In December 2014, the announcement was made that the Kimpton boutique hotel chain was being acquired by IHG. We were assured that the boutique-ness of Kimpton would not change, and frankly we have heard little on this front for some time. Well we did hear that seven of the Kimpton Hotels in San Francisco were leaving the Kimpton family, and that, as of December 31, 2015, Kimpton was discontinuing it’s rather generous loyalty status-matching program. Still, it all seems to remain rather quiet, or perhaps even a little hush-hush.
Today, there was one new announcement: Kimpton hotels is expanding to Europe! Sometime in early 2017, a new Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant will open in Amsterdam. You can read all about it here: Kimpton Returns to its Inspirational Roots:
Kimpton Amsterdam will be right in the center of everything we love about the city; we can’t wait to bike the canals, check out the cool new gallery openings, pop into the high-design boutique shops, and taste some of the delicious food that’s starting to define the city. Oh, and we can’t forget about the beer. There’s always plenty of beer flowing. The 270-room luxury boutique hotel will open in 2017 and feature Kimpton’s signature sophisticated and whimsical design, innovative meeting spaces, a neighborhood restaurant and bar, and a personal approach to guest service.
(*they conveniently omitted any mention of pot-smoking…..*)
I have spent a lot of time in Amsterdam, and even received my Master of Law degree from the University of Amsterdam, so I am most curious to learn of the location of this new property. Is it on one of the canals, such as Hyatt’s Andaz Amsterdam, or is it near the museums, or any of the other countless funky cool areas that keep popping up? Additionally, the announcement says it will be a new hotel, but doesn’t expressly mention if it is entirely new construction or a redesign of an existing hotel.
With 270 rooms, I also wonder at what point a boutique hotel ceases to be a boutique hotel, or is that determined not by the number of rooms, but rather by the personality and the whimsical, quirky charm that Kimpton is known for?
I have always been a fan of Kimpton Hotels (ergo the hashtag #KIMPTONLOVE), so I look forward with excitement to learning more about this new hotel and Kimpton’s future plans.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Apparently it will be the conversion of the current Crowne Plaza, which is particularly interesting as, though IHG doesn’t own that property, it is certainly being repositioned in a way that keeps it within the IHG family.
Oh, thank you for that information!
Crowne Plaza Amsterdam City Centre is a 270-room hotel. Looks like IHG is truly integrating Kimpton Hotels into the fold.
I never thought of the building as a historic building in Amsterdam.
So it looks like it’s near the Dam – between Centraal Station and the Red Light District. Interesting.
If it is the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam – it will be a few blocks from the new W Amsterdam on Dam Square.