love working for and you enjoy staying with. Thank you so much for your continued loyalty! Best, Mike DeFrino CEO Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
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