My brother Ian and I arrived in Portland, OR yesterday afternoon and promptly checked into our rooms at the Fifth Avenue Suites Hotel, located in downtown Portland. We are here to meet with a couple of board members and some of the other businesses they are associated with. I imagine that arrangements were made for us to stay at Fifth Avenue Suites as its a Kimpton Hotel Property, which one of the board members we are meeting is an investor.
The Kimpton Group owns and operates about 41 lifestyle hotels across the United States. I am most familiar with their proprieties in Boston (Nine Zero, Onyx Hotel, and Hotel Marlow) and in Chicago (Hotel Monaco). In fact, it seems that they are currently in the process of converting Fifth Avenue to a Hotel Monaco Portland. An announcement that sat on the desk in my room details why the change:
"The Kimpton Group which has always owned and managed the hotel believes that the hotel deserves more then a mere renovation, but rather a complete revitalization and renewal befitting this grand hotel. Under the world renowned expertise of designer Cherly Rowley…..the hotel undergo a complete transformation. New 32" flat-screen plasma TV’s, DVD players in every room, new lit make up mirrors, the additions of room safes, new room, corridor, and lobby carpets, new furniture, and (an) entire new lobby."
I applaud this move as I am a fan of Hotel Monaco. I particularly like there unique touch with outfitting each room with gold fish! Of all the hotels in Kimpton’s portfolio, Hotel Monaco seems to be the most adopted brand, with locations in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Denver, Washington D.C., San Fransisco, Seattle, and soon……Portland.
I do have a small bit of advice for those in marketing at the Kimpton Group. You really should make a concerted effort to get ALL of your properties into the TabletHotels Website . You disserve to have a larger presence then you currently do within that trusted adviser site.
Well said.